Little Palm Island: A Private Resort with Rich History and Design

Little Palm Island, the sole private island resort in the United States, is situated four acres off the Lower Florida Keys and can be reached exclusively by boat or seaplane. Guests embark on a 20-minute journey aboard the wooden motor yacht Truman, navigating through mangroves. The island's past features its first resident, Charles Newton Munson, in the 1920s, along with Prohibition-era rum-runners and distinguished visitors such as John Foster Dulles and Admiral Bull Halsey. In 1962, Warner Brothers filmed PT-109 there, with Cliff Robertson portraying JFK, while Joseph Kennedy arranged for electricity during his son's visit. The resort, which opened in the 1980s, was reconstructed after Hurricane Irma in 2017, featuring a design by Rossi Architecture and AvroKO that harmonizes British West Indies influences with modern aesthetics. Thirty suites in thatched-roof bungalows offer indoor/outdoor showers, copper soaking tubs, and a ban on televisions and phones in communal spaces. The developer's guiding principle is, "Do nothing, time is too important to waste." Common areas showcase crystal chandeliers, shell-encrusted mirrors, and portraits of Harry and Bess Truman, while dinner tables extend onto a sandbar, where Key deer can be seen swimming ashore at dusk.