When my husband and I decided to book a last-minute trip to Key West, Florida, in February, we knew we’d face elevated lodging prices and limited inventory. After all, we weren’t the only travelers based in a cold-weather location seeking warmth and sunshine in the middle of winter.
We lucked out with a comfortable, moderately priced two-night stay at Coco Plum Inn, a bed and breakfast with 14 rooms spread among two restored 19th-century houses.
Coco Plum Inn Location
With just two nights in Key West, we wanted to be close to the action. And in Key West, that’s downtown and the harborfront. Coco Plum Inn is just one block from Duval Street, the city’s main drag lined with restaurants, bars, and shops.
The bed and breakfast is just a 15-minute walk from Mallory Square, where crowds gather nightly for excellent sunset viewing. In the opposite direction, the Southernmost Point in the Continental United States — marked with a buoy for a key vacation photo opp — is also 15 minutes away by foot. Hemingway House is down the street; it’ll take five minutes to walk there from Coco Plum Inn.
The B&B’s plum (pun!) location in a dense historic area of Key West means that it doesn’t have a huge footprint — and that also means no included parking for guests. (That’s not unusual for in-town boutique hotels). We found a spot at the lot across the street, no problem; another lot is about five blocks away.
Coco Plum Inn Rooms
Rooms at this adults-only bed and breakfast are located in two restored Victorian houses on either side of a courtyard pool. The white clapboard buildings with turquoise shutters have a tropical cottage feel.
Room categories include Standard Queen, Standard King, Deluxe Queen, Deluxe King, and Super Deluxe King. They’re cozy accommodations, ranging from 115 to 260 square feet. The Deluxe options are larger with porches or patios.
We stayed in a first-floor Deluxe Queen with a private porch facing a small seating area for guests amid palm trees and flowering foliage.
The room (150 square feet) was plenty big for the two of us for two nights. I appreciated the good-sized bathroom with a large tiled shower with two showerheads. The mini-fridge was helpful: Our Key West stay was part of a longer Florida road trip, so it was nice to be able to store some snacks and leftovers in the mini-fridge.
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Coco Plum Inn Amenities
Complimentary breakfast at Coco Plum Inn takes place at a small open-air porch dining area. With only three tables that sat four people each, we found breakfast time a bit awkward.
While I have no problem sitting at a large communal table at an assigned eating time at a bed and breakfast, sharing a four-top with strangers wasn’t appealing for this trip, so we timed our meal after the first wave of guests ate to have a table to ourselves.
Each day of the week has a different breakfast entree, and oatmeal and yogurt are always available if you aren’t in the mood for dishes like scrambled eggs, pancakes, or biscuits and gravy. Our meals were hearty and quite good.
During our short stay, we didn’t make use of the small oval pool in the center courtyard but saw other folks enjoying the area with lounge chairs and towels. A basket of sunscreen bottles was a nice extra.
The Bottom Line
Adults-only Coco Plum Inn is a cozy spot to rest your head on a Key West vacation. Inclusions such as freshly cooked breakfast and a swimming pool add value to this reasonably priced inn. Like many small lodging options in Key West, parking is not included. A small lot across the street is $20 a day. Guests must be 21 or older to stay here.
Rooms start at about $340 for a standard queen room. Rates vary seasonally and can fluctuate with demand. Check Expedia to see if you can get a better rate there. There are just 14 rooms at Coco Plum Inn, so book early if you’re set on a certain date and room size.