Help! Last minute trip to Florida Keys
 

Hello I just found out today that my husband (who is consulting in Florida)has Thursday-Monday off. I am flying out to meet him and we thought we would head down to the Keys. I do realize that this is high season..I usually never travel somewhere during high season due to the expense. I have pulled up a lot of information on resorts and such. I feel like I am on information overload! I really appreciate the feedback of other travelers and locals. Also we would like to do one of the sunset cruises does anyone have a favorite place in the Keys. We are open minded and really are not dead set on any partiucular Key.<BR>Thank you for taking the time to read this!

You really need to limit your choices. The Florida Keys are over 100 miles long. What do you like/want to do? Are you into diving, site seeing, relaxing, partying? Which resorts have you looked at and which ones sound good to you? What is your budget?

Sorry I should have been more specific. My husband and I would just like to relax and explore. We would like to have some good seafood. We like to ride bicycles. It would be great to go out on a boat and explore.<BR>Our budget...my husband and I realize because it is high season that it will be more pricey. We would perhaps pay up to $200 a night if we had to. I am just afraid that a lot is probobly booked so I am worried about availability. The problem is that there also seems to be more information about Key West than the other Keys. I will post later on with some that I have found. <BR>Thanks for your reply.<BR>We do not have to stay in the same area the entire time.

No_name,<BR>I couldn't have said it better myself.

I would suggest going on one of the many sites that are out there. Floridakeys.com is full of good information for all of the Keys.

How fun for you! I would recommend staying in Key Largo. It's at the top of the keys and there's plenty to see and do. Check out Amy Slate's Resort for a relaxing place to stay. Their website is amoray.com and they offer diving and snorkel trips on their own boat. Hobo's restaurant is next door and was our favorite for excellent service and food. Attractions in the area are Pennenkamp park, and Theater By the Sea and both are worth the trip. Have fun!

I think that Casa Morada on Islamadora suits what we are looking for. It is about 90 minutes from Key West. We can do Key West for a day. Then we can go back to Islamadora for R and R. Any thoughts on this idea?<BR>

I love Key West and can't imaging going to the Keys and not spending some serious time there. Just too much to see in one day.

I returned from Key West earlier today. My trip was a last minute idea from Orlando (where I live) to visit relatives. I paid $85 per night for the Wyndham Reach Resort (on the ocean) through Hotwire. Because I joined the Wyndham By Request Club as well, I was upgraded to a junior suite, which was very nice.<BR><BR>Key West was jammed with cruise ship passengers (more than 5,000 on three ships just yesterday), but I saw few "No Vacancy" signs on hotels and B&B's. The Reach is on the ocean but you wouldn't want to go in the water; the pool and hot tub are fine. <BR><BR>Islamorada to Key West can easily take more than two hours due to traffic. You would definitely not want to stay in Islamorada and drive to KW for a day trip.<BR><BR>

Oh, you will have so much fun! I am sooo jealous! Look under the rant and raves section and find Center Court Historic Inns and Cottages. I have seen reviews for them and it always looks reasonable. BTW they are in Key West.

<BR><BR>I happen to think Islamorada is the best place in the Keys to unwind and relax. It's the prettiest area in the Keys.<BR><BR>I also think Key west deserves more than a quick day (you need to factor in a total drive time of 3 to 3 1/2 hours from Islamorada). But that's up to you.<BR><BR>Personally, I'd skip the sunset cruise and instead head over to the beach at Fort Z Taylor (in Key West). Best place to see the sun set.

Katherine, We did the Islamorada to key west day trip, and found it to be exhausting. It was a great day but imagine walking alot and then in that atmosphere, you really want to drink a corona or margaritas. We did, and the drive back took forever. Its a two lane road and you get alot of people driving slow. You make the call. Have a great time...............

Thank you for all of your thoughtful replies. I have taken what you all have said under advisement.