The Coral Bay Resort, Islamorada, Florida Keys
For Matt’s birthday weekend we decided to give our future wedding destination a visit. We scooped up the girls in Miami and our overnight bags and drove 3 hours south to The Coral Bay Resort in Islamorada, FL. It was a beautiful –if not slightly overcast- day, perfect for no sleeves or socks.
Julie and I in room 9
Upon arriving at 2:30 p.m. and checking in with Bryon at the front office, we inspected our adjoined bungalow at #’s 9 – 10. Basically, it’s a small house split in two. One half has two full beds and a bath. The other has the same with a full kitchen. Both have front porches with tables and chairs. The bungalow was immaculate, and not in just a clean-floor and clean-bathroom kind of way. The tops of the door jams were dust free. The insets on the doors were wiped down. The plastic white light switches were spic-and-span. The towels were snow white and thick. With just a few shabby parts indicative of an older building, the bungalow was pretty with yellow walls, tropical bed covers and glowing sunshine through the windows.
Tiki bar on the pier
We took the girls down to the water and pier. The pier is about 15-18’ wide, 25’ long, and is connected with two spits of land on either side, has the bay to the north of it, and the tidal pool and beach to the south. The tidal pool is filled with fish and crab, and although it’s not really the sort of place you could swim in, you can still wade in a bit. The beach has soft, white sand, lounge chairs and a thatched shade. The west spit of land adjoining the tidal pool has a boat ramp, the east, a long tiki bar with sturdy wooden stools.
North East sides of the pier
We found out that our Maine Lobster Direct order was not arriving due to big storms up north. They canceled the order, and reinstated the gift certificate for us for future use. Byron told us about Mr. Lobster about a mile west on US1, so we took a trip down to the little dock studded with large round vats, surrounded by fishing boats and lobster traps. A few hundred lobsters huddled together in the vats, long spiny legs and antennae poking and waving, clawless and brindle colored unlike the big red ones I was used to. Matt grabbed a net on a pole and shoved it in and pulled out an angry lobster, curling and flapping its tail in frenzy. Julie and I inspected a load of giant shrimp on ice while Alicia held back screams as Matt tried to show her the lobsters. The fisherman removed the heads of our lobsters with a skinny knife, cleared the entrails by needling half its antennae up the rear end, and then placed them in the bag with our shrimp.
Lobster tails, shrimp and steak tips
Alicia, leery of anything with more than 4 appendages, will not eat lobsters, so we drove to the nearest Winn-Dixie for steak tips, beer, garlic, butter, corn, red potatoes, apple sausage, lemons, limes and half of a German Chocolate Cake in a plastic container. This was no short trip, and we highly advise members of the wedding party to make their stops there on the way down to the resort if anything is needed.
The boat ramp on West side of pier
We popped a few Corona caps once we arrived back at the resort. Julie poured a Cape Codder. We walked by the quiet, colorful bungalows to the pier, where we discussed wedding plans, watched the sunset, and swatted biting gnats. These bugs bit through the layer of Skin-So-Soft as if it were marinade. Thank goodness I brought the can of napalm-strength Off! We found out later that the county sprays regularly, so we will be sure to ask about that before the wedding.
Ms. Tizzy, resident kitty of The Coral Bay Resort
As the sky grew darker blue and the air became cooler, the bugs seemed to lessen. Walking back, we met the resident resort kitty, Ms. Tizzy, a large gray tabby with a tail that sprang backwards onto her back when you petted her. I minced garlic and the rosemary I brought from my garden, Julie prepared the lobster tail, Alicia shucked corn and Matt waved gutted shrimps in her face. The corn, potato and apple sausage went into the big pot full of Beck’s, and the poached shrimp and lobster after. We ate on the front porch and it felt like a New England summer’s night. Ms. Tizzy circled our ankles, feasting on random bits of seafood falling from above.
Sailboat at The Coral Bay Resort
We had German Chocolate Cake and espresso vodka–some of Matt’s favorites- by the heated pool in the dark, our legs hanging down into the warm water. Soon, the girls went to bed, the few people staying in other bungalows had already gone to bed, and Matt and I went for a quiet walk around the grounds. All you could hear were the masts of sailboats, a lazy wave or two, and the occasional car driving up US1. We were in bed by 3 a.m.
Resort grounds at night
Between the 4 of us, we hashed out more plans for the wedding, like how to decorate, where to put the wedding altar, speakers, the tables, chairs, food tent, beverages and lighting. We talked about getting a volley-ball net and a boat, and what to prepare for food. Coral Bay is so pretty with its palm trees and lush foliage, colorful houses, soft sand beach and tiki bar, that we’re sure everyone is going to have an unforgettable time, and we are more confident than ever that indeed we have made the correct choice of venue for our wedding.
The bungalows can be separated into smaller units or joined into cottages (which is what Matt and I are doing.) If you have any questions, Angela and Byron can help you reserve the best bungalow configuration for your needs.
