Private island is last of the Keys resorts to reopen after Irma. Fave spot for A-list

Little Palm Island Resort and Spa, one of the most exclusive resorts in the Florida Keys and which is located on a private island, took a knockout punch from Hurricane Irma in 2017.

The Category 4 storm made landfall 11 miles away.

Two and half years later, the luxurious, adults-only, four-acre resort featuring private suites, crushed seashell paths and private oceanfront cabanas, has been completely redesigned and rebuilt after Irma tore through it.

It’s now taking reservations for March and is scheduled to partially reopen Sunday, March 1.

Suites on the island, just off Little Torch Key, start at $1,500 per night, plus a 12.5% resort fee.

The resort, part of the privately held Noble House Hotels & Resorts, has a British Colonial design with 30 thatched-roof bungalow suites that can hold up to 60 guests.

Little Palm, which has housed former Vice President Al Gore and his then-wife Tipper, and movie stars Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, welcomed back about half of the staff who were there before Irma, said general manager Kevin Geanides. The resort has 125 employees.

“We’ve invested a lot of careful thought and attention to details in rebuilding Little Palm Island,” Geanides said.

The resort plans to fully reopen in mid-March.

“They’re opening on a small scale,” said Stacey Mitchell, director of the Monroe County Tourism Development Council. “You want to open on a slow roll so you can meet your customers’ needs.”

Reservations include land side valet parking and a boat ride to the resort. Dock slips can accommodate vessels up to 120 feet long with a 6-foot draft.

Little Palm Island is the final Florida Keys property to reopen after Irma, tourism officials said. Almost all other affected properties resumed booking guests less than one year after Irma struck on Sept. 10, 2017.

“Throughout the Keys, all of the new and renovated properties are providing a fresh, contemporary luxury experience for our visitors,” said Jim De Keyrel, the TDC’s director of sales.

“There’s nothing like Little Palm Island,” said Mitchell. “It’s very unique, and think about the employment opportunities for those in the Lower Keys. It really fills a need in that area.”

Before Irma, Little Palm Island was forced to reinvent itself after Hurricane Georges wrecked the island in 1998, causing $10 million in damage, the resort said. Reconstruction then, though, took only three months to finish.

This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.