Heron House

Key West is a romantic destination with hints of nostalgia. Images of Ernest Hemingway hunched over a typewriter come to mind as well as black-and-white frames of Bogie and Bacall. Heron House, a AAA Four-Diamond Award inn, is another quintessential element of the Florida Keys. Originally built between 1856 and 1860, the hideaway recaptures the southern charm and genteel way of life. There are 23 elegantly crafted rooms and suites, with no two alike, offering a tapestry of tropical appointments. Hunker down in a bed made of rattan cloaked in colorful fabrics, with granite-trimmed bathrooms and original watercolor paintings. Some rooms feature stained-glass transom windows, wooden walls crafted by skilled artisans, or private decks and balconies festooned with leafy plants.