Just back from the Keys
 

We had a great week, thanks in part to the advice of fodorites. I hope my "report" will be of assistance to others.

We stayed in 3 locations: Islamorada, Key West, and Key Largo/Tavernier.

Each of our accommodations exceeded our expectations, and there were no negative surprises.

Islamorada - White Gate Court - 7 units, all kitchenettes with porches and grills, set on a large, wide property, with a beautiful "Keys style" beach. They love dogs there, and several guests brought their pooches. The proprietress gives everyone a small "parting gift" when they leave. There's no pool, but as they say, they have the greatest pool in the world right there - the Gulf of Mexico. The water was clear and great for swimming -- and here's the best part: We played with a MANATEE for 15 minutes or so! He approached me in the shallow water (okay, I was a little uneasy), and followed us around as we petted him, scratched his nose, and marveled at our good fortune. The place is at MM 76, and our rate was $179 for a kitchenette. Lovely, simple place. whitegatecourt.com

Key West - Fabulous location at the Washington Street Inn -- just a couple of quiet blocks from the Southern Most Point. This is actually 2 properties under one management. We were thrilled with this quiet garden spot, and felt as though we were the only guests, even though both properties were full. They serve a nice breakfast outdoors, by one of the pools. Both pools are attractive, but the one was surrounded by tall palms, banana trees etc. There's a spa, too. $109, for the smallest room they had. The room had a fridge, and bikes can be rented for $10 per day/$5 for subsequent days. KeyWestEstates.com

Key Largo - Coconut Palm Inn - MM 92- Wow. Wide, quiet place with lots of places to kick back and relax. Only 17 rooms - no tiki bars (thankfully!) - 2 docks, beautiful pool, and the "patio rooms" have big screened porches outside the large room (with fridge). Hammocks, grills, 2 docks -- but no manatee (they've been spotted there, though). $169. coconutpalminn.com

We found some good restaurants at each location, and can give you that information, if anyone is interested.

Happy Travels.

Velma--I would be interested in info about restaurants or any other activities that you found. Thanks for the great info about your accomodations. TM

Hi Velma,

Thanks for the tip about White Gate Court, I've never heard of it, and it really looks great.

Did you snorkel here? How about biking the area?

Thanks for the report!

Velma - Thanks for posting your review! My husband and I are leaving soon to the Keys for the first time and are planning on visiting Islamorada and Key West.

How far is Washington Street Inn from Duval Street? Is it safe to walk around at night? What are the breakfasts like? (heehee)

What are your recommendations for dining? Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...

Thanks again!

Whoops! Too quick with the mouse clicking! Which room did you stay in at the Washington Street Inn and are the rooms clean?

Sunbabe -- In Key Largo we loved Snook's - directly on the water with an outdoor bar, great for sunsets. It's around MM 100, I think. Next to a Honda dealer sign.

In Key West we really like Antonia's, a really nice Italian restaurant. It's indoors, and we ate in the upstairs diningroom, and as it was our first night there, I thought I would have preferred something more open-air. But those places aren't great, and Antonia's is. A lot is written about Seven Fishes, off the beaten path, but it didn't have any charm - just a small block-y building, kind of bare inside. But busy.

Makai! - We didn't snorkel at White Gate Court, because the winds were pretty strong for a couple of days. My husband used one of their bikes (very basic bikes) and rode the bike paths, which are nice, but are along the road. Everything is along the road.

Getawaytime - The Washington Street Inn is a short walk from Duval - walk a couple of blocks south and a few more west. We biked and walked everywhere at night - very safe everywhere, as far as I can tell. Our room # might have been 8 - it's all they had left, and it's their smallest, but it had a nice private seating area at our doorstep. Very clean. Big shower. The breakfast was quite a nice buffet -- a selection of small muffins, English muffins and bread to toast, jams, yogurt, fruit, juice -- very nice. Enjoy!

I forgot to mention the beaches! Just south of White Gate Court, near the end of Islamorada, is an incredible beach, called Anne's Beach. There's parking at each end of the park, and some picnic shelters along a boardwalk. The water stays shallow "for miles" out! And so clear! The sand is perfect, and as it's on the oceanside, not bayside, it wasn't as windy there. Another great park is the well-known Bahia Beach. Very similar to Anne's Beach, but it's big, with a marina, camping area, etc., and I read that sometimes cars are lined up outside the gate to get in, and it can fill up early. $6 per car. Try the smaller Anne's Beach first.

Velma--I appreciate all the info you have given and will print this thread to take with me in June.

TM