Hi, I have been reading that the beaches in Key West are not too great.
Is this really true? Is that by comparing to the beautiful white sand, crystal clear water beaches?
I am thinking about going there for a week this summer and I definantly want to go somewhere I will at least be able to lay out and swim a little and really enjoy the nightlife as well.
Any insight or recommendatins would really be great!

thanks
Sandy

The beaches in Key West are frequently closed because the water is too dirty to swim in. Bahia Honda, about 35 miles north of Key West, is probably the best beach in the 110-mile long Florida Keys, but even it is nothing like the beautiful white sand beaches of Florida's Gulf Coast.

Personally, I recommend against the Keys if a beach is in any way a priority for you. There are just so many other better places for that.

If Beaches are a priority avoid Key West.

I agree if beaches are a must then no to Key West. I LOVE Key West but I am not a beach lover so it was a great place for me.

The beaches are not as nice as compared to some other places in Florida but they are not frequently closed. Here is a site that shows the history of the testing. http://apps3.doh.state.fl.us/env/bea...ut/default.cfm

Dear sandy123, We stayed at the Wydahm Casa Marina Resort, Feb. 5 for a week, and the beach at this hotel is very nice, for Key West.The resort is great!

People who go to Key West generally go either because they love the city of Key West (quaintness, tropical beauty, ect.) rather than for the beaches, which are basically strands of sand along the ocean shore. So if you are looking for a beach with a lot of natural beauty you are probably looking at the wrong place, however, if you are looking for a beach with a lot of natural beauty surrounding it, you dont get much better. A lot of people prefer the atmosphere of the B&Bs there most of which are not located on or even near the ocean. Key West is a great place with great nightlife, restaurants and wonderful atmosphere, but if the beach itself is that important to you, you might want to go somewhere else.

The beaches are pooey in Key West. Key West is great to party, fish & dive. Go to the Gulf Coast if you want to be a beach bum. More beautiful & you get to enjoy beautiful sunsets!

Key west beaches were closed due to e-coli when we were there . The beaches have lots of hard broken coral(not sandy). They are tough on the feet. If a nice beach is what you are looking for, why not try Captiva or Sanibel beaches on the Gulf coast. Turquoise water & sandy beach. Very nice. Also Sanibel is known for it's seashells around the world.

Thank you so much everyone for your responses. I think what we will probably do, is split up our week and do 4 days or so on the gulf side and then 3 days or so in Key West, and get a connecting flight between the places.

Thanks again!
Sandy