Just got back from Key West, amongst other places. We generally enjoyed Key West, much more than I expected to in fact. Stayed at the Jasmine House, (Thanks Owen) which was quite nice in a basic Caribbean way. I enjoyed it tremendously, but those looking for a more Ritz Carlton type experience would probably be a bit disappointed. It was excellently located in the old town and very nicely decorated.

Ate at Blue Heaven, which was excellent. The scallops dish is one of the best dishes I've had in my life, and I'm a foodie. The rest of the meal was very good, though not qhuite in the same league. There was no line as it rained that night and everyone thinks its all outside. It is mostly outside, but there is also a nice indoor room. I would strongly recommend this.

Didn't eat at Johnsons across the street because it was closed on Sunday, but talked to the Owner who was very nice. I liked the Caribbean setting once again.

It seems to me to be far preferable to stay in the OLD TOwn than outside. Key west is not very big, but you lose all of the local flavor in the motels outside. And they were more expensive in general than places inold town, oddly enough.

The architecture was great - lots of old houses and jungly feel. The Audobon House was a worthwhile House tour.

In general, much to my surprise, I'd go back

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it Charles. I suspect that few of the guesthouses offer a "Ritz-Carlton" type experience but the ambiance makes them the best place to stay in KW IMHO. Which room did you stay in? I stayed once in a porchside room which was nice - good value for the money. Last December we splurged for the Honeymoon Suite (slow period and she gave it to us for $15o per night - a great deal). I have heard that the Marquesas House (sp?) or Marquesa Hotel (not sure which it is) offers a really luxe Old Town experience but it's reflected in the price. I must agree with you take on KW - I've been a few times and always want to return even though there isn't one specific compelling and incredible thing I can isolate that draws me there. I guess it's just the vibe. I feel more relaxed there than almost anywhere I've ever traveled - that's worth something. We had a breakfast dish at Blue Heaven that blew my mind - grits with Vermont white cheddar and shrimp. Sounds a bit odd but it was incredible. Likewise their made from scratch pancakes - I never thought pancakes could be that good (or that much better than any others I've ever tried, but they were!). Where else did you eat (if anywhere) and how were the meals?

Owen-
I didn't have a chance to look around, but if by porchside you mean the peach colored one closest to the street, that is in fact the room we stayed in. I really liked it - more in fact than I would have the Ritz. What I want in a place like KW is the caribbean feeling, which it had in spades.

Eating wise, we weren't there long - drove down from Miami on Saturday and back sunday night. Ate at a cuban grocery store in Tavernier that did a good Cuban Sandwich and coffee on the way down - very cuban and I enjoyed it. Also ate at a place called Mrs Macs in Key Largo earlier in the week after snorkeling a Pennekamp. It was fine, nothing special, but a nice divy atmosphere. ON the way back from Miami we ate at a place called Ziggy's Crab house in the middle keys. The food was astoundingly bad.

In Key West we had breakfast Sunday in a place on Duval called Blue sky or something like that. We were looking for Camilles but it had moved, so we ended up eating there. It was a good pancake house - again enjoyable. We were forced to eat Lunch at Willy Ts on DUval (which was overpriced and mediocre, as expected) because all the other places we were looking for were closed. I was dismyed by how many places that I wanted to eat in were closed on Sunday. Good to know for next time.

Charles - Just a quick question for you, as I'll be in Miami with my wife in mid-April for about 4 days or so, and was wondering whether the trip for a long day would be worth it? We have a place to stay in Miami, so I doubt that an addl hotel nite would be worth it, but I don't know how long it would take to drive R/T and if it would be worth it just to go to KW for the day. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Key West is a good 4 hour trip by car one way. You would spend most of the day driving. On a day with traffic or an accident on US1 it could take a lot longer.

I should also add that you dont have to drive all the way to Key West as there are some other nice Keys to visit but Key West is the draw down there.

Owen,

Bobby Flay did a shrimp, cheddar, and grits dish on the Early Show. When he gave the ingredients, I thought YUK, but by the time he was done, they looked great.

The recipe is on the Early Show website. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to.

Great Report! Wish people did more of these.

Dave- Its a lot of driving to do in one day. Beatiful nature, somewhat unnatractive strip malls. It gets better when you're past Islamorada. I've done it in a day before, but I don't think I'd recommend it. If you want to see some of the nature you could try a trip to the everglades in Florida city, or go snorkeling at Pennekamp.

I'm glad people enjoyed the report. I usually enjoy reading them, so I thought I'd make the effort to post one as well.

ttt

Charles - I'm with you on Willie T's - my first ninght there last winter I arrived late having had only some delcious pretzels (1 oz) on the plane and was starved. After 10 PM on a weeknight Willie T's seemed to be the only place open for dining other than pizza or bar food. It was on the mediocre side but it was great to sit outside late at night eating after having just arrived from frigid NJ! Yes... the room you stayed in is the same one I had on my first trip to Jasmine several years ago. The Honeymoon Suite is like a separate universe. It was personal living quarters for Linda, the proprietor, when she first opened. Since then she converted it to rental but pretty much left the decorating and furnishings in place. It's much more like a funky (in a good way) apartment that a friend has loaned you than like a rental space. I wouldn't rent it for a short stay if I was to be out of the room much of the time but we stayed three nights and it was fantastic. I hope to return in off-season and rent it again (she tends to get flexible on price of the suite when it's a slow week and off season - we paid $150 and at that price I think it was the best bargain in Key West). I never did get to try the pool across the street because we were too busy doing other thigns. Thanks for the tip on the recipe - I finally located yellow grits (yeah!!!) after looking for them for years with no success (bought them in the Atlanta airport of all places) and will try the recipe with them.

These posting are some of the best I've read. Could someone please give me more info on the Jasmine House. Do they have a website? We are going to the Keys in early October this year and I want to check their rates. Thanks!

http://keywest.com/jasmine/

For the guy going to Miami, a great one day trip is to go down to Islamarada and eat a slice of Key Lime Pie at The Lorelei restaurant. It's the best on earth, and in a waterfront setting (great seafood too of course). And only the next Key or so past Largo.

Also, someone please tell me the best place to stay in Key West in Old Town. My wife and I want to be close to the beach also. Is it Jasmine House? We're going for a whole week the 1st week of June.

The top places in Key West are The Marquesa & The Heron House. By the look of The Jasmine House it is nothing special.

You do understand there are not any really great beaches in the Keys including Key West. The nicest one is Bahia Honda but it is 45 minutes outside of Key West.

ttt

Carrie - I have not been to Marquesas or heron House but have also heard that they are among the top places in Key West and am sure you're right. I have stayed at Jasmine House twice and have recommended it with positive reviews in this forum for several reasons: 1) it's a good value - they have rooms as low as $69 per night depending on season. I've stayed elsewhere in KW in this price range and looked at some other places in that general price range. they are by far the best at a moderate price. 2) If you want privacy, their Honeymoon Suite is amazing and a great value even at the regular price of $190 per night. My girlfriend looked at it on the website before we stayed there and had a ho-hum reaction. She was totally blown away when we arrive and she saw how nice it was. No service is provided - you are totally on your own (owner is available if you call her but otherwise makes herself scarce). 3) The owner Linda is a really nice person running a very small business. I had a great expereince staying there and figure I might as well share that with others. I hope to stay at both Heron House and Marquesas when I can afford it but for now Jasmine House has been a good choice.

The Gardens on Angela is another top place to consider if you have the $$$.

Not that it matters, but the Heron House caters to the, um, believers in the alternative life style. If you catch my drift.
Not that there's anything wrong with that!!!!
The Gardens Hotel is a lovely place.