Am planning a 10 day vac. to the Keys in Feb. 04. Am looking for suggestions for good places to stay. Want to be right on the beach. Did Orlando last winter, want to relax this year!

The good news is that February should be a wonderful time to be the keys. The bad news is that if you anticipate beaches there, you'll be sadly disappointed. The keys are coral and all beaches are man-made with imported sand and most are tiny. As for places to stay...which key are you interested in?

I agree completely with SusanCS, but it depends what you mean by "on the beach". In Key Largo there's a long strip of motels on the Florida Bay side which have little beaches. We stayed at Sunset Cove; our cottage was maybe 50 feet from the water. Not an impressive beach as beaches go, but there's a little sand and it's really RIGHT on the water and we loved it.

There are better beaches in Bahia Honda (but it's a state park; no motels) and Sombrero in Marathon.

Post more about what you're looking for and people will chime in with more appropriate suggestions.

I apologize for not being more specific. Hope this helps; Would like an efficiency for 4 for approx. $125/night in a decent, clean place that's not shabby. I don't need someone standing by my beach chair wiping the beads of sweat off my brow either. By on the beach I mean that I can walk to it, 100 - 200 yds. is reasonable and it does not have to be miles long. As far as where in the Keys, I have never been there so I'm open to suggestions. Would also consider other places in FL. like Fort Lauderdale, Sanibel Island, etc. We are not interested in a lot of night life, just looking to get away from the cold northeast, be able to put a chair on the beach and eat, drink, listen to music and read. Last winter we did all, and I do mean all the theme parks in and around Orlando, it was mainly for my 2 kids, 14 & 16 who we had promised to take ever since they were young. It was up at 6am, on our feet all day until 10pm every day for 2 weeks, I didn't think I would make it! We have not done many winter getaway vacations, mainly summer vac. towing a trailer to Cape Cod, Adirondacks, etc. Thanks in advance for any info.

You'll enjoy Fort Lauderdale, Sanibel Island much more if you're looking for "just beaches." However, Key West is fun and even though the beaches are lousy compared to other Florida locations - the beaces have sun, and the ocean. (Maybe the photo-ops just don't look as nice as Lauderdale).

Key West is small and compared with your Orlando trip, you'll feel more relaxed just by not having so much territory to cover.

You'll enjoy yourself.

Parmer's Place in Little Torch Key has gotten good reviews on this board and so has the Lime Tree Bay Resort in Long Key. Both should be near your desired price range. The problem is that your teens might be bored to death in both places. Unfortunately, Key West - which I think your teens would love - is very expensive that time of year, and in any event, I can't think of any efficiences available on the water there. Sheraton Suites might fit the bill, but I think it's too small for 4.

I think you might have better luck up near Ft. Lauderdale...hopefully, someone familiar with that part of Florida can help you!

I live in Ft Lauderdale and you might want to look at the Bahia Cabana about a block from the beach. They have efficiencies and a great tiki bar. They are on the Intracoastal near marinas and you can enjoy just sitting and watching the marine traffic. And when you get "tired" of that, you can walk down the street and be at a beautiful part of the beach.

If Bahia Cabana doesn't have what you are looking for, check out some of the efficiencies a little farther north in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. And you can go south to Hollywood Beach; they have a boardwalk along the ocean with shops & restaurants. LBTS or Hollywood Beach should be a little cheaper than Ft Lauderdale Beach area (more bang for your buck.) If you stay in Hollywood, you can drive down to Miami Beach & South Beach and see those sites, too.

The beaches in the Keys and Sanibel are not the same as Ft Lauderdale & Miami. Sanibel is great for shelling, and the Keys are great for snorkeling. If you have 10 days, you could do more than one place.

If you have 10 days, want to see the Keys, and like good beaches, you might consider doing 5 days in the Fort Lauderdale area and 5 days in the Keys. We've used this approach a couple of times. The distances involved aren't bad.

OK, as I've said before, if long sunset walks, building sand castles, and playing in the surf are what you consider important in a "beach" vacation, don't bother with the Keys. But if you are "just looking to get
away from the cold northeast, be able to put a chair on the beach and eat, drink, listen to music and read" (qouting Zorba above), the Keys are perfect. As Carol said, there are a myriad of small to large hotel/motels along the Keys. Many have pools, hammocks, small beaches with complimentary kayaks/paddleboats etc, small docks to fish off of, barbecue pits to grill on, etc. If your kids will get bored spending time in and around the water I guess you are out of luck.
Just for the record, other than Mallory Square what does Key West have that would be so interesting to a young teenager that the other Keys don't have? Is a thirteen year old enthralled by a tour of the Hemmingway House? Is sitting in Sloppy Joes sipping a soft drink really all that thrilling to a 16 year old? Does a 15 year old really appreciate small funky art shops? Does any teenager consider a good variety of excellent restaurants essential to a great vacation? Just wondering.

We have reservations for Feb. at the Bonefish Resort, small family owned place right on the ocean in Marathon. Required a 50% deposit refundable up to 30 days before first day of reservations. Both my kids are avid readers, most kids read about 2 books over the summer, mine about 20! They can't wait to see Hemingway's house with the 7 toed cats. I'm looking forward to this, we have not done a lot of winter getaway vacations but as I get older, the winters seem to be getting longer and colder! I'll post a critique when I get back. Thanks for all the info.

I am from OZ and I don't know what the american experience of beaches is but we just came back from a three week vacation in the US and the worst part was the four days we spent in Miami/Key Largo. I wish we had gone to Fort Lauderdale instead. In Key Largo the beaches were lacking in sand, atmosphere and anything else you may want. We were terribly disappointed, even viewing the coral at the State Park was uninspiring, we didn't travel past Key Largo, just turned around and went straight back, maybe Key West would be better?

I took two kids ages 16 and 18 to the Keys. They loved it! It was their first time to snorkel so they thought it was awesome...and these kids are picky. We looked at all the keys...at Long Key, near Key West is a nice place www.limetreebay.com that is my first choice. My kids and adults did not care for Key West it was not a beach but rocks instead. Yes, it was interesting walking down Duval and looking at the shops but lots of the souvenir shops are all the same and get old after awhile. We went to Bahia Honda Park and snorkeled..awesome. We ate in Islamorada at the Islamorada Fish Co. outside on the water and that was wonderful. If you have never been to the keys...it is a first time treat. Theres all water sports available. My hubby and i want to go again without the kids...but we enjoy relaxing and soaking up the beauty of the waters. You can't just look at one key-Key Largo and make a judgement. It's like meeting one American and saying the rest are all the same.

Zorba:

Go to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. I went there off season 3 x and the beaches are quite empty. If not your style, stay in Miami South Beach. I've driven through Hollywood and it looked like a nice beachtown. The beaches on the Keys are not anything to write home about. You could take a day or overnight trip as far south as Key Largo and do some scuba diving or glass bottom boat trip at John Pennekamp Park on Key Largo.

Ok, if you are looking to snorkel and looking for awesome waters...it's the keys it won't be at any other beaches. But for "beaches" well, Fort Lauderdale was really nice.