Key West Condo
 

Traveling to Key West for a wk in May for wedding. Advice, please on condo rentals in Key West - looking at Truman Annex. Have never been there, never rented a condo, & see several agencies listed for condo rentals. What was your experience? Many thanks! Liz

I like to use an accomodations agency by phone so they can ask enough questions to satisfy our needs. I did this for B&B rooms in KW and was very pleased. Plus if something goes wrong you have someone to help--take number with you. I needed this in Charlottesville!!

Sorry, I am a little thick. . .would a travel agent be able to do this or do you recommend that I contact one of the condo agency listings on the web direcly? I was told about a site vrbo but that appears to be listings posted directly by individual owners. Thanks again, Liz

I think I'd contact a realtor or rental agency myself rather than going through a travel agent. I know there are several reputable ones, but the only name that comes to mind right now is At Home in Key West. Truman Annex is a very nice, quiet place in a great location. As long as you stay in Old Town, I think you'll be happy with your accommodations. You might also check into renting at the Galleon, which is a timeshare (on the Gulf side of Key West) that rents to non-owners. They have full kitchens, washing machines and dryers, etc. Galleonresort.com

What about a house?
We rented through this agency, first class home (we rented two of three units in one house). They have lots to choose from:
http://www.centercourtkw.com/

Just be careful that the condo you rent can legally be rented for less than a month. This has been a major issue in Key West....don't know if any of the laws have recently been changed or not, but you should check into it.

this site lists seversl agencies:
http://www.keywest.com/rentalagencies.html

Thanks to you all! I have just spent the last few hours surfing the sites you mentioned & found some really nice properties. I never would have thought about renting a home, but now would not rule it out. I am seeing lodging listed in areas called the gallery end, upper duval and lower duval, historic meadows, historic seaport, old town, near the old cemetery...Is there any area to stay away from or are all of these areas OK & generally close to everything?

I didn't think there were any legal weekly rentals in Truman Annex or has that changed?

Lizzie, look at a map of Key West.
I would want to stay between White and Whitehead, and north of Truman. The closer to the water the better. That is basically "old town" and the quaintest area. It gets noisier/rowdier the closer you get to Duval...so that would be according to your taste. Plan on renting a bike - the best way to get around.

I rented a sweet little cottage last February through the "Center Court" rental agency.

The house we stayed in was called "Hemingways View." The location was wonderful for our purposes.

They were very well organized and accomodating. I called the agency about beach towels and within 5 minutes someone came by on a moped delivering towels.

I have compulsively looked at just about every web site out there & all of the properties mentioned on this post & am truly overwhelmed at the number of properties available. I have sent out e-mails to rental agencies regarding availability so will sit back & wait to see what happens. Looking at the map with old town boundaries helped quite a bit, too. If anyone has any other tips, please send them along. Again, many thanks to everyone who offered their advice! Does anyone else obsess over finding a place to stay on vacation?!!Liz

I currently have posts and e-mails about housing in Mexico. Obsess-no; diligent-yes---isn't it part of the fun?

I just read some negative reviews on tripadvisor about the Center Court Cottages, and also read that the owners give perks to people who write positve reviews about them. Hmmm.

Anyone have any other advice for cottage rentals in February for Key West?

Thanks!

Terra, FYI, I have no relationship with Center Court, nor have I ever received a "perk" for commenting about them. I sincerely wanted to share my good experience. That's shameful that they would stoop so low - especially when it's unnecessary.

I also had an excellent experience with Center Court. how do I get my perk??? ha ha

Seriously, our experience with them was all positive. This was a year ago. No one offered me anything.

I rented a 3-bedroom cottage with 6 people and my parents rented a small condo nearby. No complaints at all.

Hi Joan-- I didn't mean to imply at all that you participated in the perks scheme! So sorry! I just wanted to throw that out there.

Glad to know you had a great experience with them, I am still considering their cottages, they look lovely online.

Seems like a bunch don't have doors to the bathroom when the bathroom is in the masterbedroom. Was that the case for you? I am traveling with friends, so that would be a touch awkward! :)

Thanks again!
Terra

Terra-
No that was not the case for us.

We had a 3-bedroom, 2-bath cottage. We had doors on all of them.

After looking at all of the possibilities, I decided to rent a house for the week & am waiting for the paperwork to close the deal. I will post once we return from our trip & let you know if the agency/house/location was a good experience. Thanks to everyone who took the time to post a note! Liz

Truman annex is beautiful and a lot quietier than staying in old town. Be willing to part with some cash as it doesn't come cheap. also I think in the annex there is a minimum of 1 month stay. You might want to check on it.

I know that GoTravel had mentioned that also, but it appears that it must be OK now. Several properties are listed as rental by the week along with those that only rent by the month. I won't know for sure until I get the paperwork to sign, but if there is a problem & I have been mislead by the agency, it will definitely be posted here. I appreciate the warning. Liz

The restrictions against renting for less than a month have been lifted again. This is probably an issue Key West will be dealing with for a long, long time, but weekly rentals are okay - at least for now.

Susan, Thank you for the info. You have put my mind at ease for now. Hopefully if I sign a contract now it wouldn't affect us in May?? If you know where I would be able to follow any developments regarding this restriction, I will keep an eye on this until we get ready to travel. Do you or anyone else know when & why this restriction was started & why it is just in the Truman Annex? Thanks, Liz

This is a really complex problem - but in a nutshell: Truman Annex was originally built as affordable housing, which is desperatedly needed in Key West. What happened, though, is that out-of-towners bought up the majority of the property as vacation homes with the guarantee they could rent their houses/condos out when they weren't staying there. That did NOT please the year-round residents who found many of the renters to be loud, partiers who "ruined" Truman Annex for everyone.
I can see both sides - the non-residents were assured they could rent their units out, while the residents have a right to a quiet neighborhood.

Just returned from a week in KW. Drove through Truman Annex on the way to the beach (interesting sculpture show on the beach through March)-- TA looks amazingly lovely. Very well manicured, beautiful front porches -- much more character than most places we saw. Also, it would be a very easy walk to the beach or into Old Town for dining.

Susan - thanks much for the history on the annex. It makes much more sense now. I can also see both sides. I spoke to an agent in KW today who said the restrictive ordinance had been lifted. She said this battle had been going on for about 5 years. There are homeowner's associations within the annex that still have their own regulations, but it sounds like weekly rentals should be OK in most of the annex. TC - your description of the annex makes it sound like a nice place to stay. I am anxious to get started on our trip! Liz

First, let me thank everyone who took the time to answer my earlier posts. I have just returned from the KW (our first trip there) wedding/vacation & had a great experience with renting in Truman Annex & some great dining experiences. I wish we could have stayed longer.

I would definitely try to stay in Truman Annex again as it was quiet but close to the action on Duval if we wanted it. We were close to everything that we wanted to sight-see & walked everywhere with the exception of the larger grocery store, Winn Dixie, on the opposite end of the island. Frankly, Fausto's grocery had everything we needed & was a two-block walk away. Also, the Courthouse deli had great sandwiches & Cuban coffee.

$25 Trolley Tour of KW with Louie as the guide was a great experience. If you see a trolley with Louie's name hanging in it, hop on, you won't regret it.

Blond Giraffe frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate on a stick was a treat we enjoyed more nights than we should have.

Kermits is another great place for key lime stuff.

Some dining recommendations that you can check out menus on the web:
Breakfast: Blue Heaven - Great food & very friendly staff. Loved bkfst with the chickens!
Dinner: Mangoes; Latitudes on Sunset Key (a perfect 10 dining experience but not a cheap eat)

Great bands: Hogs Breath Saloon & the Green Parrot were hopping every night we passed by. We never made it to Sloppy Joes & I regret that since everyone recommended that we go there.

I was told while in KW that the weekly/monthly rentals disagreement in Truman was recently resolved to allow weekly rentals. But I was also told that the decision was being appealed. I can definitely see both sides of the coin after being there. I will have to say that I saw no loud or unruly behaviour in our area but I would bet that during spring break that is not the case.

Another place where relatives stayed was the Gardens Hotel on Angela Street. This place is absolutely beautiful, well run & maintained. Staff was very friendly & helpful.

Hope this information is helpful to someone else.

Liz