Floating Tiki Huts Dotting Key West Hailed as One of America’s ‘Coolest’ Airbnbs

There are ocean views, and then there are those sea ​​view. Tiki Suites—two one-bedroom tiki huts nestled in the Gulf off Key West, FL—offer the latter.

Named one of travel blog Live Like It’s the Weekend’s “41 Coolest Airbnbs in the US”, the two thatched cottages are a mile from the beach, from Key West, and are the only Florida location on the list.

“This is a one-of-a-kind adventure that combines the best of boating with the comfort and spaciousness of a home,” the company said.

The 15- and 18-foot tiki huts—separated from the anchorage by half a mile—can be booked separately on Airbnb and VRBO, and offer an oceanfront experience unlike anything you’d normally find outside of a boat.

Parked west of Fleming Key and north of Wisteria Island, the tiki huts offer hotel-like comforts, including AC and Wi-Fi, combined with being on the beach without the need for a yacht crew.

The original tiki hut was built in 2019 by Floridian Ryan Stone.

“He just designed it on paper and built it,” the current owner and friend said Danny Ledbetter he tells Realtor.com®. “At first, everyone made fun of him. ‘That won’t work,’ they said. The first one, he built on water, something that moved. That was painful.”

Stone had the last laugh when a beach house appeared popular on Airbnb, then really took off during the COVID-19 crisis as people wanted to get away from it all—away away. So, in 2023, Stone built a second house, called Grand Tiki. This time, he built it in a boat yard.

It may shock many to know that it is legal to choose a place on the beach and build, as long as you follow the law.

“The ocean is free,” said Ledbetter, a boat captain who recently bought the Tiki Suites business from Stone. “As long as you’re outside the city limits, and there’s a certain distance you have to go from the coast.”

There is also a list of boating and Coast Guard requirements to adhere to. “You have to dot all your t’s and cross all your t’s,” Ledbetter said.

The area was chosen because it is very shallow—with depths ranging from 1 to 2 feet of water to about 8 feet. During low tide, sometimes the water is so shallow that you can barely see the sea grass. The waves aren’t too bad and Ledbetter says the area is sheltered from hurricanes.

This is Florida, so hurricanes are real. But the tiki huts—which could be moved with motors on the back—were able to withstand 100-mile-per-hour winds. (Don’t worry, it will be removed if needed.)

There are no pesky alligators nearby to ruin your vacation, but as for sharks, that’s another story.

“How do you know there are sharks in the water?” Ledbetter asked, cracking an old joke. “Taste a handful of water. If it tastes salty, it means there are sharks.”

However, the sharks in that area of ​​the ocean are often nurse sharks “like big puppies,” he said.

Sea hut glamping

Each cabin comes with a king bed, a large flat screen TV and Blu-ray player, a cooler to keep food cold (bring your own ice), and a coffee maker (no cooking utensils or flames in any cabin). Electricity is provided by a generator, although Ledbetter is considering going solar.

Okay, how does the bathroom work? Both huts have electric flush toilets, waste is sucked into a holding tank before being flushed by the service. The showers are full length and have heaters, so you’ll get about five minutes of hot water.

If you want to escape your beach house for a while, there is a boat shuttle service to and from the mainland several times a day.

Ledbetter advises that visitors bring enough food and water to last. Maximum guests—there is a limit of two people per hut—overnight stays only.

Staying in tiki houses

The slightly larger Grand Tiki—which has a sloped roof and comes with an underwater light—runs $600 per night; the original tiki suite costs $500.

Each beach house comes with life jackets, paddle boards, and snorkel gear. During high season, suites can book up quickly. Currently, they have an occupancy rate of 56%.

Texas transplant Ledbetter, who lives on an 82-foot boat off Key West, says the regular guests are “people who like to travel, disconnect, and don’t want to get on those big cattle boats.”

“I have a woman who goes out alone now,” he said. “He wanted to wake up on his birthday and look at the water.”