Three Waters Resort & Marina Review: A Romantic Florida Keys Getaway in Islamorada

Disclosure: We independently booked and paid for our stay at Three Waters Resort & Marina. This was not a hosted or sponsored stay. As always, all opinions are my own.

There are times when you want a tropical getaway but don’t necessarily want to get on an airplane, deal with international travel, or even pull out your passport.

For those times, there are the Florida Keys.

For my birthday this year, my husband and I were looking for something fairly simple: a few days by the water, a comfortable room, a balcony for morning coffee, some beach time, and good seafood nearby. We wanted it to feel like we had gone somewhere without actually having to go very far.

We found that at Three Waters Resort & Marina in Islamorada.

Located in the Upper Keys, Three Waters Resort & Marina offers the kind of tropical atmosphere that can make you forget you’re still in Florida. We spent our stay at The Cove, the resort’s adults-only section, and discovered that it works particularly well for couples looking for a romantic Florida Keys getaway without needing a passport.

Staying at The Cove at Three Waters Resort

Three Waters is a large waterfront resort, but The Cove offers something a little different: an adults-only resort within the resort.

The Cove is reserved for guests 21 and older and includes its own beach, pool, and poolside bar. The atmosphere during our August stay was especially peaceful. Granted, August is part of the slower season in the Florida Keys, but that worked in our favor. There were times when it felt like we had stumbled upon our own little tropical hideaway.

We stayed in a Junior King Suite at The Cove.

The room was clean, comfortable, and spacious enough for a couple’s getaway. The king bed was comfortable (always one of my most important hotel criteria) and the air conditioning worked exceptionally well, something you will appreciate during an August visit to the Florida Keys.

Our room also included a daybed/sofa with a pullout bed and a small wet-bar area with a refrigerator, Keurig coffee maker, and sink. The bathroom itself was fairly compact, with a shower, sink, and toilet, but there was also a separate dressing area. That additional space made a noticeable difference when two people were getting ready.

But my favorite part of the room? The balcony.

Ours overlooked the beach and palm trees, giving us exactly the view I had hoped for when planning my birthday escape.

A Little Publix Stop Makes the Room Even Better

One of my favorite travel habits when staying somewhere for several days is stopping at a grocery store before checking in.

On our way to Three Waters, we stopped at Publix and picked up a few things for the room: coffee pods, raw sugar, half-and-half, bottled water, and, because this was a birthday trip, Prosecco and orange juice for morning mimosas.

Having the refrigerator, sink, and coffee maker meant we could wake up slowly, make coffee, and sit outside on our balcony before deciding what we wanted to do with the day.

Sometimes luxury isn’t room service or an elaborate breakfast. Sometimes it’s drinking coffee barefoot on a balcony while palm trees move in the breeze.

An Adults-Only Florida Keys Resort Within a Resort

One of the biggest reasons I’d recommend The Cove for couples is that you get two different resort experiences in one stay.

The Cove has its own adults-only pool and beach, along with Hideaway, its poolside bar. Guests can relax in the quieter Cove area while still having access to the restaurants, bars, and activities throughout Three Waters Resort & Marina.

The resort offers several dining experiences ranging from casual poolside options to more elevated dining. There’s also the historic Tiki Bar, which dates back to 1969 and is known as the birthplace of the Rum Runner cocktail.

And yes, when you’re in the Florida Keys, having a Rum Runner at the place credited with inventing it seems like a perfectly reasonable vacation decision.

You Don’t Really Need to Leave the Resort

That’s another reason Three Waters works well for a short romantic getaway. If your goal is simply to relax for a few days, you can arrive, park the car, and settle in. Spend the morning at the beach. Move to the pool. Stop for a cocktail. Take an afternoon nap. Get cleaned up for dinner. Sit outside afterward and remember that vacation doesn’t always have to involve an itinerary.

For guests who do want more variety, Three Waters is part of the Islamorada Resort Collection, with additional resort experiences nearby. There is also a complimentary water taxi, appropriately named Rum Runner.

Kayaks, paddleboards, and bikes add options for those who want to be a little more active, while the marina makes the resort particularly appealing for anyone who wants to get out on the water or experience the sportfishing for which Islamorada is famous. We opted for a sunset cruise one evening. Perfect.

Is Three Waters Resort Good for Couples?

Yes. Particularly if you book The Cove.

I would specifically consider it for birthday getaways, anniversaries, long weekends for two, babymoons, romantic Florida Keys road trips, or simply those times when you want to escape together for a few days.

The Cove gives you a quieter, adults-only place to retreat while the larger Three Waters property provides more dining and activity options.

That combination is one of the things I liked most about it.

A Tropical Getaway Without a Passport

For Florida residents especially, there’s something appealing about being able to drive south and gradually watch the landscape change. Palm trees become more plentiful. Water seems to appear everywhere. Restaurants become more casual. The pace slows. Eventually, you realize you don’t have to fly to the Caribbean to get at least a little taste of island life.

That’s what Three Waters gave us for my birthday: a comfortable room, a balcony overlooking palm trees and water, mornings with coffee and mimosas, afternoons near the beach, and nowhere in particular that we needed to be.

It wasn’t complicated. And perhaps that’s precisely why it worked.

If you’re looking for a romantic resort in the Florida Keys…particularly an adults-only experience in Islamorada, The Cove at Three Waters Resort & Marina deserves a spot on your list.

No airport required. No passport required. Just point the car south.