Closed · Key West, FL · checked October 30, 2026
Equator Resort: closed.
A men-only clothing-optional guesthouse on Fleming Street, open from 1997 until January 9, 2025. What happened, and where to stay in Key West now.
Researched by the Hotel Terracotta editorial desk · Edited by John Dason · Closure sources and Key West alternatives checked October 30, 2026 · How we work
Status: closed since January 9, 2025. Some booking and directory sites still show the old listing; nothing booked through them will be honored.
What happened
Equator was a men-only, clothing-optional resort on Fleming Street in Key West’s Old Town, open since 1997. On February 5, 2024, its general manager announced that it would close in January 2025, after new shareholders joined the family company that owned it. The announcement said the new shareholders wanted to “shift their focus,” and management denied rumors that the property had been sold. It closed on January 9, 2025.
The eleven-month gap between the announcement and the closing date is why the date is muddled in many places, including on this site until October 30, 2026, when we corrected it from January 2024.
Where to stay instead in Key West
Equator’s guests have fewer choices than its old listing suggests. One property in Key West still runs as a men-only clothing-optional resort, and the other two options work differently.
- Island House, also on Fleming Street at No. 1129, is the direct replacement: men only on its clothing-optional side, 39 rooms around a heated pool, a 24-hour cafe and bar and a health club. It is also the more expensive stay, at $369–769 a night for two on its own site.
- Alexander’s Guesthouse, on the same block of Fleming Street at No. 1118, admits adults 21 and over of any gender. Its own site doesn’t state a clothing policy; guest reviews describe clothing-optional sundecks, so ask before you book if that matters.
- New Orleans House on Duval Street, above the Bourbon Street Pub, is a gay men’s guesthouse whose own site describes a large clothing-optional backyard with a 24-hour pool and a bar open until 4 am. It suits a nightlife trip far better than a quiet one.
If the island isn’t essential, Fort Lauderdale has three men-only clothing-optional guesthouses. Pineapple Point includes breakfast and an evening happy hour, which is the closest match to Equator’s small-guesthouse format. The Fort Lauderdale comparison covers all three.
Questions
Is Equator Resort still open?
No. It closed on January 9, 2025, after an announcement in February 2024 that new shareholders in the family company wanted to change the property’s focus.
Was Equator sold?
Its management said no when the closure was announced in February 2024. We haven’t found a later report of a sale.
Where can men stay clothing-optional in Key West now?
Island House on Fleming Street is the remaining men-only clothing-optional resort we’ve confirmed. New Orleans House on Duval Street, a gay men’s guesthouse, has a clothing-optional backyard.
Sources
- Key West Chamber of Commerce: closure announcement · February 5, 2024; read October 30, 2026
- Out x Out: gay resorts in Key West · updated October 23, 2026; closure date and New Orleans House listing
- Island House and Alexander’s: see their profiles, checked October 29, 2026.
Know something more recent about the Equator property? Tell us.