Easter 2003, Keys with kids
 

We are a family of 4 adults and 3 small boys.Each year we pick a spot in Florida for Easter vacation. This year, we would like to stay in the Keys. Looking for a white sandy beach, low-rise resort or cottages, CLEAN, pool and laid back pace. I don't have a lot of time for surfing the net, so thought I would ask the Fodorites. We have been very successful here in the past. Thanks!

Judy - I'm afraid you may've already eliminated the keys as your next vacation destination by wanting a white sandy beach. Since the keys are coral, all the beaches are man-made of imported sand and most are very small. Even though you don't have much surfing time, you might want to do a back search of the keys to get additional information. If you can do without the beach, there should be lots of places to fit the bill.

Judy-Pay no attention to Susan, the self-proclaimed Keys expert. She is one of those people who think they know everything....

Some great places to stay with kids in the Keys are: Hawks Cay, Cheeca Lodge and Chesapeake Resort. And, yes they do have small sandy beaches.<BR><BR>The urls are:<BR>www.hawkscay.com<BR>www.cheeca.com<BR>www.chesapeake-resort.com

The Florida Keys do not have great beaches filled with soft, white sand but there are some nice resorts. Checca Lodge Resort and Hawks Cay are both wonderful for families. <BR><BR>If the beach is a priority for your fun filled vacation the Keys might not fit the bill.

I don't want to start a fight but Susan and Stephan are both correct. The Florida Keys are beautiful but not filled with white sandy beaches. The sand is all imported. <BR>We stayed at the Marriot in Key Largo and found it very nice and suited our needs but the beach was small. I think they even offer a childrens program.

we don't need miles of white sand...just enough for the boys to play on, look for "creatures"...we were in Pompano this past year...not very nice beach but it filled the bill...

Pompano Beach is much much larger than any beach in the Keys. The Keys do not have beaches naturally. This has always been a drawback to tourism there. You will find that the sand some hotels dump in the water at the shoreline will not suffice for a real beach like Pompano Beach. Many times they have rocks all around the swimming area so there are no shells or waves. Also when you walk out into the water you will find yourself walking on coral for the most part which is not pleasant. The beaches are very narrow and not useful. For this reason I prefer the Keys in the winter when the weather is tolerable.

I wish I were lucky enough to know everything about the keys! In fact, my husband and I only "discovered" the keys in the mid 90s, but since then we've become quite addicted to Key West. We've stayed at the Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada and thought it was really nice. And we checked out the Moorings next door and thought it looked lovely, too. Hawk's Cay gets great reviews (especially for young children). But Judy, it doesn't seem like any of those places are exactly what you're looking for. I've never stayed at the Banana Bay Resort in Marathon, but it's got a good reputation. If you think you'd like to stay in Key West there are lots of us who could try and help you find something suitable for your family.

the resorts mentioned have "beach" type areas but the real beauty of the Keys is going out on a boat to the reefs or to participate in other water sports. It's not a beach type place and would not be the best place in Florida if that's what you're looking for. Why not go to Naples area instead? Delray Beach - gray sand but it's quiet and clean.

Judy, instead of the Keys, why not do Sanibel/Captiva area. They have great beaches, excellent shelling and lots of cottages for you to rent...

Anyone who says the Keys don't have great beaches has not done their homework. One of the most beautiful beaches in the world (according to Conde Nast) is at Bahia Honda State Park. It is soft sand, shallow out as far as you would care to walk and very large (long). Do a Google search for a website. It is true that their are no great beaches in Key West, but Bahia Honda is only 35 miles (45 minutes) away. Good luck.

By the way...we found out about Bahia Honda in Parents Magazine. Great place for kids.

They won that award several years ago.

If you are looking for a cottages and nice beach I agree with the above poster about Sanibel Island. Here is the url: www.sanibel-captiva.org

Yea, they won that award in the early 90's before the hurricanes.

Bahia Honda is a small beach. It is nice for the keys, but not a great beach.

We've been to Bahia Honda. Wasn't impressed at all. I thought the John Pennekamp place was better. Bahia Honda is very narrow and you feel like you are walking over people to get to your spot. Unless the place you're staying at has a beach, you're pretty much out of luck

When discussing Bahia Honda, not everyone is aware that there are two beaches there. <BR><BR>One is the smallish semi-circle close to the inlet? near the concession building. That can get pretty ugly.<BR><BR>The other, and probably nicer, one is on the oceanside. You bear left after you come into the park, instead of going to the right.<BR><BR>Great park, though.

I think I would choose a place not popular with spring breakers. Wouldn't Easter week be in that time frame? I would also agree with Sanibel Island/Captiva. Nice cottages, nice beach, great resaurants. It is a nice fmaily vacation spot, all and all. I have never been to the beach they mention but driving 35 miles would not be for me just to go to a beach. If a beach is a priority I would not choose the keys. Many folks argue about if there is a "beach" or not, but when I was there, only once, last June, we rented mopeds. The owner told me flat out there were no beaches in Key west. So---I would assume she knew what she was speaking about.

The Keys do not have much to offer for <BR>small boys. They are not known for their beaches or children's activities. Are they old enough to snorkel? There are a great many other choices much better in Florida for children.

If you want very laid back and comfortable but not fancy, you might want to consider Parmer's Place on Little Torch Key just south of Big Pine Key. Be sure to bring the kids to see the tiny Key deer on Big Pine Key (best time is dusk on the road to No Name Key), but don't feed them!

Hi Judy, just got back from the keys and one thing I noted while in key west was that it is not really for kids. Perhaps others have a different experience, but Duval Street is all about booze and shops. We did snorkel in Pennecamp Park in Key Largo, and that was great. I suppose the Dry Tortugas off of Key West might be fun for kids as well. Have you considered Venice Beach on the West Coast? We took our kids there to hunt for shark's teeth, which was fun and exciting. We found plenty and the kids loved comparing their tresures. Also, it's not far from Naples which is also a nice little town. Good luck.

They have bars and hookers at Dry Tortugas? Man, I missed that one! Last time I was there it was just camping, swimming and exploring. Boy, places sure change with the times!

"lots of bars, transvestites, hookers, whinos etc"<BR><BR>WOW!! I missed all that!!!?? My kids had a ball in Key West and the Keys. In fact there wasn't enough time to explore and see everything they wanted to do.

If you can afford it, Cheeca Lodge is exactly what you're looking for...a nice beach with a swimming lagoon for kids, a camp for kids, kids all over the free form swimming pool, many suites with kitchens for keeping kid-type foods around. They have their own fishing pier and activity center and you can rent kiddie fishing poles, kiddie float toys, kiddie bikes, etc. Very laid back, very clean, very classy.

We are a family with a teenager and an 8 year old who came over from England in May and stayed at Naples.We went to Key West for 3 days during our visit and stayed at the Southernmost Hotel at the end of Duval st.This was our second stay at this hotel and found it very clean,nicely decorated with 2 good pools and a great tikki bar.It is also convenient for the old town.There is a small beach just through the sister property but it is nothing special.Although this was our second visit to Key West we did enjoy it,but probably would'nt go again as we feel we have seen the best it had to offer and it is rather seedy around the edges for children.Saying that it has a lot to offer that i can recommend,firstly i recommend the Conch train tour,our children loved it and the drivers commentary is so informative and very funny?The Mel Fisher museum was also great with lots of treasure and artifacts recovered from wrecks on show.We also visited the Shipwreck museum which the youngest child really enjoyed but we were done in an hour.We all enjoyed the sunset celebrations at Mallory square and went 2 nights running to watch magicians,tightrope walkers,fire eaters and other entertainers while the sun set.You might want to take your photos at the Southernmost point marker which is near the hotel we stayed at and a visit to Fort Zachary Taylor is also worthwhile and it has a nice bit of beach nearby.One trip i can't praise enough is the trip to the Dry Tortugas National Park.The ferry (Sunny Days) takes about 2 hours to get there but it is an unbelievable place.The fort is awesome to borrow my sons terminology,and the beaches beautiful with wonderful snorkling.They provide breakfast and a lovely buffet lunch on the island and all snorkling gear.It is well worth the cost,the best thing we did.Key West is very pretty when you explore off the main street but you have to be aware that it can be a bit dodgy in the evenings with young children.One last comment,we stopped off at Biaha Honda beach for the afternoon on the way down and found it lovely,just make sure you turn to your left when entering for the best beach.The sand is soft and the sea so clear and turquoise,but take refreshments as there are no concessions at this beach.I hope some of this is of help to you,have a lovely time,best wishes,Carol.

We were down in Key West a few years ago over the Easter weekend. My wife attended a nice ecumenical Easter sunrise service on the beach there. <BR><BR>There's often a lot of naysaying here about the the beach(es) there, but that service was quite memorable, and we highly recommend it to anyone wo inclined.

Sounds like a wonderful time! I am jealous!

I agree that Key West is not the best place for kids. Teens may like it but I don't want my kids there when they're teenagers.<BR><BR>Sanibel/Captiva/Naples, etc..are nice if you want a beach/poolside laid back vacation. The kids could have a blast at the hotel.<BR><BR>Key Largo can be wonderful for kids. My 10 year old goes down to Key Largo with his best friend (and family) for years and they do all sorts of activities BUT<BR><BR>they have a good size boat, they go fishing, jet skiing, snorkeling, lobstering, hang out on big rafts, sail, etc....<BR><BR>with money there are lots of things for your kids to do<BR><BR>you may be looking for another type of vacation. I think a lot of people do this - where you go to a nice hotel, hang out by the pool area and relax, read, talk, play games, watch the sunset, etc.....<BR><BR>Be careful with the Keys. There are so many little dumpy looking places. They might be nice inside but they look like old motels...there are only a handful of decent looking hotels.<BR><BR>There are a lot of condos to rent, that maybe something to consider.<BR><BR>

Went to the Keys last year and stayed at 1)Cheeca Lodge, 2) Little Palm Island, 3)Wyndham Key West, and 4)The Marquesa Key West. Cheeca Lodge was definitely NOT what it had advertised to be - the "Deluxe Ocean Front Guest Room" was shabbily decorated with STAINS on the the bedspread (yes, they ended up comping me one of the 2 nights there). The hotel next door (The Moorings) would be my recommendation for that area to any future travelers - they had a wider (more private) beach, beautiful and private pool. Also, their "townhouses" had washer/dryers - nice for kids. The Wyndham was nice for families, but, as you've already heard, even though the beach might have pretty sand, nobody really wants to go into the water due to the rocky coral and seaweed (not to mention the bad smell). I agree that there are other beaches in Florida that would be a better family vacation, take some advice, since you asked for it

ttt

Bahia Honda is a great beach. Actually, the first time I went there was right after a hurricane and I wasn't impressed at all. There was hardly a beach and there was seaweed all over what was left of the beach. The second time that I went there, I fell in love with it. Lots of sand, beautiful clear water, plenty of room to spread out, and at low tide, the sand bar is unbelievable. Lots of sea creatures. <BR>

Judy, Cheeca has a small salt water lagoon with no direct access to the open sea, the beach is man made, no opportunities for finding creatures or digging sand castles, our 10 year old son was chastised for washing a boat!, access to the open sea is also where all the water sports start from, the sea is very shallow, murky and weedy a little like swimming in soup! everything COSTS exept fishing rods, ie $85 for a family round of pitch & putt. My advice would be to spend less on accomadation and much more on having fun, rent a skippered boat for the day and take the boys fishing, they may be old enough to do a Snuba course, a cross between scuba and snorkeling, swim with the dolphins at Theatre of The sea. Have a great holiday .

Linda: Sounds like you've got Hawk's Cay confused with Cheeca.