[1MOREMOD]

If stopping and staying multiple places along the way down? Key largo, marathon, big pine, duck, and west. Which to do and which to skip.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

Can't decide between being out of town at a resort or in town at little place. Seems resort would be nice except for having to drive into town every day instead of just walking around?

I'd stay in Key West when visiting Key West. Westin, Hyatt and at least a couple of others are not necessarily resorts but have more amenities than a small local place and are walking distance to Duval. B&Bs and small hotels are always hit or miss to me. Sometimes they work our great. Other times, regret sets in quickly.

What resorts are you thinking about?

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I'd stay in Key West when visiting Key West. Westin, Hyatt and at least a couple of others are not necessarily resorts but have more amenities than a small local place and are walking distance to Duval. B&Bs and small hotels are always hit or miss to me. Sometimes they work our great. Other times, regret sets in quickly.

What resorts are you thinking about?

Not sure just trying to figure it out. Basically relaying what I'm hearing here and friends to her she does the planning I just show up.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Axius

Are you gonna swim with sharks?

Negative . It's all about Miami Vice .

Jaws died my friend..

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

If stopping and staying multiple places along the way down? Key largo, marathon, big pine, duck, and west. Which to do and which to skip.

I have stopped in various places along the way but never stayed anywhere except Key West. When I was [much] younger and lived in Miami I'd go down to Tiki Bar all day but them come back at night or early the next morning. If you want to fish or snorkel there are some spots that are better than others but I'm not knowledgeable enough to recommend specific spots. There is definitely some great fishing in the Keys (and Miami for that matter) if that is of interest to you. Might be a little late for Mahi but plenty of other stuff.

I think there are also some nature / hiking / sightseeing things to do North of Key West too but ultimately IMO Key West is the primary destination unless going to another spot for a specific reason. Another place to look into is Flamingo Park to see the Everglades and do some back country fishing. Totally different experience than deep sea fishing.

[charlie fairmont]

What are you wanting to do in the keys? IMO, the keys are all about being on and in the water, boating, diving, snorkeling, fishing. If you want to do that, you can jump on a head boat in key largo to check out pennekamp state park or in KW to check out their reefs. Pull off on mm 33 at big pine key resort and drive east if you are interested in seeing key deer. If you just want to drink and go sightseeing, KW is the best bet--you'll be bored quickly if you stop elsewhere for that.

[1MOREMOD]

Well Miami will likely be the party time for the weekend then just sightsee after that on the way down. I'm more into getting weird my wife is more about relaxing even though I'm the senior member.

[gjkolio]

On your way down to the keys stop by Robbies restaurant and marina in Islamorada , you can buy buckets of fish that you can feed to the resident tarpon, some as big as 200 lbs. There must be over 50-60 that always swim around the docks waiting for a free meal, always an incredible experience. Little Palm Island is on Little Torch Key on your way down to the keys just after Big Pine Key, it's an incredible boutique hotel resort that is quite expensive to stay at but you can take their taxi boat out to the island resort and have dinner at their restaurant, if you are traveling with your significant other it will be an experience that will not be forgotten. You think you are in the middle of Bali , the once private Island has floating platforms with tables on the beach where you can dine overlooking the resort and the ocean, also an expensive experience but definitely a bucket list item. Enjoy.

[upstatedoc]

When in key west go fishing, also rent scooters that was a lot of fun. Got a parking ticket with one still haven't paid after 10 years HAHA! Night life is fun, go see the sunset on the west side of town they usually have some kind of act playing. And also loved the drive from Miami to key west. Get a convertible. The bridges are amazing. Same ones filmed in the movie true lies.

[cmyx6go]

I stayed at a place at the foot of Duval Street - Ocean Key House, right on the water. This was years ago so I don't know what it's like now. The chains are on the other side of the Island. I'm sure they have more to offer but I liked being on Duval.

http://www.oceankey.com/

[other_evolved]

I spent a large chunk of my childhood in Key Largo, and have since gone back to the keys for a few weeks at a time every couple of years since then (I'm 33). Here's a couple of tips, and feel free to PM me with questions, or post here.

I'll try to keep it in order of the keys.....

1. Key Largo - one of the larger keys and is fairly commercial. John Pennekamp State Park is the largest underwater state park in the US. It has nice beaches, mangroves, and its usually not too overcrowded. Key Largo also has the Jules Vern underwater hotel, if you're into that kind of thing.

2. Islamorada - Robbie's of Islamorada is a bar/restaurant right on the docks. You can also charter fishing boats from here. The food is great, as is the scenery. This series of keys are fairly long, and have a lot of mangrove coverage so the fishing scene is pretty good here.

3. Marathon - Curry Hammock State Park has beautiful beaches...probably some of the best in the keys and they are right off of the main road. The end of Marathon is the start of the Seven Mile Bridge, which is pretty spectacular for a first timer, in my opinion.

4. Big Pine/Cudjoe/Sugarloaf Keys - Typically by the time we're here, we are anxious to get to Key West, so I haven't spent much time in these keys. The Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge is off of Sugarloaf, I believe, and has some great wildlife tours.

5. Key West - This will be the longest post because we've spent the most time here recently. Random thoughts/musings....

-I prefer to stay at the bed & breakfasts throughout the island as they give you a better sense of the place. Curry House has been my favorite. The Alexander Palms Court is a throwback to KW of the 50's (aka, hasn't been updated) but is a really cool layout. If you want a hotel, The Southernmost Resort/Hotel is the nicest on the island in my opinion. Renting a house/cottage on AirBnB is an awesome way to stay on the island, too.

-I think the food in KW is an underrated aspect of going there. MUST GO: Garbo's Grill, The Conch Shack, Kelly's Caribbean Bar & Grille, Blue Heaven. SHOULD GO (if you have the time/money): Latitudes....reservation required and it is actually not on Key West. You take a ferry from the main harbor over to Sunset Key (resort key). Book it for about an hour before sunset, and it will be amazing...great date spot.

-Bars: They are plentiful. Going to the Duval bars one night is fun, without a doubt....Irish Kevins, Hogs Breath, Willie T's, Smallest Bar, Sloppy Joe's, etc. My favorite NON-Duval bars are Green Parrot (live music), The Porch (awesome beer and people watching), The Speakeasy (largest rum/whiskey selection in KW) and Dante's (great for laying by the pool and drinking during the day).

-Other random thoughts: Rent a scooter to travel around the island. Go to the Hemingway House and ask for Boston Bob as your tour guide. Go on an eco-tour with Sebago, Danger Charters or Fury (Danger has the best sunset wine cruise). The best beach on the island is either the Southernmost, or the small beach at the end of Simonton (next to Lagerheads Bar)....keep in mind, people do not go to KW for the lush, white sandy beaches.

I'm sure I'll think of more. We just spent a week down there in early May....always a great time. Enjoy!

[MooreBoost]

This bed and breakfast is awesome.

https://www.theduvalhouse.com/

[mike@Vossen]

Great town.... nice club scene, great food... Our Vossen Forged Factory is in Miami if you want to swing by!

[FSociety]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

theres plenty of cuba in Miami.

i will be in Tampa, Clearwater and Orlando in 2 weeks.

I flew to Orlando spent 2 days at my cousin's; drove to FLL switched cars at Airport then drove down to Key Largo spent 1 day; then drove to Key West for a weekend. Drove back to FLL where I spent 2 more days enjoying Fort.lauderdale by the sea.
i rented Camaro SS from Avis V8 babyyy

[lsturbointeg]

Key West was a blast! did some Para sailing, Jet Skiing and snorkeling. wish i could tell you more but we had some friend's plan the vacation since my buddy's sister works for Walt Disney World and she has a pretty good hookup from an owner who owns a resort down in the Keys. free rooms with exchange of free passes to Disney.

[TrevorM3]

going to the keys this weekend to do some fishing!

[1MOREMOD]

Looking at la concha and coca plum both nicely located by Duval. One bed and breakfast other little lore resorty.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by TrevorM3

going to the keys this weekend to do some fishing!

Too late weekend is over dopey

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by FSociety

I flew to Orlando spent 2 days at my cousin's; drove to FLL switched cars at Airport then drove down to Key Largo spent 1 day; then drove to Key West for a weekend. Drove back to FLL where I spent 2 more days enjoying Fort.lauderdale by the sea.
i rented Camaro SS from Avis V8 babyyy

we rented 17' ford explorer, wife drove the whole time. Only good thing about explorer was that it was very spacious. We had great time at Clearwater.

[wdb]

We docked there for a day on a cruise. (I think our ship was blocking the famous sunset.) Did a kayak tour that was pretty neat, had to pull our way through the mangroves by hand in some of the really tight spots. Hemingway house was, uhhh, eclectic. Driving there is on my bucket list so, :jellydance:

[steveff4]

I was just down there in March. The wife and I stayed at Heron House Court, and we were very happy with the place. Good breakfast spread, happy hour every night, and fantastic hosts.

Oh, and I've also stayed a couple of times at the Lighthouse Court Hotel, which is right across the street from the Hemingway house. Great location.

Not a lot of beach, but the nicest is at Fort Zachary Taylor park.

[TrevorM3]

so what spot has the best key lime????