This Key West Resort Wants to Teach You How to Make Epic Sandcastles

A sand sculpture showing two fish at a bar with cocktails
Photo: Marianne van den Broek

The Reach Key West, one of Key West's newest hotels, wants to seriously help enhance your sandcastle game.

The boutique-style resort, which is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, is ready to welcome sun-seeking guests to the Florida Keys. In fact, not only will it heartily welcome everyone for a stay, a scenic meal, or a special event, but it will also help guests indulge in their artistic side by setting them up with a small group workshop with its in-house sand sculpture artist, Marianne van den Broek.

Two sand sculptures, one being abstract and the other of a over sized sand dollar
Marianne van den Broek

Guests can come and check out van den Broek's work that will be on full display during the holidays, hotel events, and other celebrations. Guests can even commission van den Broek to make a custom creation for their wedding. And sometimes, guests just get lucky, because van den Broek will often take to the beach to create something just because inspiration strikes. It's then that guests can sip a cocktail in one of the hotel's hammocks, lounge on the deck, sit by the pool, hang out on Key West's only natural sand beach, or just try and spot her from their nautically inspired room, and watch this master at work.

But, for those hoping to get more involved, there's another option.

Van den Broek and the hotel are now offering group sand sculpting workshops at its sister property, Casa Marina, just down the road. The two-and-a-half hour workshop will teach you the fundamentals of building over-the-top and structurally sound sand sculptures. All the tools will be provided, just bring along your creativity.

The classes run at $69 for adults and $59 for children. Masks are required and the classes require a two-person minimum.

But again, if you're less interested in putting in the effort, you could always hire van den Broek to create something unique just for you. Her wedding sculptures start at $1,000 and are worth every artistic penny.

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