Has anyone vacationed in Key West?

[GothTink]

My DH and I were supposed to celebrate our 15th anniversary with a cruise...but since Royal Carribean insists on still going to Haiti, we've cancelled. My MIL (whom I adore! ) has suggested Key West for a week, so...we've booked a great place and we're all set to go in April! But...we know little about what there is to do.

Any thoughts/tips/hints?

 

[wdwmom2]

My DH and I were supposed to celebrate our 15th anniversary with a cruise...but since Royal Carribean insists on still going to Haiti, we've cancelled. My MIL (whom I adore! ) has suggested Key West for a week, so...we've booked a great place and we're all set to go in April! But...we know little about what there is to do.

Any thoughts/tips/hints?

Oh, a subject I am working on right now!!! DH and I would love to ride our motorcycle down to Key West next year.

Go to www.tripadvisor.com and look up Key West. There are so many things to do. Ernest Hemingway's home, Southern most point, Mallory Square for the sunsets, Duval Street, an aquarium, the list goes on and on!!!!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Key West has a different atmosphere than some are prepared for. While we love some aspects of it...there are others we don't. We've now been there twice. If you are looking for great beaches....this isn't the place. If you are looking for a fun atmosphere with bars, they have that. If you are looking for some history...thye have that. If you are looking for warmth (which is important when you live in a northern city) they have that.

A trip to the Dry Tortugas is great (though expensive).

Also, I understand what you mean about Haiti...but can I offer an alternative view point? Right now people in Haiti need work and need money. The relief agencies can distribute all the food and water that they can....but the Haitian economy needs to get going and keep going. Having cruise ships go there helps that along tremendously. While I understand it is hard to have a good time knowing that others are suffering, maybe you could get on the cruisecritic boards and see what others are doing to help Haiti and adopt that on your cruise. Maybe you could take your anniversary cruise and start a tradition of service that also celebrates your marriage and family?

Why do I say this....because (many years ago) I worked with disaster relief agencies and I learned first hand that getting and keeping that economic engine going is the biggest battle that has to be solved. With money coming in that people earn, it helps them to rebuild for their family while the government is rebuilding the community.

Regardless of what you decide to do (and that decision is yours and your spouse's), Happy Anniversary!

K

 

[Golf4food]

Also, I understand what you mean about Haiti...but can I offer an alternative view point? Right now people in Haiti need work and need money. The relief agencies can distribute all the food and water that they can....but the Haitian economy needs to get going and keep going. Having cruise ships go there helps that along tremendously. While I understand it is hard to have a good time knowing that others are suffering, maybe you could get on the cruisecritic boards and see what others are doing to help Haiti and adopt that on your cruise. Maybe you could take your anniversary cruise and start a tradition of service that also celebrates your marriage and family?

Why do I say this....because (many years ago) I worked with disaster relief agencies and I learned first hand that getting and keeping that economic engine going is the biggest battle that has to be solved. With money coming in that people earn, it helps them to rebuild for their family while the government is rebuilding the community.

Amen. Not wanting to go on a cruise that visits Haiti is about like telling people not to visit New Orleans after Katrina hit. Areas that are built around tourism need tourists to survive - natural disasters or not! And Haiti doesn't have much going for it beyond those few tourism spots. Taking those away is not going to help the country recover.


And why not look at a different cruise line? Carnival, Disney... not like RC is the only one out there! There are tons of Western Caribbean cruises that stop in Key West and don't go anywhere near Haiti.

 

[wdwmom2]

Also, I understand what you mean about Haiti...but can I offer an alternative view point? Right now people in Haiti need work and need money.

K

I read a thread somewhere on CruiseCritic about a passenger that spoke with a Haitian that worked in the straw market on Labadee. The passenger asked what he thought about RCCL stopping there. The Haitian replied that he had lost family members to the earthquake, but he still needed his income. He was happy that the tourists were still coming and spending their money. His livelihood depended on it.

I do understand your feelings about stopping at a place, "enjoying" yourself sooo close to so much devastation.

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful anniversary!!!

 

[GothTink]

The cruise is cancelled, because we don't wish to spend our first anniversary celebration (been together 15 years, but have never celebrated with even a romantic dinner) in a place that is currently full of so much pain. So...that subject is closed (and was not my intent for starting this thread).

Definitely not looking for a beach, but history, bars, etc sounds great! I'll head over to tripadvisor...

Thanks!

 

[wdwmom2]

If you like to enjoy a few drinks everyday, I found this on the tripadvisor forums. http://www.keywestbarcard.com/

Oh, and check out the Better Than Sex Dessert Restaurant, it's on Trip Advisor also http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...Restaurant-Key_West_Florida_Keys_Florida.html , or you can Google it!!! The desserts look heavenly, and that's all they serve!!!

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Oh I am so jealous! We LOVE KEY WEST. You'll have a wonderful time. We just like to walk up and down Duval, tons of things to do, restaurants, shops, fun comedy clubs and bars. Last time my DH and myself rented scooters. People of all walks of life mingle together for a great time with total acceptance and friendliness. I suggest you take the trolley first off and you can go from there. It's like no other place. But go off Duval and explore the streets bc you find such charming little out of the way places to eat, etc. One day we found a lovely little parrot zoo, where they rescued parrots. It's just a great place. So charming. We love it there.

 

[Tinkmom75]

The Florida Keys are beautiful. There is a fun open air bar atmosphere on Duval Street. The sunset is a must see. There is the Key West Sandal company, the Aloe shop, trolley tours and much more. You can go on a glass bottom boat tour. There are beaches, but I remember them being littered with stuff and a bit rockey. I think a famous one is Bahia Honda beach (sp). If you are driving you could take a drive up to some of the other Keys. My Grandparents had a place on Summerland Key. I have fond memories. On Big Pine Key (I think) we used to see Key Deer. There are fishing excursions and swimming with Dolphins. Be prepared to see lots of cats and chickens in the street You can tour Ernest Hemmingway's home. I could spend a week there.

 

[lovedisneyforever]

We went last spring with the family and it was great!! As posted above, there is swimming with the dolphins on grassy key. DH and I did the deep water encounter and it was amazing! Though it was pretty expencive, it was a wonderful once in a life time expirence! Their website is www.dolphins.org. In key west, on of the nights we went on a ghost tour. This was so much fun! Though you may be thinking "My god, why would I go on a ghost tour," the tour guide was very funny and made great jokes! Very funny! Their website is here: http://www.hauntedtours.com/. On the way back to West Palm Beach where my parents live, we stopped at pennekamp for snorkerling. Pennekamp is a state park on key largo and has some pretty nice snokerling. DH snorkles alot but this was my second time. The water is pretty shallow, depending on where you go. There are also glass bottem boat tours which DD loves. Here is the link to their website: http://www.pennekamppark.com/. Sorry if the links don't work.

 

[GothTink]

OMG, so many great links! And we LOVE haunted tours - thanks so much! It sounds like Duval is the place to be...

 

[lucas]

We love Key West! We like to stay at the Ocean Key. The address is 0 Duval Street - they have the sunset pier and are in the heart of everything: http://www.oceankey.com/

Some other useful Key West links:

General restaurant/menu info: http://www.keywestmenu.com/

A couple of our favorite restaurants by water:
Turtle Kraals: http://www.turtlekraals.com/
Half Shell Raw Bar: http://www.halfshellrawbar.com/home.html
Schooner Wharf - local bar by water: http://www.schoonerwharf.com/
Key lime pie: http://www.blondgiraffe.com

 

[frndshpcptn]

Stop by the Blond Giraffe and get a frozen Key Lime Pie on a stick (covered in Chocolate). It's hands down the best dessert ever!

 

[ols386]

We went to Key West about 6 years ago. We liked it alot. But as someone stated in an earlier post, there isn't alot of beach there. I think there are a couple, and that's about it.

We went on a 1/2 day snorkeling tour, and really liked it alot. They also have 1/2 and full-day deep-sea fishing tours. They also have golfing.

Lots of nice/fun restaurants and bars, and lots of shops to browse through. We also thought it was fun going down to the pier and watching the cruise ships come in and depart.

They have lots of nice B&B's in Key West also. But we stayed at Best Western, just a couple miles outside of town. It had very spacious rooms, clean, screen-enclosed balconies, nice pool, continental breakfast, and a tiki hut at the pool that opened around 11am till around 6pm, for sandwiches, salads, soft drinks, and alcoholic drinks.

You can buy a bus pass, and use it to get back and forth from the hotel to downtown (or you can use a taxi). I think the bus basically just goes around the island all day long, and stops at various hotels for transportation to town.

We did that Dry Tortugas day trip, but we weren't all that impressed with it. There is one side of the island where you can go snorkeling though. I remember it being a VERY ROUGH boat ride out to the island. I think it took at least and hour to get out there, and because they go through a channel, the ride was extremely rough. Several people got sea-sick. We didn't, but we had each taken 1 Dramamine before going.

 

[bballmom56]

We have been there several times - it's my DH's favorite place to leave the real world behind! We were there last July for just that reason. It is such a laid back place. Chickens wander all over (although there were fewer the last time we were there).

To add to the historical sites mentioned, you may want to stop at Harry Truman's Little White House.

For a unique dining experience, look at Latitudes. It is located on Sunset Key, a small island off of the main island. There is a boat that will take you out there. You are met at the dock and escorted to the restaurant. You can have a table on the beach if you desire. It can be very romantic. The food and service was wonderful, but it is quite pricey. We went for lunch which was less expensive.
http://www.westinsunsetkeycottages.com/latitudes

Where are you staying?

 

[Squirlz]

Be sure to go see Robert!

http://www.robertthedoll.org/

 

[amyy]

We were there last Feb and stayed at the Ocean Key in ocean front suite. You can't compare it to Disney but I loved it just as much if not more. One of the first things we did was take the trolley tour around town and then went back to the places that interested us.

Not that the food is anything special but you have to go to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. If you can eat breakfast at the Ocean Key resort as the view is beautiful and the food was really yummy.

 

[maiyasgram]

We just got back. Picked up a Harley in Miami and rode to Key West. The ride back and forth was awesome. DH and I each ride our own Harleys but we only rented one, so I had lots of time to look around.

Once you get to Key West you really wont need much more than a scooter or bicycle to get around. That is if you are staying near the Duval St area.

We had great meals at Pepe's, Conch Republic Seafood, Schooner Wharf. Blue Heaven for breakfast with the roosters. Highly reccomend The Jolly Rover for a sunset cruise.

The Conch Train and The Trolley are good bets for sightseeing and getting a history lesson on the area.

I was able to get a great rate for The Hyatt (104.00 per nite) through Hotwire and was upgraded at checkin to a full gulf view (rack rate 525.
00 per nite ) Tried to explain to DH there are reasons to schmooze and this was one.

Lots of shops, bars & restraunts on and around Duvall. The seaport area was also a lively place with lots of fishing charters. There are a few beaches in Key West, some very rocky and not very beachlike to me. Fort Zachary Taylor is a state park that has a decent beach.

I thought Sloppy Joes was fun and had great music while Margaritaville was a dump.

We spent 4 days in Key West then met up with the rest of the family at Disney for a few more days.

Fun trip will go back again but probably not on a bike. I think I will look into the ferry from Ft Myers next time.


Cherie

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Understand OP and I want you to know I was not trying to stir things up or anything...just offering an alternative view point.

The Little White House is really cool...particularly for us (we're from MO). We also enjoyed photos at the "Southernmost Point" (we got to do the continental US one and the real "Southernmost Point" in Hawaii in the same year!). Margarita at Margaritaville were good...food was OK. We ate at some place that had a lot of chickens running around and I was weirded out by them (discovered that I'm afraid of things with wings that flap...oddly enough...)! I second Ocean Key...very romantic. Also, Bahia Honda State Park was very nice. We really enjoyed the beach there. I think it was about a 30 to 40 minute drive from Key West. DS wanted to stop at the Hard Rock last time we were there and it had some interesting "artifacts." Food was predictable there (neither great, nor awful).

Hope you enjoy your trip and again, sorry if I stirred something up. Hope you all have a terrific anniversary celebration.

K

 

[bas71873]

subbing....considering a 10 yr anniversary trip next year to Key West