4 days in the florida keys
 

short getaway in april for my husband and i never been to the keys before. wondering if we should stay in key west or outside and drive in for 1 day. hate crowds, love quiet relaxing , great food. was considering the pier house, but wondering if it would be too busy of an area. any ideas are welcome.

There are lots of posts that discuss this. Key West is always crowded. But, even though there are some nice restaurants on other Keys, the selection is way better in Key West. there are some quiet places to stay in Key West - the Gardens Hotel comes to mind. Staying at a place such as that somethimes makes dealing with the crowds on Duval and in the shops/restaurants a little easier to deal with.
I don't like crowds either, but I love Key West. I've been going there since 1966. I've stayed in other parts of the Keys, and they have their charms, but I still think Key West is THE spot.

try the Marquesa Hotel ot the Gardens Hotel... no crowds, quiet, relaxing and a short walk to everything.... Marquesa also has a great restaurant... these two are the perfect Key West experience...

Key West is also a cruise ship stop these days. You may want to check with the port to see which days during your trip ships will or will not be in port. That will make a difference in the crowds.

thanks for the info, ill check them out.

the gardens and maruesa both look great, but no beach. is it possible to have beachfront in key west without the crowd??

Try the La Mer and Dewey House.
http://www.lamerhotel.com/

But you understand that all of the beaches in Key West are man made (except for the one at the Reach Hotel).

How does one find out what days the cruise ships are in port?

Depending on when in April you will be confronted by Spring Break college crowds.....

http://www.keywestcity.com/departmen...asp?fDD=13-192

We have always found that the majority of the college kids seem to get their SB in March. Here is a link. Keep in mind that Southern Colleges are the ones that primarily fill up the Florida destinations. http://www.tripsmarter.com/panamacit...sbcalendar.htm

The Pier House itself is usually not busy. An ideal day IMO is to go out for breakfast then sit on the small beach ar the hotel and relax. Whatever is going on in Key West, except for the powerboat races, you won't hear or see there. Then you can go out at about 4:00 for a drink, then walk to the Key West Bight for happy hour - cheap or 2-4-1 drinks and a snack. Then walk for a while. Then dinner, unless you want to repeat happy hour.

The alternative is to have breakfast at the Pier House - the eggs Benedict is very good - but then you'd miss other very good places.

A lot of people who go to Key West alot agree that the more you go the more you avoid Duval Street, but there is a lot to see on it and there are galleries and shops at the southern end.

Great food, IMO is available at the Rooftop Cafe and El Meson de Pepe for a Cuban dinner and Santiago's Bodega for tapas.

And you should get out onto the water at least once - sunset sail or a snorkel or even a glass-bottom boat.

The Pier House tends to fill up quickly, especially on weekends. People in Fla check the weather and if it's good, drive there.

One day harumph!

Pjk