Is Key West worth it?
 

I have never been. We have been invited on a private cruise off the coast of Venezuela for three nights, but we don't want to spend 20 hours flying for that short of a trip--so we are looking to extend the trip a few days before the cruise.

We have never been to Miami or to Key West. I have been to Sanibel Island in Florida, but that's it.

Key West is charming in a tacky kind of way. If you stay for only a couple of nights, search out the good restaurants, and look for more natural things to do, it should be o.k. Its one of those "been there, done that" places for me.

Whether Key West is "worth it" depends on what kind of vacation towns you like. Do you like funky, lively, outdoor eating, lots of young people in the streets -- many in a party mood, lots of open bars with loud music, a caribbean flavor, having tropical drinks or beer and wandering through the streets of funky shops? If so , you might like Key West. I do.

The first time we went to Key West was in the early 90s. We thought it was nice, but not particularly memorable. A couple of months after we returned home, we had a change of heart and went back for 4 or 5 days.

The next time we went for a week, and now we go for at least 2 weeks in the fall and another 2 in the spring. In lucky years, we throw in an additional 2 in the winter. It's just one of those places that grow on you.

I loved Key West when I visited there several decades ago, but no longer. On a recent trip to New Orleans, Bourbon Street reminded me of Key West when I was there four years ago.

HTTY

I love Key West. It is a fun place. I mean this town celebrates the sun setting every night!!!!! If you like to have fun and party this is the place for you. It is "quirky" not tacky.

There are many cultural things also.

This is just my opinion. Give it a try. You only live once.

Kate101

I enjoyed my visit to Key West; it's definitely a non-generic slice of America. I mean how many towns can one wake up to roosters crowing in the 21st century USA? To add some different nuances to what's already been expressed, I found the town a nice place for cycling, with some charming homes and a bit of Cuban & Bahamian influence... I also thought Key West quite beautiful in places with the water & coastline.

I think kona514 said it well...I'd recommend checking it out to see if it's somewhere you might enjoy.

Best wishes, Daniel

It is a unique place. Cross section of America. Everybody having a good time. Exellent restaurants. Informal, let your hair down sort of place if that's what you want. Chickens have full rights.

D_W: FYI -- there really are LOTS of towns in America where one can wake up to the sound of roosters crowing. I grew up in one and visit there still. They may not be towns on the typical tourist beat, but there are plenty around. :)

Key West is certainly, IMO, worth doing at least ONCE, and i agree that the atmosphere, depending on which part of town you are in, can be a lot of fun..and I'm not just talking about the would-be "rednecks" in their pick-ups cruising up and down Duval or the folks hanging off the balconies of the bars, etc.

As to waking up to the sounds of roosters crowing in a "lot of towns"..sure, but in Key West if you want you can actually wake up to a rooster crowing IN YOUR BED!!!!

We love Key West and have been going since the the late 70's, when we had to drive on the old bridges to get there, that was a little scary.

Key West can be whatever you want it to be. We have been there and partied the entire time, we've been there and toured the homes and museums. We have been there for an extended family vacation. We have sailed, kayaked and snorkeled. We have been there with just the three Bs (beach, book and beer.) We have camped at Bahia Honda and visited Key West only for day trips.

We have never had a bad time in the Keys and I think of it as a fantasy place. You can do as much or as little as you want.

Key West is a party destination... I would recommend that you look into South Beach Miami, grab any one of the beachfront luxury hotels, do some spa, dining, walking and shopping...

Key west is a cartoon of the town I knew in the early '80s... the big money has chased away the original character in favor of Gap stores and Margaritaville... its one step short of a Disney creation... that said, if you're a drinker partier, even Disney can be fun...

Garyt22--Key West is more than Duval Street. While I agree it is not the town I first saw in 1978, you can still find some of the old charm you just have to look off the beaten path of chain conglomerates and t-shirt stores.

We liked Key West; we stayed at the Marquesa, and it was beautiful - great architecture and nice pool. Fun to watch the sunset, eat great seafood, see the Hemingway House. It's a great spot for a long weekend if you like funky offbeat charm.

Sorry, but to say that "Key West is a party destination" while implying that South beach isn't seems a bit extreme IMO.

We have been going to Key West for the past 5 years and always enjoy it. We love staying at the Gardens Hotel. Its close proximity to Duval makes it very ideal, but while you are there it feels "away" from the hustle and bustle. www.gardenshotel.com

While Key West lends itself to being more of a "party" destination (after all it does have 300+ bars), it also has its charm. Be sure to have breakfast at Blue Heaven: www.blueheavenkw.com and take a sunset sail: www.dangercharters.com

I'd say that South Beach and Key West are both very much "party towns". The difference is that South Beach is all about pretense (who's more beautiful, who's wearing what, where is the most "in" night club to go to this week) and Key West is totally devoid of anyone putting on any pretense.

Patrick... my last few trips to KW were all about watching the wave of rich/fat tourists with flowered shirts crowd around the Hog's Breath T-shirts trying to prove that they were part of the KW "in" crowd... 30 years ago they would have beat you up in there... its just not the same...

To be honest, I love Key West & have been visiting there for nearly 20 years. I don't spend a lot of time on Duval anymore, but still manage to find plenty to do. BTW - We always check the schedule @ the end of Duval to avoid the tourist/cruise ship hordes as well. NeoP is correct as well.

We have only been there once but loved it and are planning to make it part of our winter itinerary in the future.

I think we walked the length of Duval Street once. We went to the Truman White House and spent a ton of time looking at the cottages that make up Old Key West because they reminded us a lot of what Nantucket might be like if it had been built in the semi-tropics. We ate a lot of good food. It was pretty pleasant and very laid back.