White Gate Court Resort

Excellent, old school cottages with a pier and lots of fishing and relaxing. Best place to stay in the Keys.

Schedule your evenings around the most beautiful sunsets in the keys! For day time fun go snorkeling right off White Gate’s pier! Wonderful snorkeling around piers and rocks all for free. You will see a large school of very large parrot fish, lots of tropical fish, lobsters and even a possible sighting of a nurse shark or two. The water clarity was great. While kayaking on the resorts boats (that’s complimentary) we saw a bald eagle fly right over us. Way cool! For those times we wanted to lounge, no problem. The resort is small, quaint, pristine, and very laid back. Whether you have a dog traveling with you or not, you will thoroughly enjoy White Gate Court Resort.

Now I know some people may want the 5 star rating to be for places like the Ritz or Four Seasons, but I am giving it to White gate Court anyway. If you stay in a super-​posh place in the Keys you don’t belong here and people are laughing at you.
From the minute I arrived I was blown away. The property is immaculate. I was concerned how clean it could be with so many pets staying here but it’s as clean as any hotel of ANY type in which I have ever stayed. The rooms were big and very comfortable and how do you get better than waterfront in the keys? The sunsets were incredible. Dogs were playing in the water and people were laughing with drinks in their hands.
This place is a true hidden gem and I’m almost afraid to tell too many people. The owners and the GM Jane are wonderful people who genuinely care about your happiness with the hotel.
I will be back and there will NEVER be another hotel for in the upper Keys. I am home!

A few weeks ago, I came here with a group of friends. It was a close friend’s birthday, and she wanted to celebrate somewhere relaxing, beautiful and dog-​friendly. That also summed up White Gate Court Resort.
We arrived late on a Friday night. It seemed that the rest of the party was mostly there already. We got to our cottage to put things away and meet the rest of our friends. My first impression was this is a cute, little cottage. Nothing spectacular inside.
It had all the essentials though. A kitchen fully stocked with everything to you would need to cook (except for the food). A separate sort-​of bedroom. We were in unit five. This unit has a bed and folding doors to separate it from the living area. However, that bed is overlooking the kitchen. Not much privacy for the person or persons sleeping in that section.
Then, there was a private room on the other side with a real door. That is where we stayed. It was two twin beds separated by a small table. In the bedroom, it had a dresser. On the dresser were beach towels and dog towels.
The next morning is when we saw what this place was about. We walked over to the ocean side, and it was beautiful. It has direct access to the ocean. You can go swimming or talk to the office about their free kayaks. They also offer free bikes to ride around.
The other cool thing about this place is each cottage has a BBQ. For me, a vegetarian, the Keys can be a challenge for dining. We decided to get a bunch of veggies to grill. We pulled the grill over near the water, had some music playing, and had a blast.
It was like our very own private beach party with all our pooches running around!
Overall, I had a great time. This place is great for people looking to get away and enjoy a private beach. If you get a bunch of friends and book in advanced, they may offer a discount. It will probably depend on the time of year. I would come back here again.

Love this place, so peaceful, bring your dog, they will love it also… we loved #6 and plan to come back, I can’t wait to take a nap on the lounge chair again

My husband and I along with our yellow lab mix stayed here for 5 nights in May 2013. I highly recommend this place if you are traveling to the Keys with your dog. I loved everything about the property and our cottage. Two of my favorite things to do on vacation are available here for free: Biking and Kayaking! The bikes and kayaks are laid out for you to use anytime. All you do is sign a waiver in the office and you can enjoy them anytime. My dog is a great swimmer and he loves spending a lot of time in the water. We kayaked and biked together right there at the property. The water was calm and clear so we enjoyed paddling out and relaxing in the water. A fresh water hose and shower are available so it was easy to rinse off after swimming. There are a few dog bowls with water around the property. If you feel comfortable, dogs are allowed off leash on the entire property. I used a 25 foot light weight rope to walk my dog around and had no incidents with anyone. All off leash dogs were super friendly with mine. The property only has a few cottages so there are no large crowds. At any given time, we were alone or only with 3 – 4 other people at the water. Our cottage was #3 and it was perfect for the 3 of us. The bed was comfortable, had a good shower, clean room, and enough space for 2 people. I liked that we had a propane grill and we used it. Bring your own lighter for the grill. We let the office know that we were leaving our pooch in the cottage while we went out for scuba diving and they were fine with it. We put the «privacy» tag on the door. Each day when we returned, the staff had kindly placed clean towels, toilet paper and a trash bag on the porch table. They would watch for our return and ask if anything else was needed. We were able to get as many dog towels as we needed to keep our dog clean and dry. They gave us blankets to cover both the bed and couch so our dog could lay on them. I felt relaxed and at peace the entire time we were here. At the time we visited, the boat dock was broken with no sign of repairs being done. I would have liked to go fishing there if we had been able. The Wifi did not reach our cottage very well but we didn’t let the office know either since I had a mobile hot-​spot with my mobile phone. Hopefully next time we can go fishing from the dock.

I have stayed at this place twice already. I absolutely love it. It’s not a 5 star resort but I assure you that you will feel at home, while you enjoy the water, the pier, fishing and the most important thing, your pups! They love this place, the water… Relaxing here should be your number one priority.
Very quiet, you have all you need to make your meals right there if you don’t want to spend money eating out.
Remember to take a cooler with all the food or drinks your will consume so it’s cheaper and don’t have the hassle of shopping around there, which it could be expensive, even for a gallon of milk!
Terri is great and she will help you with your reservation and make sure you will have the best possible accommodation.
There are only 7 villas so reserve ahead of time.
All dogs are welcome! any size! (something very difficult to find nowadays!) your dog can be off leash (as long as they are well behaved of course) so you can be on the water, on the boat or just walking around or bbqing outside without any problems.
You get to recharge your batteries, read a book, fish (one of my favorites at this place).
Close to Mile Marker 88, the dog park, Founders Park, Theater of the Sea and other attractions.
Cottages are cozy, not super updated but you have everything you need in the kitchen and you have a patio set with citronella torches and a bbq to prepare your own meals. You even get a towel for your dog and bowls of water everywhere in the property.
Cleaning service is great and they are all friendly… it’s a like a big family!
I wish they could have wi-​fi and a flat screen (they still have the box.) but what the hell! you go there to rest and forget about the world!
I will keep coming back!
Loooove White Gate Court!

Rejuvenation at its finest for both you and your pup! I am so glad my hubby suggested we get away and stay at White Gate Court. He had stayed there several times growing up, and always talked about it and how it was PET FRIENDLY! Often it is so difficult to find pet friendly places, well WGC really IS! We stayed for the weekend in cottage 1 and our dog LOVED It! He sure made a lot of new friends over the weekend. The location is ideal and many restaurants are close by, however inside of your cottage you have everything you would need to cook meals at home. We just opted to go out and experience the restaurants, which were all great. However, next time we will bring things to throw on the grill which is right outside of each cottage. It is so very quiet and relaxing. We took the kayaks out both days, and really enjoyed exploring around. We also took the bikes out and tried to ride them to Robbie’s, but one got a flat, so we had to turn around and go back. The cottages are very RUSTIC and cute. The grounds are very well maintained. Terry is very nice. We really enjoyed our stay. If I had anything to say to give it the 5 stars, I would say our room needed new sheets. They were pretty worn and a bit itchy to sleep on. Other than that, everything was GREAT!

Heaven. This place is heaven.
As most dog owners know, it is difficult to find hotels anywhere that allow you to bring your four legged friends. I had never before heard of a place that encourages you to bring your dog, in fact, caters to you and your pup.
Enter: White Gate Court. Exit: stress and troubles.
Our dog absolutely fell in love with the place. He was allowed to be off-​leash and spent the majority of his time chasing his tennis ball in the bay and meeting new friends on the property.
The staff is very friendly, easy-​going, and accommodating. We rented a one bedroom cottage which is one half of a duplex, so there was only one neighbor adjacent or near us. The walls are concrete, so we never heard the couple next door.
Our cottage had a king-​sized bed and well stocked small kitchen with full size fridge. The patio on our front porch was a favorite place to spend time, especially as we cooked our dinner on the gas grill provided for our use.
The location, Lower Matecumbe Key, is ideal. Many restaurants, bars, and shops are located a quick drive away over the large bridge connecting Lower and Upper Matecumbe Key, which affords gorgeous views of the beautiful bright blue ocean on either side.
The grounds are kept up impeccably by two staff members. Palm trees, golf-​course style soft grass, and unique native plants adorn the two acre property. With only a 20 person occupancy, there is more than enough room for everyone and every pup.
Rates vary throughout the year; for what we paid in August I am very satisfied with the value. My only wish is that they would allow you to make a reservation for a weekend getaway further in advance, but I certainly understand this policy given the limited space available.
Bottom Line: White Gate Court is the perfect place for a Keys getaway if you (and your pup) like to relax and unwind.

The pups and I needed a vacation BAD and I googled «dog vacation» on a whim and this was the first place that came up. Living in Baltimore at the time, I got in my car and drove down to check it out. It’s not a plush Hilton, but a wonderful vacation. It’s like being on your own island, and the dogs can swim unfettered by people yelling about leashes and leash laws. I’m not a boater, but having that dock there is unbelievable!
I think it’s a bit pricey for what you get, but the fact that I can bring the dogs? Totally priceless.

A 6 adults and 3 dog dilemma — where to go on a mini-​vacation? A friend of a friend of a friend highly recommended White Gate Court and she was dead right.
I’d forgotten how beautiful the drive is down the keys, especially on a Thursday about 2 seconds before spring break takes over. Ah, the turquoise sea on one side, mangroves galore on the other and sheer joy awaiting up ahead.
Mr. LaLotto hadn’t yet gotten a full dose of the keys vacation chill so he was still nervous about the turnoff (ha ha, imagine what he’s like on the Turnpike!!), but there it was, clearly marked and beckoning… come and relaaax, let your four-​legged buddies splash leashless in the water around the pier, grab a cold one (or six) and settle down on the white chairs in the corally white sand under the blue and white sky and listen to doggie bliss in the distance.
White is certainly the theme at White Gate — pardon the redundancy — spotless little cottages (well, one not so small actually) with charmingly rustic décor, a Weber BBQ no less and everybody LOVES dogs! Teri at the reception desk was very helpful and very laid back (oxymoron?). After a wonderfully long exchange of doggie stories and whatnot, over to the cottages we went and then 24 little legs stampeded out to the water where Mapuche the sloth boxer puppy, immediately waded in much to our surprise. Where his mom, Cynthia, jumps for joy at the word «swimming», Mapuche runs and hides under a chair somewhere. He detests water. But there he was, somewhat influenced by bulldog Aunt Bianca who performed a never-​before-​seen kamikazee jump over the ledge to the beach below. Images of short little legs broken in various parts flashed into all of our minds, but thank God for the bulldog chest, which took the brunt of it…
Synopsis: three wonderful days with beautiful and spacious surroundings — everything one could possibly want when traveling with 3 canines.