Wednesday, July 25, 2012

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 :)


13 comments:

  1. So jealous! Looks like you had a fabulous time! The Husband and I have been dying to get down to the keys! This post may just be the inspiration we needed!

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  2. I've always wanted to go there. Thanks for a fab trip report!

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  3. Great post! Love all the pictures you took, thanks for sharing! I went to Key West years ago and would love to go back again! I remember it being a really great place. We took a dinner cruise which was fun-but not for the motion sick (me). P.S. I noticed the earrings in one shot ;)

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  4. love KW! thanks for sharing so many fab pics@!

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  5. Looks like you had a blast, and glad you had fun! I love the nautical rope gate!!

    Christy

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  6. Awesome shots! Glad you had a blast!

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  7. Now I REALLY want to visit Key West! Great photos, Liz -- you and your hubby are SO cute ;o)

    Hope you're having a great week.

    Marie
    xoxo

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  8. Key West looks like a good ol' time. I will have to make a mental note when we want to go somewhere with a lot of culture..plus visiting the most southern point of the USA is pretty cool too! Thanks for sharing~

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  9. Loved your photos, Liz! My sister and her husband go to KW all the time and Louie's is her favorite. Thanks for your sweet comments and for adding me to your roll. I love your blog and have just added you to my blogroll as well. Hope you get to move to FL soon - it's an amazing place to live. xo

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  10. Looks amazing! I love all your photos!

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  11. Hello from the Conch Republic aka Key West - wish I had known you were here in my tropical island home. You did visit some of the spots I would recommend but there is so much more to see - and it is always a great time for an island getaway. We're all here (but we may not be all there!) so come back and visit soon.

    Living in on island is truly unique and yes, as we say here, Key West is paradise. A truly unique island experience and nothing like anywhere else you have been.

    Kat

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  12. PS - no we do not have 'killer beaches' - the Florida Keys are CORAL ROCK and not white sandy beaches from up north. You don't come here for the beaches! You come here for fishing, lobstering, entertainment, the art scene, the literary scene and the laid back lifestyle we are best known for. And do come with deep pockets - it is not a place for you to up and move unless you have a good income in place. Housing is very expensive and that includes rentals as well as purchase.

    And yes, Pepe's definately. Louie's Backyard is a tradition. You should have skipped Caroline's and headed to Banana Cafe or Michael's or Antonia's instead.

    Also, the 'Southernmost Point' really isn't - the southern most point is on Naval Air Station Truman Annex and not public accessable. Sorry - that is the tourist trap you photographed. We local's know better and avoid it!

    And only if you were born here can you be called a 'Conch'.

    Kat

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  13. Such a fabulous post! Such gorgeous and fun photos... come on over, there's a little somethin' for you over at my blog!

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