You Can Stay In A Relaxing Florida Airbnb That's A Floating Tiki Hut
You have probably heard of glamping, but have you ever thought about what it would be like to go glamping on the water? That is the experience marketed by the owners of a floating Tiki hut Airbnb located off the coast of Key West, Florida. The city of Key West represents the farthest south you can travel and still be located in the United States, according to Visit Florida, and is well known for its beautiful beaches and lively watersports. You can take it all in from the dock of this mini houseboat, which immerses you in the Key West ocean life.
The Tiki Suite, as the hosts refer to it, is listed for $578 a night and is intended to provide ocean glamping space for two guests. It features a king bed, a bathroom, and all you will need for a glamping experience, albeit one surrounded on all sides by beautiful clear blue ocean water.
The Tiki hut layout
The Airbnb Tiki Suite is on the smaller side, although it does look and feel pretty luxurious when compared to a regular glamping experience. The entire property is about as large as a regularly sized bedroom in a house. The bathroom is a full bath, though, so you will not have to worry about not being able to shower after a long day spent out in the hot sun and salty air. The bedroom is large enough for the king bed and any suitcases or supplies you need to bring — and features the same thatched walls as the outside of the hut to really emphasize the Tiki vibe. With doors on three sides of the bedroom that put you less than a foot away from the ocean, it is hard to feel more beachy.
The real superstar of this Airbnb, though, is the patio. Facing the sun, the patio has two comfy chairs and the space and hooks to hang a huge hammock, where you can swing and lounge halfway above the water. The posts for the hammock also double as docks to anchor the paddleboards and other watersports supplies, so you can slide right from the hammock to play in the ocean.
The Tiki hut experience
When you stay in the Tiki Suite, you will be treated to a unique, on-the-water experience. The Airbnb hosts provide paddleboards and snorkeling equipment so you can frolic around in the water to your heart's content. Because the tiki casts shade over the water immediately below the hut, previous vacationers report seeing all kinds of ocean life while snorkeling, including sting rays, starfish, dolphins, and Florida's native manatees. The hut itself can only be accessed by boat shuttle and is limited to just two guests as it technically needs to comply with Florida's Coast Guard regulations as a residence on the water, so you will be secluded in your own magical little ocean world.
Of course, not everything about the tiki life is glamorous. Because of the high flammability of the Tiki thatch, devices that generate heat can't be used while on the hut, so any food you bring should be already prepared and appropriate to be consumed cold, like sandwiches (there is a cooler provided on the hut, though you will need to bring your own ice). The internet is not fast enough for streaming or anything beyond basic website navigation, but why would you want to be spending time online anyway with the whole wide ocean as your yard?
How people describe the Tiki hut
The Tiki Suite has overwhelmingly good reviews from previous Airbnb guests. Many people who have stayed on the floating hut have raved about the incredible sunrise and sunset views, which you can see from all angles thanks to the three sets of doors in the bedroom, not to mention the wide-open patio. One guest described seeing a nurse shark off the edge of the hut (don't worry, National Geographic reports that nurse sharks are harmless to humans unless you step on them, which would be fairly impossible in this hut).
Because the hut can only sleep two people, the majority of guests who have visited the Tiki Suite have treated it as a couple's getaway. Guests report that the hut is ideal for a relaxing, romantic vacation, possibly to celebrate an anniversary or other meaningful occasion. And let's face it — it really doesn't get better than paddle boarding on the open ocean as the stars come out, does it?