Hi Me and my partner are taking a week from very hectic lives in florida in the second week of september. we want heat peace and quiet and a beach to sit in the sun read and swim. but we like good food, cook somenights but others eat out and watch the world go by.
we were going to key west but the poker run is on that week end so i don't think so. the moorings in islamorada seems pretty ideal. any feed back? are there other places we should be looking at? either on the keys or elsewhere in florida always remembering we want heat.(we're europeans!!)thanks in advance for any help or recommendations.

Any locale in the state of Florida will still be very hot the second week of September. I would suggest renting a condo in South Florida because beaches are very lacking in the keys.

Have you thought about South Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Jupiter, Palm Beach, or Boca Raton? All great places.

What about Sanibel or Naples on the gulf side? Sanibel is small and quiet but most restaraunts aren't gourmet. Sounds like Naples would fit. If you do a search on this board for either place you'll find lots of info.
Good luck!

Hi, flora ! Please check out Island Bay Resort in Tavenier(just outside of Islamorada) Just a wonderful place to stay!!! Terrific little cottages with workable kitchens and the greatest hosts-Carol & Mike-there when you need them and not when you don't. Can answer any questions. You will have heat! and sun and lounge chairs and water! A true Keys beach would be Bahia Honda-plenty hot to while the day away! Some restaurants for when you do not want to cook: Manny&Isa's, Old Taverneir, Islamorada Fish Co., Lorelei & Mile Marker 88. The tiki bar is open!
Have fun!
R5
www.islandbayresort.com

You have no idea how HOT Florida is from June until about Oct. 15. I live here and love everything about it except the heat. Every town on the east or west coast has great beaches, but if you want a quiet place, I suggest Sanibel Island, across a causeway from Ft. Myers in southwest Florida.

I would choose many destinations but certainly not the keys. Lacking in great beaches. Some that come to mind are Siesta Keys. On the other side, there is Ft. Lauderdale, this is an ocean with waves. I am not in the majority but I like the ocean more so than the gulf side for this reason. The Gulf side is calm and the sand is nicer. Sanibel or Captiva sound like a great choice also. Sanibel is known its many shells on the beach. I found them to be somewhat annoying but many people love Sanibel for the sea shells. Naples on the gulf is also a quiet upscale community.

I've lived in S. Fl. all my life and have tried to find the 'get away from it all' for the last 20 years.!!

The only slow places are inland, as no one wants to be there in Sept.

I am partial to Fort Lauderdale, but that is because I've lived here my entire 48 years. If you want a good location where you can get an efficiency with kitchen, try Lauderdale-By-The-Sea (immediately north of Fort Lauderdale beach.) You can walk to get groceries, liquor, shopping, etc. I was recently looking in a book regarding Florida Beaches and Fort Lauderdale beach had the highest rating for good beaches.

You could spend a couple days in Fort Lauderdale area and a couple days in Islamorada. The beaches in the Keys are not very good, I was recently in Key West and they don't compare at all to Fort Lauderdale area beaches. I was also recently on Sanibel Island and their beaches aren't good, either (but they are fantastic for looking for shells on the beach.)

You can e-mail me at [email protected] is I can be of any help with places to stay in the Fort Lauderdale/Lauderdale-by-the-Sea area.

Two suggestions: For a great beach, go to the panhandle of Florida..Destin, Seaside, etc. Sand like sugar. Another thought, since you're coming from so far away, investigate travel insurance. September is in the middle of hurricane season. It would be awful to come so far and have your time ruined!

Heartburn, I've been to Islamorada many times in September and it is usually dead. So dead in fact that several of the restaurants close down.

Hi Flora, if you want to get away from it all I would look into Sunset Key cottages, they have fully equipped kitchens, have a nice sandy beach, and there is a 24-hr shuttle to take you from they island to Key West to spend some time having fun.

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/i...tyhocn=EYWSKHF

I'd suggest Lauderdale-by-the-Sea too. Many locals live here and FL residents come by to go to this beach too because it is so uncrowded versus Pompano and Ft. Lauderdale. It only gets a little crowded on weekends but that is more toward Commerce, El Mar and A1A. If you stay a few blocks down lots of room. Hard to be isolated in FL.