Hi!

My family is interested in vacationing in either the FL Keys or Destin FL. Has anyone been to both and which would you recommend? We have a 15 year old that is also going. If we go to the Keys we are thinking of splitting our week long stay between Key Largo, Islamorada, Marthon and Key West. Any suggestions on this?? Also, would the month of May be a good time of the year?
Thanks for any help!!!

I spent a lot of time in Destin when my children were young and recently went back. Boy, has it grown! It used to be a sleepy fishing village, but it's wall-to-wall hotels and condos now. The beaches are the wide, white sandy variety, however, so if a good beach is important to you, the Destin/Ft. Walton area is ideal. One of the disadvantages to that area is the difficulty of getting around. We found that we spent a lot of time in the car - and traffic was awful - because nothing is really within walking distance. Key West is our current favorite vacation destination. We go at least twice a year and absolutely love it. If you stay in Old Town, you'll never need to use your car at all, as everything will be close. Our first trip down, we spent the night in Islamorada, but since then we've gone straight to Key West without stopping. Although all the keys have great water sports available, Key West has lots of other stuff too. Sunset activities, fabulous restaurants, and tourist attractions. But beaches? nope. All the beaches in the keys are man-made and most are quite small. We were there in May last year for 2 weeks. The first week was lovely, the second week was HOT.

In my opinion, the only thing Destin has to offer is a truly wonderful, gorgeous beach. Other than that, I'd head to the Keys. I might split my trip in two: spend a couple of days in Islamorada. I find that key attractive, and there are some nice restaurants and shopping. But more importantly, it'll be closer to John Pennakamp State Park (yes, I know that's located on Key Largo, but I don't like to stay on Key Largo). Rent a boat and head out to the reef. If you don't want your own boat, there are numerous dive shops which will take you out on group boats. I find the reef at Pennakamp (which runs the length of the Keys), though crowded, to be nicer because it's protected. Then I'd spend the balance of your time in Key West. there are just so many things to do there: restaurants, sunset cruises, shopping, or just lounging. Have fun.