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Most overwater bungalows require a passport and a long flight to French Polynesia or the Maldives. The Grand Tiki brings the idea a lot closer to home. It’s a thatched-roof floating bungalow anchored in the shallow backcountry waters off Key West, Florida, and the only way to reach it is by boat.
Run by Tiki Suites, the Grand Tiki is the newer, roomier sibling of the company’s Original Tiki. It’s essentially a tiny one-room home on a floating platform: a king bed, a small bathroom with a hot shower, a coffee bar, a wraparound deck, and nothing but water in every direction. It sleeps two, and the whole point is to unplug.
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
A Tiny Home That Floats About a Mile Offshore
The Grand Tiki sits on calm, shallow water (roughly 4 to 8 feet deep, according to the operator) about a mile out from Key West, with the town’s skyline and anchored sailboats on the horizon. That shallow backcountry location is a big part of why it works. The surrounding flats and nearby islands keep the water relatively protected, so you get a gentle bob instead of open-ocean swells.
There’s no lobby and no front desk. Guests check in by water taxi, which drops them right at the deck. Once the boat pulls away, the bungalow is yours. You won’t find a neighbor’s porch light, a parking lot, or road noise, just water, sky, and the occasional passing sailboat.
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
South Pacific Style With a Florida Twist
The design takes its cues from Polynesian overwater huts. A steep, swooping thatched roof rises to a peak over the covered front porch, which gives the bungalow its distinctive silhouette from the water. The walls are clad in thatch too, so it reads as a tiki hut from every angle.
“We were trying to get the South Pacific vibe and do the tiki hut,” Captain Danny Ledbetter of Tiki Suites told WSVN. The covered porch holds a pair of wicker chairs and a double hammock strung between the posts, which is probably where you’ll spend most of your time.
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
One Room Built Around the View
Inside, the layout is about as simple as a tiny home gets: one room with the bed in the middle and doors on nearly every side. Pairs of glass-paneled doors open the room up to the deck, so you can fling them open and fall asleep to a breeze off the water and wake up to the sunrise without leaving bed.
That open-door approach is also how the bungalow stays comfortable. “You do not need any air conditioning,” Ledbetter said. “Just open up the doors, turn on the ceiling fan.” It’s a good lesson for anyone designing a small space in a warm climate. Cross-ventilation from facing doors does a lot of the work that mechanical cooling would otherwise have to do.
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
Thatch Walls, Warm Wood, and a King Bed
The interior leans into warm materials. The vaulted ceiling is finished in tongue-and-groove pine with exposed beams, the walls behind the bed are lined in palm thatch, and the floor is a rich reddish hardwood. A solid wood headboard anchors the room, and the bedding is a soft gray paisley that keeps things calm.
Little touches add to the resort feel: rolled beach towels on the bed, a welcome binder, and a small coffee station tucked into an alcove beside the headboard.
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
A Pop-Up TV Hidden in the Footboard
One of the smartest design moves here is the footboard. What looks like a tall wooden blanket chest at the end of the bed actually hides a pop-up TV. When it’s down, the view through the doors stays completely unobstructed. When you want a movie, the screen rises up out of the cabinet.
It’s a clever trick for any tiny home where a wall-mounted TV would block a window or eat up the only open wall. Hiding electronics in furniture keeps a small room feeling like a retreat instead of a media room.
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
Clerestory Windows Under the Peak
Look up and you’ll see triangular clerestory windows tucked under the roof peak. They let extra daylight into the room without giving up any privacy, and they make the vaulted ceiling feel even taller. Small spotlight bars mounted along the beams handle the lighting after dark.
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
The Bathroom, Kitchenette, and Off-Grid Systems
Behind the bed wall you’ll find a small private bathroom with a sink, a hot shower, and a macerating toilet that stores waste in a holding tank to be pumped out later. On the other side is a kitchenette with a mini fridge, a microwave, and a Keurig coffee maker. There’s no stove, so plan to bring your own food and drinks or pick up takeout before you head out on the shuttle.
Living a mile offshore means the Grand Tiki runs on its own systems, like a boat or an off-grid tiny home. According to the listing:
- Power: batteries and an inverter run the lights, the water pump, and device charging. A generator kicks on automatically when the batteries run low.
- Air conditioning: available, but it needs the generator running. Most guests use it mainly for sleeping and rely on the ceiling fan and open doors during the day.
- Fresh water: the onboard tank is limited, so short showers are the rule.
- Internet: a cellular hotspot that’s fine for basic use and texting home, but not for heavy streaming.
If you’ve ever thought about going off-grid, a night here is a fun, low-stakes way to find out how much water and power you actually use.
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
Paddleboards, Snorkeling, and Sunset Swims
The water is the main amenity. The bungalow comes with stand-up paddleboards and snorkel gear, there’s a swim ladder off the deck, and underwater lights glow beneath the platform after dark. Paddle out to explore the flats, snorkel right off the deck, or just lie in the hammock and watch the sun sink into the Gulf.
“You unplug and just get back to nature,” Ledbetter said. “It’s the whole idea behind it.”
Images courtesy of Tiki Suites via Expedia
Good to Know Before You Book
- Getting there: boat access only. The host recommends a private water shuttle service, and shuttles need to be booked ahead of time. Luggage is limited, so pack light.
- Guests: up to 2 adults.
- Boating card: the stay is set up as a boat rental, so the person booking may need a Florida Boating Safety Education ID Card if they were born on or after January 1, 1988. You’ll also sign a digital rental agreement before check-in.
- Check-in/checkout: check-in is in the afternoon and checkout is late morning.
- No smoking, and no personal powerboats or jet skis (kayaks and paddleboards are fine).
- Bring: your own food and drinks, sunscreen, and a power bank.
Guests rate the experience highly. On Airbnb, it holds a 4.92 rating from more than 360 reviews, with near-perfect scores for location.
Design Details
- Type: floating tiki bungalow (one-room tiny home on a floating platform)
- Location: anchored in shallow backcountry water about a mile off Key West, Florida
- Operator: Tiki Suites
- Sleeps: 2 (one king bed)
- Bathroom: private, with sink, hot shower, and macerating toilet with holding tank
- Kitchenette: mini fridge, microwave, Keurig coffee maker (no stove)
- Power: battery bank and inverter, with an automatic backup generator
- Climate: ceiling fan plus generator-powered AC
- Interior finishes: tongue-and-groove pine ceiling, palm thatch walls, hardwood floors, clerestory windows
- Entertainment: pop-up TV hidden in the bed’s footboard
- Outdoor: covered porch, double hammock, wicker chairs, swim ladder, underwater lighting
- Gear included: stand-up paddleboards and snorkel equipment
What Makes This Stay Special
- An overwater bungalow without the long-haul flight. It delivers the South Pacific experience in the Florida Keys.
- Doors instead of walls. Facing pairs of doors turn the whole room into a breezeway, a passive-cooling strategy that works in any hot-climate tiny home.
- Furniture that hides the tech. The pop-up TV in the footboard keeps the view clear, which is a great idea for any small space.
- A real-world off-grid test run. Battery power, a small water tank, and a holding tank show you exactly how off-grid living feels.
- True privacy. With boat-only access, there are no neighbors, no road, and no lobby.
Highlights
- Thatched floating tiki bungalow anchored off Key West, Florida
- Accessible only by boat, with water-taxi check-in
- King bed surrounded by doors that open to the water on nearly every side
- Pop-up TV hidden in the footboard
- Private bathroom with a hot shower
- Kitchenette with mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker
- Covered porch with a double hammock
- Paddleboards, snorkel gear, swim ladder, and underwater lights
- Battery and inverter power with a backup generator
- Sleeps 2, ideal for couples
Check Rates and Book the Grand Tiki in Key West
More Florida Getaways
If the Grand Tiki gets you dreaming about a Florida escape, check out our roundup of Florida cabins and tiny house rentals and our guide to tiny house living in Florida.
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Alex
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