Stay & Play

New Quirky Cool in Key West NYAH – Not Your Average Hotel

by Susan Campbell

Ensconced in the heart of Old Town Key West amid the magnolias trees, the whitewashed cottage style homes and lush greenery is a brand new accommodation concept ideal for groups who like to travel together. It’s called NYAH- Not Your Average Hotel, and the name certainly fits! It’s impossible to compare it to anything else because it’s a first of its kind. Think upscale hostel meets charming B&B with a side of quirky boutique escape. Then add the transformer element.

Each of the 36 guestrooms boast a BYOR® – Build-Your-Own-Room option which means it can be a spacious room for two or a communal room for six in the same space, but with no additional cost! And you need not do the building yourself. Simply request the number of guest beds you need and they do the transformation for you before you get there. Everything is designed almost Ikea style with moving parts and puzzle piece elements, and everything moves seamlessly into the configuration customized to what you need. But though when accommodating up to six people the room can appear almost “barracks” style, the beds are anything but Spartan in comfort- they are all super comfy memory foam mattresses topped with quality linens.

Flat panel TVs, complimentary Wi-Fi, mini-fridges and individual lockers add to the appeal, and complimentary continental breakfast on their cheery deck starts your day off right and complimentary Starbucks coffee 24/7 is also a welcome perk.A daily happy hour with free snacks and very reasonable drink prices also add to the bargain and gives guests a chance to socialize with each other.

The property itself is lovely- all lush gardens and towering trees surrounding the multi-level configuration of buildings overlooking three pools and two hot tubs. And its location is ideal for exploring all of Key West’s coolest attractions easily on foot. They also offer coaster bikes to guests.

The NYAH concept is part of the new WeHotel group, which caters to groups that like to arrange things their way. This hotel is a superb bargain for family reunions, girl’s and guy’s getaways, friend get-togethers and special occasion stays like bachelorette parties.

Must do things in Key West nearby include a visit to Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe for over 500 key lime products and all day breakfast, a trip on Danger Charters sailboat for a wine and tapas tasting during sunset, and dinner at Mangoes for fine fruit inspired fare. Also a short walk to the historic harbour is worth taking for dinner at Turtle Kraals. And a great way to get to know the little island town is by the sightseeing trolley train to determine where you might like to return to in order to explore further like the Hemingway Museum.

www.nyahotels.com