Bougainvillea Villa Key West-monthly rental on water with private pool & dock

MONTHLY RENTALS ONLY We purchased Bougainvillea Villa in late 2014 as our future retirement home. The villa was built in the early 1960’s and our neighbors tell us that at one time Jimmy Buffett’s manager owned and lived in the home. It has always been a private home, and was renovated and updated shortly before we purchased it. We added a private heated pool and an outdoor bar-the back patio is always the best place to spend the day! Since we are unable to visit as often as we’d like, we are happy to share it as a premium monthly vacation rental (28 night minimum stay per Key West/Monroe County regulations).

Our villa sleeps a maximum of six people in three bedrooms. The master bedroom, which has double doors that open to the sunroom and a view of the lagoon, has a king bed and an ensuite bath. The two guest rooms each have a queen bed and share a hall bath. All of the bedrooms have ceiling fans and each bathroom has a tiled, over-sized shower with glass block walls and windows. High quality linens and towels (lots of them) are provided, as well as pool towels. The home has a very spacious floor-plan with a large kitchen that is open to the living/dining area and also the sunroom and views of the water. The kitchen is fully stocked with all the necessities for eating in, including melamine plates and bowls for eating outside and plastic barware for drinks by the pool. The sunroom has cozy chairs for enjoying your morning coffee or afternoon cocktail and watching the resident manatees. There is a large dock if you’d like to bring a boat and a swim ladder in case you want to join the manatees in the lagoon. The back patio is bathed in sunshine from morning until late afternoon and is protected from the prevailing north wind in the winter. Free wifi and cable are provided. Our villa is pet friendly as we allow one dog (35 lbs and under) to stay with you. There is a security camera that covers the front door and carport only.

We love the location of our villa. We initially were certain we would buy a house in Old Town so we could walk to everything. However, once we saw the view and the non-stop sunshine at our house we knew it was the one for us. Many in-town homes have beautiful lush landscaping for privacy-but it’s hard for the sun to get through and warm up a space by the pool. The Conch Tour trains, the mopeds, the cyclists and the cruise ship passengers that populate downtown (and make it great for people-watching!) didn’t quite give us that “away from it all” vibe. It is an easy drive to town, and we’ve found all the good parking places. You can also bike as there is a wide bike path that leads from the entrance to Key Haven all the way to the island, where you can choose to head north towards Old Town or south towards the Casa Marina district and the Southernmost Point. If you like to golf, we're less than 2 miles from the public golf course. We’re happy to share all that we’ve learned with you!

Our villa has been managed for the past three years by a large management company in Key West. We’ve found that there’s not much managing going on-but they do like to take their commission! So we are trying the manage-it-ourselves approach so we can keep the house as lovely as it is while we share it with others.

Unique Benefits

We have found Key Haven to be the perfect place to enjoy the non-stop activity going on in Key West while still waking up to a quiet sunrise over the water the next day. Most days it remains a peaceful paradise-though it must be noted that we are not far from the Naval Air Station on Boca Chica Key. Some mornings you can hear The Star Spangled Banner drift over the water and then in the evening you’ll hear Taps. In between you may find yourself fairly up close and personal with a Navy jet on its way to land on Boca Chica too as occasionally their flight pattern brings them in on the far side of the lagoon. They don’t fly right over the neighborhood but they are close enough to see and they can be quite loud-we call it “the sound of freedom”! You may not hear them at all or they may fly a couple of times in one week.

Area Information

Live like a local during your stay in Key West! Located on the water in a quiet neighborhood, just 3.4 miles to the airport and 2 miles or less to several good restaurants, a public golf course, the hospital and The Tennessee Williams Theater. Murray Marine is located across Highway A1A from the entrance to the neighborhood. There is a boat ramp around the corner from our house which allows you to launch your boat directly into our lagoon. The Key West Harbor, a Florida Marina Club, has a dining room, a bar, a pool and a beach, and is only 2 miles away and offers monthly memberships. It's 5 miles to MM 0 in downtown Key West and all its museums, historic homes, restaurants, bars, shopping and tours, including the Conch Train Tour, sunset boating and sailing tour boats, snorkeling and dive shops and trips, the Mallory Square Sunset Celebration and much more. It's easy to call a taxi or an Uber to take you downtown.

Attractions Within Walking Distance

Neighborhood park and playground; pet-friendly neighborhood; boat ramp into the lagoon; Murray Marine; Tennessee Williams Theater; Key West Golf Club

Favorite Places To Eat

Hurricane Hole; Michaels, Schooner Wharf Bar; Half-Shell Raw Bar; The Grand Cafe; Baguetelle; Bliss; Santiago's Bodega; Martins; Mango's; Blue Heaven; Roostica; Louie's Backyard; Salute; Pepe's; Tavern n Town; Better Than Sex; Waterfront Brewery; Commodore's; Conch Republic; Island Dogs; Two Friends Patio; Hot Tin Roof; Sunset Pier

Inside Scoop

The Tavern n' Town (at the Marriott Beachside just 2 miles from the house) has a 2 for 1 Happy Hour from 5-7 with live music and small plates at the bar. Go early because the bar is packed with locals. Michael's Restaurant has a great fondue-but you can only order it if you sit at the bar. Dante's, at the north end of the Historic Seaport (by the Half-Shell and Turtle Kraals) has the best Happy Hour prices on great umbrella drinks (mostly rum drinks) from 4-8 Monday-Thursday. They also have a pool that you can use if you eat or drink at the bar-so if you ride your bikes downtown on a warm day, wear your swimsuit and cool off at Dante's with a swim and a drink! It's very crowded on weekends-definitely go during the week. Right next to Dante's, at the Key West Bait and Tackle shop, you can get the cheapest regular priced beer in town. And next to that is a great Yeti cooler store-you can find all things Yeti there but it's tucked away in the corner. The easiest place to park is the public lot at the corner of Margaret St and Caroline St-which is right on the waterfront. From that lot you can walk to Lucy's, Dante's, the Half-Shell, Turtle Kraals, the Schooner Wharf, Pepe's, the Conch Republic and then follow the Historic Seaport docks around to Front St and then you're just a few blocks from Duval. If you're a Patriot's fan and it's football season the Island Dogs bar on Front St is Patriot's Country. If you're not a Pats fan but want to catch a game, the Sandbar is the next best sports bar and it's just around the corner from Island Dogs. Dirty Harry's (part of Rick's on Duval St.) has a great live band-it's been the same one for several years now-the Durt Bags. There is a cover after 8 pm.