Just back from 1st trip to Key West and loved it! Thanks to all who responded to my previous posting and for the many other postings as well.
We stayed at Ocean Key Resort and thoroughly enjoyed it. We initially booked a Jr Suite but upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite after we arrived - the jr suite had a view of Mallory Square and the ocean, but it was blocked by cruise ships - while they do leave @ sunset, I still wanted to see the ocean the rest of the day ! Our room was beautiful - (huge with a jacuzzi, lots of windows & light, bright decor and the view great) - the price was very high, but we were splurging for a special occasion. The location is also terrific - steps away from everything with a deck for the sunset celebration.

Regarding restaurants, lunch @ Alonzo's was great - we sat out on the deck (Becks on draft was a treat!) - we also tried Alice's for lunch - we were disappointed with both the service and food - based on other recommendations maybe we just hit them at a bad time. (didn't realize they had a show till I got back and was reading today - would have liked to see that).
Dinner @ Mangia, Mangia was wonderful - we had a table in the garden, excellent service and the food was great. Also had dinner @ Micheals - truly enjoyed the atmosphere - thought the food was good but not great, nice wine list - service was a little snobby.
We also stopped at a Deli/grocery - I think it was called the Waterfront - neat place, great bread & deli for sandwiches.
Enjoyed the trolley - the drivers were very entertaining. Also enjoyed the Hemmingway house - the guide was great. Took a pedi-cab to dinner one night - really enjoyed that - we took a long way and got a tour - the driver made it fun and informative.
I'll stop going on and on now - we loved Key West and would definitely go back !

Hi Lisa - Wasn't it great? We were there last week too. We manage to take about 4 days every year to go to paradise. Great report

Hi, I was just wondering if you could tell me if Key West was clean, etc. My husband and I were thinking of going, but a friend of mine said it was pretty dirty and didn't recommend it. Also, how were the rooms at the Heron House? Thanks so much.

Key West is very clean & I don't know why your friend said that. They must have had a bad experience or something. Key West is a beautiful town & has everything for kids to grown-ups. The Heron House is like the 3rd best place to stay in Key West. The owners are great & the staff will do almost anything for you. You will not be disappointed. Have fun & enjoy Key West.

We go to Key West every year and will second that it is a very clean city. In addition to the restaurants mentioned, consider a splurge at Louie's Backyard, Sunset Key or Cafe Marquesa. We always stay at the Duval House in one of their large one bedrooms and wouldn't stay anywhere else. Thank you, Renner, for being such a great host.

Bill, do you have any restaurants to recommend that aren't considered a "splurge"? I don't mean Mickey D's or anything like that, but a nice moderately priced restaurant.

thanks for the info and reply

Non-splurge restaurants: Half Shell Raw Bar for the freshest fish imaginable, and El Siboney for the real deal Cuban food.

I love Key West. My favorite is the Pier House at 1 Duval St. Stay on or close to the low numbers on Duval so you don't have to drive. The drag shows are a hoot. Check out the show at Ricks--very funny. I love this great Italian restaurant on the left side, sorry, I can't remember the name, around the 700 block I think. Try the Blue Moon (?) near Hemingway's house. It's great food, outdoors, and chickens run around your feet. The town is very clean and the arcitecture is beautiful.

Hi Sherry - One thing wrong with your awesome report. The place is called Blue Heaven. We were there two weeks ago and went there for breakfast at 10:30 and ended up waiting until the breakfast people were seated and ate before we could sit down for a 12:30 Lunch reservations. If its dinner you want there you must do what Jerry Seifelds parents do~~~~~~~~go at 4 for the early bird~~~ really there is no specials, but your guaranteed a dinner without a three hour wait.

We love it and still go back every year and try to beat the system.

Dede -
We truly enjoyed our trip to Key West and I would recommend it. Duval street was very "touristy" with lots of shops and people, but I think that is part of the charm. I thought it was actually very clean and walking through the old town area was great with lots of beautiful houses, gardens etc. We stopped at Heron House to look around as I wanted to check it out for a return trip. We didn't get to look at a room but the property itself was wonderful. In addition, the folks at the front desk couldn't have been more helpful - they gladly let us look around and provided a brochure etc. Based on the service we received just stopping by, I would definitely consider staying there - it gives you a great feel for how accomodating they would be and the level of service that must be provided for guests.

Lisa, do you live in Illinois?