These Key West Hotels Offer Waterproof Books You Can Read in the Pool

For most of us, balancing a book (and hopefully a cocktail) while floating around a pool is near impossible — something is bound to spill or get wet. But thanks to the debut of two new underwater libraries in Key West, even the most clumsy among us can cool off in the pool without leaving our book behind.

The Gates Hotel and 24° North Hotel in Florida’s New Town, Key West have debuted a new poolside perk: a lending library of waterproof books. The collection focuses on the classics — think Shakespeare, Yeats, and Mark Twain — so you can check a couple literary novels off your to-read list without having to take pool breaks or worry about spilling that second margarita.

Hotel guests will find a waterproof version of Shakespeare’s "Macbeth," W. B. Yeats’ "Cloths of Heaven," and a collection of short stories by Mark Twain floating inside a fish tank — yes, a fish tank — at the pool tiki.

When lunch rolls around, readers at The Gates Hotel can enjoy the on-site food truck, The Blind Pig, or visit the pool bar, Rum Row, which has partnered with Key West's First Legal Rum Distillery to deliver prohibition-inspired drinks.

At 24 North Hotel, readers can hole up in one of the pool deck’s playful swings or hammocks or take in the property’s pop art-style murals. When guests are ready to leave their cozy reading nook, they can visit the on-property cigar bar or go on a kayak, paddle board, or boat excursion.

The waterproof books are available for guests to read during their stay free of charge.