Lenleigh

Honeymoon in June. Never been to the Keys but are thinking about it for our honeymoon. We want the nicest beach(preferably less crowded), good restraunts, good snorkeling, nice and resonably priced accomodations.

Can anyone recommend anything? What is the best airport to fly into. We will probably rent a car so we want to travel, anything interesting to see or stay at? Any help is appreciated!

susan

You may not be aware of this, but the keys are coral, so all the beaches there are man-made and small. If it's a true "beach experience" you want, you'll be very disappointed. Having said that, Key West is still a wonderful place! You can either fly directly in, or fly to Miami and drive down - about a 4 hour drive. Key West has tons of great restaurants and if you stay in Old Town, everything will be within walking distance. If you want to stay directly on the water, you should consider the Ocean Key House (which is in a great location but has no beach), the Hyatt or the Galleon. Or if you want LOTS of privacy and money isn't an object you might consider the Hilton cottages at Sunset Key, which is a very short ferry ride from Key West. Another good choice if you don't care about a water view is the Marquesa Hotel.

Jen

Hi Lenleigh! Check out www.themooringsvillage.com. It is a beautiful, private enclave of cottages. Very romantic and private and has a wonderful private beach. Good luck and congratulations!

Jill

We go down to the Keys every year and fly into Ft.Lauderdale because IMO, it is a much nicer airport than Miami, and easier to get in and out of. The weather in June should be hot! It is also the start of hurricane season, but don't let that stop you.

Lenleigh

I have some more questions:

The Heat: We went to Grand Cayman in May of last year, does anyone know if the weather will be somewhat similar to the caymans? If it's similar in heat and humidity than I can handle it, it was pretty hot in the caymans.

The Beach: How is the snokeling and when you say the beaches are coral, do you mean it is impossible to swim off the beach? Are the beaches themselves rocky?

Hotels: I reserched a few and heard fairly good responses on Hawk's Cay(60 mi from Key West) and also looked at the Wyndham resorts: Casa Beach House and the Casa Marina. Any opinions on these places and I thought someone called one of them the "REACH" which I read bad things about.

I think that we would like to go on a honeymoon for 8 or so days, but Id be interested in renting a car and seeing all of the keys and possibly going up to Disney World if it isnt too far. Does American fly to Ft. Lauderdale and how far away is that from the keys?

Owen O'Neill

I believe the public beach is Smathers Beach and there are a few resort type hotels each of which has a private beach. The beaches themselves are rocky not sand beaches. the coral is on the reef which is 6 or 7 miles from KW and accessible only by boat. It's a 6-7 hour drive from KW up to Orlando - well worth considering flying. Do rent a car if traveling in the Orlando area unless you're staying at a Disney property that offers shuttle or monorail to the parks. Things are spread out in Orlando and better restaurants (i.e. something other than chains) are usually accessible only by car. Do NOT get a car for KW - it's pointless. Additional note- the beaches in KW were closed for a while last year due to sewage contamination. I believe they've reopened but they're not attractive places for swimming. There are some great guesthouses in KW well worth considering and I continue to read rave reviews of the Marquesa, a small luxury hotel.. rates will be atractive in June as it's close to the lowest travel season of the year. Wherever you stay, make sure it has a freshwater NOT a saltwater pool. It will be hot and sticky - I was there on July 4th weekend and it was steamy but I still enjoyed it. Lots to see and do there. Definitely take a snorkel trip but spend the extra $$ to go with a serevice that limits the groups to a small size (e.g. 4-8 people max). the big charters are cheap but often take up to 100 people at a time - not the same type of experience.

Larry

My wife and I stayed at the Banyon Resort on Whitehead Street. We drove from Miami to Key West, parked our car at the resort,and didn't move it until we went back to Miami the following week.The Banyon is very intimate with two pools,a jacuzzi,lush gardens and a small pool bar.We walked everywhere.It is about two blocks from Sloppy Joe's,and in the same block as Kelly Mcgillis' restaurant.A nice drive from Key West would be to Bahia Honda Park. There is a beautiful beach there.You will love Key West!!

Jill

The Wyndham used to be a Marriott and it is run down. I understand they are in the process of renovating it. The location is far from Duval Street. You are better off to get a place in Old Town because that is where you will spend the majority of your time and parking is at a premium. The Ocean Key, and the Galleon are good choices. Right in the middle of the action.

susan

For some negative opinions of the Wyndham properties do a search on this board. I'd sure advise you not to stay at either the Casa Marina or the Reach, which has gotten some absolutely horrible comments recently. In Key West, most of the good restaurants and virtually all the tourist activities center around the Gulf rather than the Atlantic, so I'd advise you to get in Old Town as close to that general vicinity as you can.

phyllis

My husband and I stayed at the Kona Kai resort in Key Largo a couple years ago. It's beautiful, but it's on the bay side rather than the ocean. The water there is crystal clear, and there's a small sand beach. The water right off the beach is not good to walk in because you sink in the sand, but they have a raft at the end of the pier you can use to get in and out of the water. I didn't snorkel there, but some people did and said it was nice but not spectacular. We had a manatee swimming right next to shore which is, I think, fairly common on that side. Kona Kai is small, with maybe 12 rooms and suites, some with full kitchens. The people who run it are very nice. If you want to explore the Keys you definitely need a car. We flew into Miami, but there's an airport in the Keys. I know American flies there but I'm not sure about other airlines. If I was doing it again I would use that airport rather than Miami.

Lenleigh

You guys are making me a little nervous, I dont know what to expect about the Keys.

This is what I have gotten so far: we should stay in as near as possible to Old Town(new town? am I getting that wrong) and I shouldnt rent a car in key west unless we plan on driving around to other locations. I think I would like to see all of the keys so we would probably stay at one or two locations and just take day trips or half days to other key west islands. And possibly a trip to disneyworld(although 6 or 7 hours is a little long).

This is all I care about for the trip: I want a nice pool but I love to snorkel and I am hearing mixed comments on the snorkeling in the keys, some good and some bad(although I have never seen a manta ray before). I also want to stay in a nice hotel that isnt run down at all but isnt too terribly expensive and I want them to have some type of beach. I also want good restraunts and it seems like that wont be difficult to find, id like a spa too.

I guess Im having a hard time making a decision. We really would like to go to the caribbean but we dont have the money to right now and my family has offered to send us somewhere in the US because of frequent flyer miles and all. I just want to have a good time and not regret picking the location we decide on. I guess Im kind of being a snot about it and I should be happy to go somewhere at all. I do hear a lot of people saying that they love the keys and saying that I will love the keys too. I really have nothing to go off of so what do you guys love about the keys?

I appreciate all your help!!!

linda from NJ

Why don't you try Sanibel Island on the West Cost. It is near Fort Meyers. It is really nice there. They have beaches, snorkeling, good restaurants, a wildlife perserve. It does not seem like Key West is what you are looking for.

MB

Ok Lenleigh-WDW is a long drive from the Keys, I would save that for another time. That said, IMO, the Key are wonderful! I would suggest you stay in Islamorada a couple of nights at either the Cheeca Lodge or the Moorings. You are going in June so you will get off-season rates! In Islamorada there are some nice restaurants, The Islamorado Fish Company, Coral Grill and Manny & Isa's for great Key Lime Pie. You can snorkel at John Pennekamp State Park. There are a number of charters that will take you out. I would opt for a smaller boat rather than a big cattle boat that takes tons of snorkelers out. They will know where the best snorkeling is. After Islamorada drive on down to the rest of the Keys and explore. Stop at Bahia Honda State Park's beach and enjoy. See the Key Deer Refuge. In Key West, stay in Old Town and park your car. You can walk, rent bikes or scooters. The Ocean Key, Hyatt and the Galleon are nice places. Do a text search here and you should come up with some names of snorkeling companies and restaurants. Savor Key West, go to Mallory Square for sunset, take a walking tour, do the Ghost Tour at night, visit the cemetary, climb the lighthouse. Get a good guidebook and have a great time. There is no other place like the Keys!!!