Visiting Key West for the second time in December. Unfortunately, we waited to long to book our hotel room, so we ended up with a hotel on the Atlantic Ocean side (one block from Duval). We wanted to be close to the bars/restaurants on Duval and Mallory Square. Is it walkable to that area? If not, how's parking or taxi servcie? Thanks.

You'll find a few bars and restaurants towards that end of Duval - perhaps a 5-10 minute walk depending on your pace. You could walk to Mallory Square in 20-35 minutes depending on your pace but 30 is most realistic. Best bet is to rent bikes - it's an easy towon to bike in and the rentals are cheap (and it's fun and good exercise!).

Thanks for the info.

That's a really long walk, especially if you want to be near Mallory Square more than once a day. Are you sure you've exhausted all accommodations that are closer to the Gulf? It surprises me that they'd all be sold out unless you plan on being there on New Year's Eve.

Just returned from a long weekend in Key West and we used taxis fairly frequently even tho we were in old town because one of our group had hurt her knee. The taxi service is fast and reliable. It has a zone fare system (e.g., $2.50 for each perons within a certain area) altho the drivers (at least some of them) could charge less or go on the meter when it seemed to them that the zone fare would be too much based upon the number of people being transported.

Duval Street is not much more than 11 or 12 blocks long. To be at the other end is not a bad thing. We loved the walk and never found it too long.

There are two very good places to eat that I know of on that end, Alice's and Banana Cafe. I am sure there are many other places. Louie's Back Porch is also on that end but it doesn't get favorable review all the time.

We also saw many wonderful art galleries. That end is has fewer T-shirt shops and riff raff. You are probably only a 15 minute walk to the blocks that seem to have the most bars like Rum Runners and The Bull.

Don't sweat it, you really are not far from anything at all.