bride_2004

Hello! Some girl friends and I are going to Key West next month. None of us has been there before, and I'm wondering if anyone has any advice. We definitely want to snorkel, so info on that would be helpful. Otherwise, I'd love to hear what things you liked or didn't like when you were there. FYI, we're all in our late 20s, and we're not into Spring Break-type bars, but we do like to have a few margaritas and go out dancing. Thanks!

Pappy

Fodorites, I'll take this one:

Bride my dear, KW is one of the most posted about locations on the US board. If you use the search function above, you'll be buried up to your eyelashes in info on KW. Good luck.

gbhost

We took a snorkel excursion which we picked up near the Hilton hotel. It was a great trip on a catamaran out to the reefs, but take your dramamine as I and several others on the excursion actually became seasick, not on the boat, but while snorkeling.

Duval street, the main drag through town is like a 24/7 Spring break lined on both sides with tons of bars, clubs and restaurants. If one place doesn't strike your fancy, you will have no trouble finding somewhere else more suited to your tastes.

The nightly sunset festival in Mallory Square is fun, but (I'm ready for the hate mail) the sunsets weren't all that special IMO - I've seen more breathtaking sunsets up here in the North...

The nicest beach is on a little island which I believe is owned by the Hilton. You may have to be a guest at the Hilton in order to use it, I don't recall.

LauraT

Two things I recommend:
1) Taking the conch train tour. I am typically not into that touristy-type of stuff, but this was very fun and informative and you will quickly be able to scope out all of Key West quickly.

2) Take a catamaran out to the Dry Torguas and Fort Jefferson - a great day trip.

Key West is very small. You and your girlfriends will be able to find tons of places for the margararita and dancing just by walking down Duvall Street.

SusanCS

In my opinion, Floridays has the best snorkel operation. Unlike the catamarans - that pack folks in like cattle cars - Floridays limits the number of snorkelers to around 20.

For a great afternoon place to drink, be sure and go to Schooner Wharf to see Michael McLoud sing...it's a perfect "Key West experience."

There's a TON of info available on this board recommending things to do. My only hope is that you realize Key West is not a typical beach vacation, in fact all the beaches are man-made and most are tiny.

bride_2004

Thanks to you all. I have now perused some of the other posts about KW. One question: we're flying into Miami and renting a car and driving to KW. Do we need the car while we're there, or would it be convenient and less expensive to rent the car only on the 2 days we'll be driving to the airport?

GoTravel

Dump the car when you get into Key West. It will cost you not only to keep the car but for parking. Parking is scarce and expensive on Key West.

If you can swing it, take the Seaplane to the Dry Tortugas. The flight alone is worth the $129 cost. The boat ride out and back on the catamaran will wear you out and ruin you for any evening activities.

Eat at Blue Heaven.

bride_2004

Thanks! So is it easy to get around KW by foot? Or is there public transport?

SuzieQ

There is a public bus service and I have seen many hotel shuttles driving on the island.

Be sure to visit Mallory Square during sunset. Its a lot of fun.

cd

You can walk anywhere and walking is the way to go as parking is very difficult. Just stay in "Old Town" and you are central.

gmoney

Yes, you can get around Key West by foot but it is about a mile from one end of Duval Street to the other. The best way to get around is by scooter, and they are rented all over and you will see many others riding them. I had a blast covering the whole island on one, then just pull up to your favorite bar (Captain Tony's) park your scooter with all the others and join in the festivities. Key west is one of my favorite places in the whole world, you just have to adjust to the KW lifestyle.

gbhost

Agree with gotravel - dump the car. We flew into Miami, paid extra for a rental convertible, drove to the Key West and never saw our car again until we left 5 days later.

I don't know about public transportation, but the area that most people frequent, Duval Street and the surrounding area, are pretty small and its easy to walk most everywhere. We also rented bikes and circled the island.

bride_2004

Great! We are all into biking, so we'll look into renting bikes and/or scooters. Any recomendations for that?

We're staying at:
http://www.hamptoninnkeywest.com/
Hampton Inn Key West
> 2801 N ROOSEVELT
> Key West, FL 33040
Is that pretty central?

GoTravel

From my understanding the scooters are quite dangerous and scooter wrecks are common. I don't have any first hand experience with this but do a google search or one on the Key West Citizen.

The Bone Island Shuttle is cheap, like $5 per day and will take you back and forth from your hotel to Old Town.

SuzieQ

If I remember correctly The Hampton Inn is a couple of miles from the fun. Its near a strip mall with a T.G.I Fridays in it. You might want to find something closer to town. I use this map when planning my trips to Key West.
http://www.boneislandshuttle.com/map.htm

cd

Check out http://thefloridakeys.com/keywest/keywestmap.htm
From that map, it does not look like your hotel is in Old Town. You might want to do some more research.

bride_2004

Hmmm... One of my friends booked the hotel. We can cancel it, though. The reason she chose it was becuase it was only $175/night for a room for the 4 of us. Any recommendations for hotels in that price range?

cd

Up top at "Search this forum" type in Key West and you will get tons of info on hotels, Inn's, activities, etc. in Old Town. Have fun!

SuzieQ

I know there are a lot of Key West info sites. I think one is even called Keywest.com. If you "google" Key West I am sure you will find more sites than you need to help you with your search.

SusanCS

Roosevelt is a very busy street filled with strip malls and fast food joints. It's definitely NOT centrally located and if you opt to stay there, you'll need to rely on other transportation.

Although scooters are used by many tourists in Key West, there are lots of accidents each year involving people who are unaccustomed to riding on them. Because Roosevelt is such a high traffic street, I would NOT advise you to ride on it with a scooter.

Ideally, you'll be able to rebook another hotel or B&B or inn in Old Town. Check out keywestinns.com for other options.

For a little better idea of the layout of Key West, check out http://www.boneislandshuttle.com/map.htm
The center of island activity is at Mallory Square in the upper left corner of the map (where the picture of the cruise ship is). The Hampton Inn is over on the right side (top) of the map.