Beach House at Tarpon Point

The Beach House at Tarpon Point is a single oceanfront home at 77521 Overseas Highway on Lower Matecumbe Key, in the southern stretch of Islamorada around mile marker 77.5. It sits inside Tarpon Point, a gated enclave of only twelve houses, which is the detail that explains the rest: there is no lobby, no shared corridor and no crowd.

The house faces the Atlantic with unobstructed water views, and it has its own sandy beach, a pool, and an observation pier running out over the shallows. The pier is the best thing about the property. On a key this narrow you can take the sunrise over the ocean and the sunset behind you from the same spot.

It is booked directly with the owner rather than through a front desk, which suits a week with a family or two couples sharing, and it is a licensed vacation rental.

This is the quieter end of Islamorada, past the restaurants and the art district, where the islands narrow and the highway runs close to the water on both sides.