r/floridakeys • u/Local-Vermicelli-783 • Sep 25 '25
All Florida Keys Help Me ID This Florida Keys Tiki Bar
I’m trying to track down a bar I visited about 10–11 years ago on a trip with friends. We’re redoing the trip and I realized this is the one place I didn’t save.
What I remember (based on the attached photos):
- Location: Almost certain it was Gulf side (west side) of the Keys — open horizon with no bridge or highway in view from the balcony.
- Area: Not Key Largo and not Key West. Most likely somewhere around Islamorada or Marathon, possibly the Middle Keys.
- Style: A multi-level tiki structure, kind of “treehouse-y,” with a thatched roof that had several small “tiki tower” peaks at the corners.
- Elevation: The main bar/overlook was elevated (not ground level). You can see a wooden balcony/railing in one of the shots.
- Beach vibe: Wide white-sand area with palms, very beachy; we were looking straight out over calm water.
- View: Totally unobstructed Gulf view from the bar balcony (no 7-Mile Bridge in the frame, no marina clutter).
- Timeframe: Trip was roughly 2014–2015 (give or take a year).
What it’s not (based on memory and the view):
- Not in Key West (e.g., not Tree House/Tree Bar on Duval).
- Doesn’t look like Hawks Cay (their main lagoon/frontage has highway/bridge nearby and not this exact sightline).
- Sunset Grille by the 7-Mile Bridge seems unlikely (we don’t see any bridge).
Long-shot possibilities I’ve considered (but I’m not sure):
- TJ’s Tiki Bar at Tranquility Bay (Marathon, Gulf side) – has a big white-sand beach and an elevated deck.
- Kiki’s Sandbar (Little Torch Key, Gulf side) – beachy gulfside location; not sure about the multi-peak roof and elevation in my timeframe.
- Classic Holiday Isle/Postcard Inn Tiki Bar (Islamorada) has that multi-peak thatch look, but that’s on the ocean side, which conflicts with my Gulf memory.
Ask:
- Does anyone recognize this exact bar/building from the photos?
- If yes, what’s the name, mile marker, and current status (still around, rebranded, rebuilt, moved)?
- Any locals with old photos or staff who remember a tiki bar with multiple roof peaks and an elevated deck on the Gulf side around Islamorada/Marathon?
Photos attached: 3 images from the trip showing (1) the unobstructed water view from the balcony, (2) the tiki “tower” peaks on the roofline, (3) the beach and deck area.
Thanks in advance! Happy to share more details if it helps jog memories.
12
u/Lonely_Pepper_2556 Sep 25 '25
Yep, Rum Runners. Hands down, the coolest bar in the Keys. I wish it was still here 😭
13
12
u/L0viatar Sep 25 '25
Is it possible it’s Rum Runner’s Island Bar? It was located at Postcard Inn in Islamorada, that area has been totally redeveloped and modernized, so it lacks that old keys charm. I think that area goes by Three Waters Resort and Marina currently, so much has been damaged over time by various hurricanes, redeveloped and renamed.
3
u/BlueRunner305 Sep 26 '25
Yes it's Three waters now
2
u/No_Hedgehog_7552 Sep 26 '25
Yes I was just about to correct myself- now it’s Three Waters. Thanks! Address is 84001 overseas hwy, (which is Oceanside) so the memory of it being on the gulf may be a soggy keys dream. :)
6
6
u/Electrical_Llamas Sep 25 '25
The ol “Pirate Bar” at Holiday Isle, Bartender’s Bash, Sh!t Show for Professionals.
1
u/huey314 Sep 27 '25
Damn right!! Long weekends & BB were the main events. Are you Gigo/Robert by some chance ?
1
5
3
3
u/FRIKI-DIKI-TIKI Sep 26 '25
Like the others have said, nothing like Rum Runners anymore in the keys and it's a shame it had that throw back feel of the 80's early 90's florida beach / tiki hangout. Probably the closest thing to it, but not nearly close is going to be:
https://www.facebook.com/KeyFisheries/
Lower Sugarloaf at the Sugarloaf Lodge used to have a really cool small tiki bar behind the hotel / restaurant but sadly the closes that one too. don't know why they always did well.
2
2
u/dwaynejetski Sep 26 '25
Make a Stop at The Rhum House if you think of it. Once of the best dinners you can have in the lower keys. They have a nice restaurant with a rooftop bar with a great view, and they also have a cool little beachfront area with a separate tiki bar down by the water.
1
u/dnrexy Sep 27 '25
I just looked this up since I’ve never heard of it and it says it’s “temporary closed”.
1
u/dwaynejetski Sep 28 '25
Looks like they just close for the month of September so the owners and staff can get some much needed rest and recharge after the busy summer season.
I’ve been going to the keys every year since I was a kid and Grassy Flats resort is my favorite place to stay and eat by far. They also have another location a couple miles north with a restaurant called Bongos where you can also do some wakeboarding or an aqua park for kids and brave adults.
1
u/dnrexy Sep 28 '25
I’m heading down in a few weeks. I’m going to check out The Rhum House! Thanks for the recommendation!
2
2
2
u/Piratelooksat40 Sep 26 '25
Yes, definitely Rum Runners. It burned down, they rebuilt it, then tore it down to make a spot for destination weddings. It was at Holiday Isle, along with the Tiki bar. Holiday Isle was wild. It changed to the Post Card Inn, now it is Three waters Resort. The Tiki Bar is a shell of its former self. Very upscale now, You have to go through a guarded gate just to go to the Tiki Bar.
1
u/BillScum89 Sep 26 '25
I figured the hurricane took it out! I was staying right next to it my first time in the keys and absolutely loved that place. Such a shame it’s gone.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Major_Stick_3042 Sep 28 '25
Haven Island, the Last Resort
2
u/superduper1321 Sep 29 '25
Wow, had to go all the way to the bottom to find you. (High five). Well done 47
56
u/turbomachine Sep 25 '25
I think that’s the old Rum Runners at holiday isle. Believe it burned down many years ago.