KEY WEST!

Good Morning, Lovelies! I'm so happy to finally be getting around to sharing our trip to Key West with you! It was such an awesome place, somewhere I've always wanted to go and it certainly exceeded all of my expectations. If I had to describe Key West in one word it would be FUN, but I don't so I'll go on :) It's casual and super laid back, an 'anything goes' type of place with the most 'I like to kick back and have a good time' crowd of locals and tourists I've ever seen in a destination. It's colorful and quirky, full of character and most importantly, authentic. We loved every minute and I hope you my little recap:

I've already posted on our first stop on our drive down to the Keys, Islamorada. I definitely recommend stopping at the Postcard Inn for a rum runner to get you in the mood...

About an hour and a half later, we stopped at Bahia Honda State Park to see the beautiful "Florida Flats" as Brian kept referring to them as...

Pretty clear water and very shallow for miles and miles, hence the "Florida Flats"...

 About two hours later, we arrived! 

{In total I think the drive from Miami took us 4-5 hours with the stops we made}

We stayed at the Parrot Key Resort which I would HIGHLY recommend. I got a killer deal on Expedia and if we ever go back, we will be staying there. 

nice little cafe for frozen drinks and breakfast/lunch by the pool

they had the prettiest planters in all shades of turquoise and blue - I couldn't stop taking pictures! 

B

We spend a couple afternoons like this, pure heaven.

Each room had a nice patio with turquoise adirondack chairs - perfect for morning coffee

more pretty plants at the hotel

We rented a scooter through the hotel to get around town which was so fun! 

My cute hat is from Hat Attack :) 

I heard from many people to have breakfast at the Old Town Bakery - the BEST ever - CONFIRMED! 

I can honestly say this chocolate croissant beat any I've ever eaten - Paris/Italy/Spain included.

And we were off to be tourists for the day: 

 

Key West is the Conch Republic so there are conch shells everywhere

conch motifs on the Town Hall

Pretty sign

I've never seen so many tropical drinks in hand and I loved it!

The original Margaritaville:

what's wrong with a little mid-day delight?

I wanted to show Jack some culture

The line to have your picture taken in front of the Southermost Point was too long, so we took a photo of another couple who waited...

We then went on to have a sunset beverage at Louie's Backyard

I thought this was a cute nautical idea for a gate, had never seen it before...

Next we moved on to Mallory Square at sunset:

 

All the local performers gather here at Sunset to put on their shows for the tourists

a really cool scene

Next we headed on to Duval Street to see all the people walking up and down the street and the famous bars and restaurants:

Everywhere had live music which was so fun

We had dinner at a place on Duval called Caroline's - great burgers. 

The following night we had dinner at a place called Blue Heaven - famous for their true Key West food and scenery. It was pretty good but I heard the breakfast is what you go there for...

One of the nights, we went to see the Wailers from Bob Marley and the Wailers, they were awesome and it felt like we had stepped back in time. They played on Sunset Pier and the night could not have been more perfect. 

We had an absolute blast and I highly recommend a trip to Key West for everyone. Key West life is full of color and character, everything and everyone is true to form and it is quite a refreshing and enlivening culture to witness and become a part of while you're there.

Oh! One more thing - definitely eat breakfast at Pepe's. It's the oldest "eating house" in the Keys and so  yummy:

Oh yeah, the one thing Key West does not have in my opinion are killer beaches. The other keys do, so if you want a beach day make sure you get that on your way down or if you fly into Miami, maybe there. 

If you're planning a trip and have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email :)