We (my husband and 2 kids age 10 & 13)just got back from our 10 day trip to the Keys. Thanks all you Fodorites for the great tips and discussion as this was our very best family vacation! This was our first trip to Florida, and it exceeded our expectations. We flew into Key West and rented a car. We immediately drove up to Hawk's Cay on Duck Key where we based our middle keys exploration for 6 days. It was the perfect location for that and our villa served our family needs well. In Key West we stayed at Island City House for 5 days and it was nearly perfect and had plenty of character. For the detailed reviews see my postings in fodors Rants & Raves. We had a good mix of activities and dining experiences (had to keep everyone in the family interested and happy). If you are interested in reading details about our dining experiences I have posted reviews in Rants & Raves for the following restaurants: Morada Bay, Manny & Isa's, Water's Edge, Cafe Marquesa and Louie's Backyard. One of our favorite restaurants was Mangoes on Duval St. and our favorite Key Lime pie was at the Blond Giraffe in Key West (I tried a different k.l. pie each of our 10 days!). Funniest dining experience: I passed by what I literally thought was a pile of junk, but then I saw a small sign that said "B.O.'s Fish Wagon." I remembered reading good things about it, so we went in and ordered 2 fish sandwiches. YUM!!! Best dining experiences were at Morada Bay, Easter brunch at Louie's Backyard, and Mangoes. Worst were at Manny & Isa's and Cafe MArquesa (great looking place and good service, just bland food). Again, you can read all about it in Rants & Raves. Highlights of our trip included the two trips we took on a private chartered tri-maran through Mike's Sailing Charters in Marathon http://sailing.qserve.net/ . We did a sunset/snorkel cruise one day and a snorkel cruise to Sombrero Light the next day. Mike & Jeanette were awesome, the tri-maran was nice and clean (only 5 months new) and the snorkeling was fun. Even better snorkeling was at Dry Tortugas. We took the early morning seaplane and it was awesome, the best thing on our trip. We saw a pod of dolphin, sea turtles, sharks and rays from the air. Ft. Jefferson and the ship wrecks were cool from the air. We were the only ones at the beach and when we left all the boat people were just arriving. If anyone else has kids my age and wants to know how I kept them interested for 10 days, just ask! I found things that made the trip educational, but a lot of fun and at a relaxing pace. There's MUCH more I could write about, but this post is already too long.

Thanks for the trip report. I'm interested in hearing more, especially about what you did with your kids. I have boys 13 and 8 and we are hoping to make a similar trip next year. Our plan is to stay the entire time at Hawk Cay, so I'd love to hear more about that also.

Thanks for sharing.

I found your comments about Louie's and Cafe Marquesa interesting since the comments have usually been the opposite of yours. Just goes to show you. (It also goes to show that just because someplace was bad -- or good -- a few years, or even months, ago is not a guarantee the place will stay the same.)

Thanks again. I'm glad to have another Key West convert in our midst.

... FYI, Louie's Backyard remains the DUMP we all know it to be. Nice in 1988, not so nice now. Why pay those prices, tolerate those 'tudes, when so many other, better restaurants are available in KW!

JackOneill: Yes, we have found out through our dining experience that some places will rest on their laurels, others will heed the criticism and improve, and some great restaurants go unnoticed (Our favorite dishes were at Mangoes and it wasn't even listed in the guidebooks. Thank goodness people made comments on this forum otherwise we may never have eaten there!). We just like to find out as much as we can about a place. If it sounds interesting enough we go and decided for ourselves. Key West reminded me a lot of a more laid-back and tropical New Orleans, but also with its own very unique character and history. Definitely a place I hope to return to someday.

Mangoes - located right in tourist central on Duval - serves a terrific lunch - just wonderful!!! Cannot recommend it enough!! Also Seven Fish.

woollytenderness: Sorry you had such a horrible experience there! When we went the atmosphere was very pleasant and clean. I didn't notice a dumpy thing about it, and we are super critical diners! The reception was warm & welcoming, and our waiter was friendly, informative and professional. I'm not saying your experience was otherwise. We;ve had HORRIBLE experiences at places people wrote good things about too (i.e. Manny & Isa's on Islamorada). Who knows why. Maybe restaurants have "Bad hair days too?" Every course of our meal was superb, and our table setting & view (we were under the big tree overlooking the ocean) were stunning. If you want the detailed review on either restaurant experience I posted them in Rants & Raves. Cheers and happy dining adventures!

My favorite dish was at Mangoes! It was a coconut encrusted fish (I think mahi-mahi) which was absolutely euphoric. Freshest tasting fish I had on my trip and the seasonings they used were perfectly balanced. Apparently this particular dish was honored at the James Beard Foundation. My tastebuds agreed!

SloPugs: i am glad you enjoyed Hawk's Cay. we certainly did when we stayed for a week in February. a few months back i recommended the Indies Spa to you and i'm wondering what you thought.

stellaluna: thanks for the recommendation! My husband & I, AND kids all had massages there. I wrote my comments in the thread "Spas in the keys?" http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...=SloPugs&fid=1
It seems from what I could tell (we looked around while we were there including Cheeca Lodge) that Hawk's Cay would be in the top 2-3 choices to stay with kids. I definitely would NOT go there if we didn't have our kids with us as my husband & I prefer quieter and more upscale accomodations. I found the ambiance overly contrived, but my kids really thought it was paradise, so its alright by me! The villa was perfect for a family though with the kitchen and laundry in the unit. As for the spa, our experience was very good. I've been to more luxurious and prefessional spas, but it was definitely above average and a quiet haven within busy Hawk's Cay.

yes, i agree: if you don't have kids Hawks Cay would not be the best place to spend your time and money. it's definitely geared towards families. my nine year old loved it: there was more than enough to keep him occupied, and not having to leave the premises for anything if you didn't want to is also a plus if you have little ones. i think the Spa was the main attraction for me. and the adult pool was a nice touch. there were times when the main pool was so crowded i couldn't find a place to jump in without landing on someone's head! i would consider returning for a family reunion type vacation.

I second the restaurant recommendations made by woollytenderdess.

Have a great day, all!

That's so good to hear, RnRvR, can I quote you? Honestly, I had to drag our family there, and my hubby complains I pick the worst places. You have made my day!!!!

Surprised by your comment about Louie's. Last time we ate there it was terrible. Maybe they hired a new chef.

It's interesting if you look at the Rants & Raves on Louie's Backyard. There were many reviews (34 to be exact), mostly in the 4's & 5's (with an average score of 4.1), some 1's & 2's, but hardly any 3's. For some reason either people love it or hate it.