Video Blog: A Day in Paradise

If a picture's worth 1,000 words, how many is a video worth? Much has been said about Little Palm Island Resort & Spa; the 5.5-acre luxury resort a dozen miles off the coast of the Florida Keys is routinely named one of the top resorts in the world. I've written about the island multiple times, but for all my attempts at describing the unique experience Little Palm offers, my words come up a bit short.

So I have assembled a collection of videos from my visit last month––along with a few photos––to provide a glimpse of life on paradise island.

The canopy beds in the thatched-roof bungalow suites are incredibly comfortable, and the bedrooms are surrounded by black-out shades that keep it pitch-black until noon, but I recommend waking up before sunrise and starting your day on the dock.

You won't be the only one doing some early morning fishing.

Of course, you'll work up an appetite catching all those fish. Fortunately, Little Palm Island has you covered. Whoever said breakfast is the most important meal of the day has obviously visited Little Palm.

Then again, with sunsets like this you do not want to miss dinner on the beach, so I may waver here and say dinner is the most important, can't-miss meal at the island.

As spectacular as the meals are at Little Palm, I certainly didn't intend to gloss over the sun-filled daytime hours when the myriad of activities call out to Little Palm's lucky guests.

In the afternoon, we went on a guided snorkeling excursion to Looe Key, a prime reef on the world's third largest barrier reef. We got up close and personal with dozens of species of colorful and bizarre fish, as well as with a shark and sea turtle.

When we got back from snorkeling, we squeezed in a lap around the island on a stand-up paddleboard. I brought a fishing pole and caught a few fish along the way, before returning to the island and doing more fishing (Did I mention I love to fish? Or that Little Palm Island is home to some of the best fishing in the world?)

While fishing and hanging out at the dock we saw several manatees, including one that swam right up to us and gave us an opportunity to pet the gentle giant.

But most relaxing of all, we treated ourselves to an incredible 110-minute couples massage at the award-winning SpaTerre in a gazebo yards away from the ocean. Talk about unwinding. A gentle ocean breeze flowed through the gazebo and we listened to the waves lapping against the shore as we each had a talented masseuse spoil us with a full-body massage.

After a 5-course dinner consisting of shrimp, seafood ceviche, grouper, braised ribs and ice cream we surely did not need but miraculously managed to polish off, my wife and I enjoyed some of Little Palm's evening activities. Sitting by the campfire provided a chance to share stories with other guests.

Listening to live music offered an opportunity to sit back and reflect on the day's events.

The website for Little Palm Island Resort & Spa is www.littlepalmisland.com. For more information, call 800.343.8567 or email getlost@littlepalmisland.com.