I am planning on going to Key West at the end of June with friends. We are looking for a nice hotel near the beach and town. Any recommendations?

I'm so jealous! Key West is one of my favorite places! First of all, you'll be disappointed if you're expecting a normal beach. The beaches in Key West are man-made, and the ones on the tourist side of the island are virtually nonexistant. The nice hotels are lined up, and are: Ocean Key House, Hilton, Pier House, Hyatt, and a timeshare that rents by the night, the Galleon. These are all on the gulf side. And they are all on the water. Since I'm hopelessly land-locked, I always want to stay on the water, but there are tons of places to stay if you don't care about a water view. I've stayed at the Hyatt several times and although I like it a lot, would prefer to stay at either the Ocean Key House in a suite overlooking the gulf, or in the Galleon, which is all condos. Both have web addresses. And all these hotels are in the heart of Old Town which is the center of activity in Key West. Good luck, and email me for more information!

If' you're on a student's budget, I'd recommend the Halfred motel. Not bad... not expensive at all.. not luxurious, though.

If' you're on a student's budget, I'd recommend the Halfred motel. Not bad... not expensive at all.. not luxurious, though.

If you're not overly concerned about hotel "amenities" (on site restaurant/bar, health club, big pool etc.) you might consider one of the many "guest-house" accomodations. I stayed in one with hesitation, assuming it would be sort of a slightly stuffy B&B type of scene where we'd have to tip-toe into our room at night. That was hardly the case - loved it (we are two single people late 30's/early 40's). We spoke to other folks who stayed in guest-houses other than the one we booked and they also enjoyed it. If you shop a bit, you'll find one much cheaper than the hotels, a bit closer to the center of everything (although anywhere in Old Town is fine) and much nicer than the Halfred Motel (which is a decent place but a bit older and quite plain).

We stayed at the Southernmost Motel last year and had a great time. It's at the southern end of Duval Street--2 pools, bar on premises. I have also stayed at 2 guest houses--The Palms and Author's. Liked them both. Southernmost means you walk Duval every night--which was grea. That's where the life is. The 2 guest houses I stayed at were a little farther away, but still fringe of Old Town. Nothing is Key West is very far--I would definately stay in Old Town because I agree the beaches weren't really worth it. You can rent ikes and ride out to Smathers to to the beach at Truman annex. I prefer staying near Old Town for the accessible night life--mallory Square at sunset, the Duval scene. There are some websites for Key West (do a search) that will give you updates on music and other activities. Just wander--the activity is in the street. I have been there 3 times--I can look through my stash of Key West info if you want some more specifics--just email me direct.