carol18

Going to Key West airport Thursday December 4 for a long weekend, mother daughters trip. All and any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Hotel
Thank you in advance

TheTravelingLocals

Hi. It really depends on what you want to do in Key West, be close to the action, or be well removed and quite. I would recommend staying in old town, closer to Duval street as it allows you to walk to most sites. The end of Duval street (intersection of Green St), you'll be near Mallory square for sunset celebration, near a lot of the more famous bars (Sloppy Joes, Capt Tony's, Irish Kevins), and you're pretty close to great restaurants (Blue Heaven, Santiago's Bodega, etc.). The closest large beach to this area would be Fort Zachery Taylor, and then Southernmost on the opposite side of Duval st. Some hotels in this area are my favorite , The Saint Hotel, others like La Concha on Duval, Ocean Key resort, The Hyatt, Margaritaville, and The Marker (which is a few block walking distance to Duval). There are also a lot of BnB and AirBnB in this part of town. You can find a lot on AirBnB.com or Hotels.com.
The other side of Key West (New Town) is pretty laid back. This is the area nearest the airport. You'll be close to the largest beach, Smathers, and close to kayaking in places like Lazy Dog on Stock Island. The hotels tend to be cheaper on this side, but in most cases are bigger and nicer, some with way better pools. Hotels in this area are chain hotels mostly, like the Hampton Inn, Doubletree, Hilton Garden Inn, Marriott and Fairfield. Doubletree has a very nice pool. There is Uber in Key West again, so making the trip to old town is fairly cheap, and most hotels will offer a shuttle as well. If you're not drinking, you can drive in less than 10 minutes, but parking can be issue sometimes in Old Town (though I've usually found parking on a side street, Simonton usually has spots.
Hope this helps. Happy to help with anything else. I lived in Key West for a while.

carol18

Thank you so much. I greatly appreciate it all your recommendations.
We like kayaking, sailing, yoga,
Some friends recommended Southernmost Beach Resort. I am leaving Thursday, early morning. I didn’t notice your response until now. But, I was looking for a nicer room and quieter holiday.
Ar you familiar with this hotel?

TheTravelingLocals

Hi Carol.
Sure, it's very nice as well! There is a restaurant on site that makes a fantastic frozen drink called "the sunset". This hotel is on the other side of Duval street in old town. You'll be very close to the Southernmost point bouy, and the butterfly conservatory. It's a bit of walk to get to the other side of Duval, but not too bad. Blue Heaven and Santiago's restaurants are about half way between both ends of Duval.
For Kayaking, I always liked lazy dog, just over the bridge onto Stock island. You can do a guided tour, or just go by yourself. Lazy dog also has a yoga/paddleboard class they used to do, not sure if that's still offered. There's also a great locals restaurant on Stock Island called Hogfish bar and grill that has fresh seafood and a nice Key West atmosphere.
For sailing, I'm not too sure on private charters, but they do have group sunset cruises and group catamaran excursions. The Fury company usually has these types of rentals, but I would ask around for more specific sailing.
There are yoga studios in Old Town, and they are a short walk from Southernmost. There are usually classes offered by local instructors that I've seen on the beach, especially at Higgs and Zachary Taylor. They may have one at Southernmost as well.
I hope you enjoy your trip to Key West!

carol18

I am so appreciative of your rapid and informative reply. It also gives me peace of mind that we chose a perfect spot for what we are looking for.

another question, if you do not mind. How should we prepare to be safe for covid? Has there been any outbreaks that we should be aware of, or any advice on how to be safe ?
Thanks again

TheTravelingLocals

I have to say the south in general, has not been very strong at abiding by the COVID rules. The keys were shut down earlier this year, and you had to have a reason to go through the check point onto US1. As soon as that was lifted, things drastically relaxed. In Key West, there is a mask requirement when outdoors, and there is limited seating available at restaurants. Down near the bars, the mask requirement gets a lot more relaxed and at night it a lot of people forget to put it on. A lot of the yearly festivals like Hemingway Days, Fantasy Fest, Bike Wike, etc were all canceled this year. There aren't any cruise ships visiting either, so at least that's helping with COVID. I don't think there's been an enormous spike, but numbers in FL are trending the wrong direction.

Macross

Moondog cafe and bakery 823 Whitehead St is a must try for breakfast.

carol18

Thank you so much for your suggestions.
was wondering, Monday is supposed to rain.
Any suggestions for activities for a rainy day?

carol18

Thank you so much for your suggestions.
was wondering, Monday is supposed to rain.
Any suggestions for activities for a rainy day?

TheTravelingLocals

Sure. The Hemingway house is mostly indoors. The Butterfly conservatory. East Martello Tower has an interesting museum as well.
I think there is still a restaurant in old town where you can mix and make your own key lime pie.

Macross

https://www.kwahs.org/museums/tennessee-williams/visit Books and Books plus the art gallery attached on Eaton St. I love going there. Fausto's grocery has the best mango chutney. They make a whole line of things in jars if you are checking a bag. Coles peace bakery is also a good lunch spot. Best wine and beer selection plus a nice restaurant store.