Little Palm Island Resort is one of the reasons my family chose Summerland Key as their key for life. This little island is a quick boat ride from ours, although we would never use our own boat to make a trip there. Instead, you take one of the two resort boats out for your lunch, spa, brunch, or hotel reservations. Now this place is $$$$, so I want to make that clear. I could rarely come here if it wasn’t for the generosity of others. What I will add to that is that I’ve always found it worth every. single. penny.

It starts with the aforementioned boat ride from their cute little office on Little Torch Key. The office has a cute little gift shop with especially fun things for children (note: children under 16 are not allowed on this resort island). The host will greet you (often by  name depending on how busy they are) and offer you a virgin or rum drink while you wait for the boat captain. The boats are gorgeous – the smaller one looks like something out of a Bond movie with wood paneling and green leather seats. The larger boat looks like a quaint tugboat from a cartoon. We usually sit in the back or the front to get the best views. Sometimes you’ll see dolphins jumping on the way out or catch a glimpse of a sea turtle.

Upon arrival, another host will greet you and escort you to your table, spa room, hotel, etc. In our case, we came for spa appointments and then lunch, so I was ushered to the salon for my margarita mani/pedi. The mani/pedi was basic enough, but the technician did an excellent, careful job. In the meantime, I got to sip on margaritas and chit-chat with her about her life here and her favorite things to do. As with many people in the keys, this is only her second job. She is a full-time realtor and by-appointment nail stylist.

Afterward we settled down to lunch on the patio with a 180 degree view of ocean, palm trees, and the resort’s beach. After a while, we were the only ones there (it being a late lunch). I had to try the cuban sandwich because if you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a bit obsessed with them since I got here. It was wonderful. The bread was the only thing that could have been better, but the ham, cheese, and pickle blended together perfectly. The flavor was immense, and the side of sweet potato fries rivaled even my love of the ones at Square Grouper. The white wine was cold, the sandwich hot, and the view was

Mr. Foodie and I have plans to do brunch there soon, and that is the real reason you will want to come back to this place. It is so good, it merits its own post, so stay tuned.

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