Dotted with coconut palms, Little Palm Island never has more than 60 guests at a timeCourtesy of Little Palm Island IT’S SAID WE LIVE IN THE INFORMATION AGE. Some call it the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Whatever we name it, the “thing” at the center of this age, pulling each of us toward i tself like an invisible magnet, is isolation—even when we’re one-half of a couple. We find ourselves sitting across tables from one another but scrolling on our phones. Exiting the front door as the other enters. Texting each other from across the house. To find our way back to each other, we must fight this magnetic pull—and that sometimes requires dramatic steps. Like going together to a private island with no cars, no TVs in the rooms, and no kids allowed. Spending a few days on a beachside daybed overlooking the Atlantic. Sitting down to a sunset dinner at a candlelit table in the sand. Sleeping in a thatch-roof bungalow as crickets call out rhythmically into the night. There’s only one private-resort island in the United States, and that’s Little Palm. A four-acre oasis in the Florida Keys, it is accessible only by boat or seaplane. It is not inexpensive—rates start at $2,500 per night—but it backs up its price with pretty hefty credentials: It’s Florida’s only Michelin Three-Key Resort and the state’s only Relais Chateaux property, another accolade that means its culinary offerings match its top-tier accommodations. Spa treatments include ritual bath experiencesCourtesy of Little Palm Island Little Palm Island has been a private retreat since the 1950s, when it was purchased from a single owner by a company helmed by then-Key West Sheriff John Spottswood. The sheriff made the island his personal fishing camp, and when he later served as a United States senator, his political pals—including President Harry Truman—often visited him there. In 1962, Warner Bros. selected the island to film PT 109, a wartime drama about President John F. Kennedy, who was piloting a PT-109 torpedo boat during World War II when it was struck by Japanese forces. Local lore has it that JFK’s father, Joseph Kennedy, decided that if his son ever traveled to the film set, he shouldn’t be bothered by the sound of generators. So that year, he arranged for electrical wires to be strung three-and-a-half miles to Little Palm Island from the nearest key. While the president never made it to the island powered in his honor, the photos from PT 109 adorning the resort’s dining room pay homage to this quirky bit of history. Over the years, several hurricanes have bulldozed the Keys; that, in turn, has led to multimillion-dollar restorations on Little Palm that have kept the property at the top of Florida’s competitive luxury-resort landscape. The well-maintained bungalows feature bamboo vaulted ceilings and British West Indies–style decor (think four-poster beds draped in mosquito netting, woven rattan chairs, and palm prints). The bungalows’ outdoor spaces allow couples to relax in privacy, whether on decks with copper soaking tubs or on docks with lounge chairs overlooking the mangroves. Romance Suites have their own beach firepits, which the staff lights every night—the perfect setting for stargazing (a favorite pastime here, as there’s no light pollution). While breakfasts and lunches on the island are casual, evening meals in The Dining Room are an elegant affair. Start with a Rum Runner at the open-air bar, then have a seat on the oceanfront veranda or at a table on the sand. Michelin-starred chef Curtis Duffy joined the culinary team in March, bringing his precise, French-rooted style to the “Floribbean” menu. Service is friendly but unintrusive so guests can enjoy quiet conversation and sunset views as they indulge in dishes like Hamachi crudo, watermelon gazpacho, and local Florida grouper. For some, a stay on a private island needs only a pool, a cabana, and a book—and Little Palm has those (even the books, on loan). Others who prefer a bit of adventure will find plenty of options. Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards may be steered around the mangroves, where small lemon sharks wriggle past and great blue herons take flight. The island also has its own dive shop and arranges trips to nearby Looe Key Reef for scuba diving and snorkeling. Couples may also want to sail on the resort’s Boston Whalers to nearby sandbars, where it’s possible to wade in the turquoise waters for hours without seeing another soul. A trip to Little Palm Island feels like a step toward intimacy—the very opposite of isolation. It’s a place to look the person we love in the eyes, talk to each other, and give each other the best gift any of us has: time. As we live our lives in this hectic world, going somewhere remote as a couple isn’t a mere luxury; it’s a way to protect what binds us. Its 30 thatch-roof bungalows have island-chic decorCourtesy of Little Palm Island Little Palm Island Florida Getting there Fly to Key West, then take an Uber 30 miles to Little Torch Key. You’ll check in at the Shore Station, then board a boat for a 15-minute ride to the island. Rates Two-night minimum stay; rates start at $2,500 per night. Why it’s worth it It’s the only private-island resort in the United States and has a Swiss Family Robinson atmosphere—if the Robinsons were uberwealthy. This article appears in our August 2026 issue. The post Disconnect from the world and reconnect with your better half at Little Palm Island appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less