Open the front door of the hand crafted Havana Moon Key West cottage located on Upper Duval Street, step from the porch, and look south toward Havana Cuba and... Mmmm... You`ll catch a view of the ocean where the full moon rises with a soft salt southern breeze. Originally built in the late 1800`s as a cigar makers` cottage the authentic exterior of this turn-of-the-century cottage is protected by historic preservation rules and today stands renovated to form, to be proud and handsome. But the interior is an entirely different story. Inside the owners had creative license to redesign in order to bring the cottage upscale modern vacation standards with all the luxurious accoutrements. Ideally located right at the top of Upper Duval Street and just down from Key West`s South Beach this historic residential cottage received a beautiful renovation and now offers 5-Star resort quality amenities.
Inside the Havana Moon cottage on Duval Street you find a complete transformation with a decidedly upscale minimalist renovation design and decorum that is understated and elegant. The designer for this cottage combined quiet modern and traditional furnishings with subtle colors and elegant artwork that sets a tone of calmness and relaxation. The original high ceilings create a spacious feel and newly added recessed lighting gives a dramatic flare as well as extra light. Stained pine wood floors have been completely refinished to show off the organic multi-patterned wood grain.
A big fan of classicism, the designer of the cottage kept the orderly fashion of the original interior structure that is characteristic of the historic `shotgun house,` while transforming it into two luxurious bedroom suites. We begin our description of this cottage at the front entrance which steps you right into the hall room that heads straight away to the back door. Off this main common room, on the right side of the house, a symmetrical row of interior rooms proceed from the front of the cottage to the back.
The first door on your right leads to the front bedroom and beautiful en suite bathroom offering a vintage style `free standing` sink and a double-wide shower large enough for two. Brilliant white tile glistens from floor to ceiling. The front bedroom is elegant and luxurious and provides a queen size bed and a wall mounted flat screen TV. Tasteful furnishings, artistic light fixtures and elegant wall art evoke a tropical theme.
The modern U-shaped kitchen, complete with top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, grey granite counter tops, and dark tile flooring is the next room down the line. Recessed lighting and brilliant white cabinets brighten the kitchen and make it all the more inviting as a space to cook and entertain. The kitchen is open to the wide `sitting hall` which at this point becomes the interior gathering and common seating space for the cottage.
The last room down the hall at the back of the house is the back bedroom with en suite bathroom. For this bedroom the designer chose a dark wood wicker head board for the queen size bed and placed a collection of brightly colored Haitian Art paintings on the walls. As with the front bedroom it offers a wall mounted flat screen TV. The en suite bathroom for the back bedroom is very spacious and is handicap accessible. This is a unique feature for a private vacation home residence and is convenient for anyone traveling with some mobility issues, just keep in mind there are a few steps in the front where you enter the cottage
Finally, at the end of the hall, it`s time to check out the fenced back yard. To meet modern luxury vacation standards, the original back yard was transformed to a nice size swimming pool and large concrete sun deck for pool side sunning. Back around the front of the cottage is the covered sitting porch. Pretty wicker furnishings have been placed for guests to sit and watch the world of Key West go by.
Each bedroom is a suite with its own en-suite bath.
Bedding Summary:
Bedroom 1: Queen size bed
Bedroom 2: Queen size bed
Amenities: Upscale renovation and luxury furnishings. Swimming pool, large deck, tropical plantings, completely fenced. Fully equipped kitchen, central a/c, telephone, color cable TV, stereo, washer / dryer. Linens and towels are provided. Off Street parking for 1 car!
Activities: Elegant Upper Duval St. - Close to the Southern Most Point of the United States. The beach is just down the street to your left, so when you`ve had enough pool and porch time you can head for South Beach for some sun and good food. There is a great open air beach side restaurant there with a full bar and excellent beach side menu. Just one half from your rental, the delightful Key West Butterfly Conservatoryoffers you an otherworldly, relaxing diversion. FromHavana Moon you can step off the front porch and, to your right,head downDuval Street for shopping and sight seeing. This cafe and gallery neighborhood features art galleries, wonderful eateries and internationally famous fine restaurants,fine gift and clothing stores, Grand Vin Wine Bar, home made ice cream and more. Here you start at the top of Duval St. near the Atlantic Ocean and can take the 20 min stroll to the Gulf of Mexico (remember it takes 3 to 4 Key West streets to equal the distance of a typical city block). Sailing, boating, diving, museums, nightlife.
Area: Upper Duval or `Uptown Key West` has evolved into the `elegant end of Duval` and offers an exceptional variety of restaurants, beautiful boutiques, and art galleries. Close enough to South Beach that you can see it from the porch and the Southernmost Point of the United States is just around the corner. Walk to the Mallory Square Sunset Celebration in 15 to 20 minutes.
Please note: This specific cottage may not be appropriate for children due to its location. Please contact us for more information.
Restrictions: We do not accept guests less than 25 years of age unless accompanied by a family group or guardian.
Notes: If you love this cottage but need to sleep more than 4 in beds, you can rent it with the two bedroom Cockadoodle Cottage. Combined these nearly identical cottages are called Twice as Nice. This cottage may not be appropriate for children due to its location. Please contact us for more information.
**Please note that there is construction next door that may result in daytime noise.**
PAYMENT: Payment for the rental will be processed outside of VRBO according to the terms of your rental agreement (sent for review upon reservation). Payments by credit card are subject to an additional 2.95% merchant processing fee.
PARKING: There is off-street parking for one car only, for the Havana Moon cottage, at 1227 Duval St. It is on United St., directly behind the cottage next door. Please DO NOT park in any of the other spaces in this lot as they are reserved for other properties.
Parking is challenging in Old Town Key West and parking meters and parking lots are relatively expensive. Since this part of the island was developed before there were cars, this should be expected. It is best to park your car, remove your valuables, lock it, and forget about it when you are here. Enjoy your location and walk or bike everywhere if possible.
