Just a suggestion

The keys are not known for good beaches. Most are rocky and very coral once you get in the water.

What I suggest is driving across the state to Naples, Ft Myers Beach or perhaps Sarasota/Siesta Key. Very much the same time driving time, but well worth it if you looking for beautiful beaches.

thanks but we have our hearts set on the keys... hubby wants to go diving there...

I agree with AAFrequentFlyer. You're looking for the wrong thing if you want to go to Key West. There are plenty of beautiful beachfront resorts in the Keys, just not in Key West. And if you are looking in Key West itself, almost all the hotels with any kind of direct beach access have tiny manmade beaches that aren't worth the trouble in my opinion.

You may be able to find something with a water view, however, though I doubt many B&Bs can offer that. It would have to be a big hotel.

The Hyatt is the only hotel I can think of in the heart of Old Town that has a very small beachfront, albeit a completely manmade one. The Westin is waterfront but doesn't have a beach I think. THere could be a couple of other hotels on the waterfront, but I don't think any has a beach. The Reach Resort has a real beach, but it's on the far southern end of Old Town, and it might be the only hotel on the island that has a natural beachfront.

The Marriott, which is far from Old Town and the things one comes to Key West to see, also has a beach, and I think a few other of the far-flung hotels in New Town may have beach access, but none of it is natural as far as I know.

I think there are some posters who know Key West much better than I do, so perhaps they will have some other suggestions.

While I love Naples, I understand your fascination with the Keys if your hubbie wants to dive. You don't do that in Naples or Sanibel!

But why Key West? Check out a place in the upper keys. You can't do better for diving than Pennekamp near Largo. Maybe check out Islamorada?

Last month we spent three nights on Islamorada, at The Moorings Village, a small hotel set in a former coconut plantation right on the ocean beach. It IS expensive, but I felt that it was entirely worth the price. If you can stretch your budget, I would give it a very high recommendation.

Food is very pricey in the Keys. You can save quite a bit by cooking your own, and rooms at the Moorings have complete kitchens with spanking new equipment, as well as bbq grills to lend guests. If you factor in the savings on food, you can come out ahead of staying at a less fabulous hotel. The feeling is more of being in a private estate than in a hotel.

I realize that I sound like an ad for the place, but we really were quite entranced. Key West is about a 90 minute drive, as is the Miami airport.

Thank you, all! We can definitely stay elsewhere in the keys, in fact, based on your input, looks like we would refer it. Can anyone recommend a nice place (either B&B or hotel) to stay along the beach? Our budget is up to $350 per night.
Thank you!