At the end of August my family of 4 ( 13 and 10 yr old kids) is thinking of going to Key West. We’re travel adventurers and think it would be fun to fly from Boston to Ft. Lauderdale, then rent a convertible to drive to Key West. Once we get there we expect the weather to be sunny and hot and the people to be off beat and friendly. Our aim is to enjoy the island atmosphere, especially the water sports. We are looking at two hotels for 7 nights on Smathers Beach; The Wyndham Casa Marina at $139 per night and the Sheraton Suites @ $155. What can you tell us about these hotels and are these good off season deals? How much should we expect to pay for some not too serious fishing and snorkeling? Besides the sunset and sunrise is there anything we shouldn’t miss. At this time of year will the weather cooperate?

Expect August to be terribly hot and humid. This has been a particularly hot year, with temps in the low 90s. When you add humidity that's almost that high, it'll be withering!
Having said that, Key West is a wonderful place and I know you and your children will love it! The Sheraton Suites are across the street from Smathers Beach, but the Casa Marina is in a different location altogether. It does have a nice beach area though...the nicest of any resort in Key West. Neither place is close to the "action" of Key West...sunset celebrations, tourist activities and restaurants, but shuttle service is available to both. We've snorkeled with Floridays (they have a web site)and can highly recommend them. As I recall it was about 40 or 45 dollars a person and tips are normal on top of that.

Think about changing hotels to the Ocean Key House...don't know the rates, but the location is better...A few years ago I got one of the suites on the Duval Street side and the kids loved the people watching from the balcony...the ocean side gives you the sunsets and a look at the cruise boats and pier...everything is centered at or near this property...Smathers Beach is inconvenient unless you want to bus shuttle into old Town or fight for a limited number of parking spaces. The Casa Marina is an excellent romance spot on the opposite end of the island, but requires a 30 - 40 minute walk to reach sunset pier. Since its off season, you will probably score a suite for a reasonable rate, but even if it does cost a bit more, your avoiding the inconvenience is well worth it. While you're there, don't miss the Cuban food or the sunset cruises. have fun, I'm jealous, but we are taking our gang to San Francisco at the same time...

The kids will enjoy the aquarium located in Mallory Square. Also check to see if the "Cat Man" is performing at the Hilton on the waterfront pier. His act is worth the price (free). The Key West Lighthouse may interest the kids, too. I would recommend the Blue Heaven restaurant for breakfast. it is kind of funky but the food is great.

Thanks for the advise. I'll check out the Ocean Key Resort. We don't mind the heat in summer. It's never been to hot to go to the beach. We have the same attitude in winter when we go snow skiing. The "action" for us will be at the water's edge, so the inconvenience of being away from Duval Street will be offset by the location near the beach.

Okay, maybe I should mention one more thing in case you haven't done a lot of research on the keys. If you're planning on a "beach experience" you'll be sadly disappointed. The keys are coral, so all the beaches there are man-made of imported sand and are very tiny. The Florida panhandle has beautiful wide white sand beaches, so if you want true beach activities it'd be a far better choice. But Key West is a world unto itself...it has water sports available, but it's definitely not considered a place for people who love beaches.

I've heard alot about the beaches not being the focal point of Key West. We will spend between 4 to 8 hours a day near the water. We will be either sitting in the sand, swimming, snorkling, or fishing. I find it far more relaxing to walk out of the hotel to the beach. We carry alot of stuff and the convenience of being near the hotel eases the notion that we have to bring everything.

Even if the beaches are not swimable because of the corel we can have fun. We go to some beaches in Maine that are nothing but rocks and spend hours fooling around in the tidal pools. I don't expect to see waves crashing onto rock jetties, waves pounding the surf, or sand dunes like on Cape Cod.

If the beaches are not swimable because of the water quality or the beaches are dirty then that's entirely different.

Best to check with the hoitel or the KW Visitor's' Bureau (or Chamber of Commerce - whatecer they call it) first. Smathers Beach is not likely to be dirty but there have been bans on swimming in KW (not out in the snorkeling areas - just around the key itself) several times in the past few years because of e coli. There is an ongoing probelm with inadequate sewage treatment facilities that get overworked but likely not an issue during the less busy summer months.

Joe-If walking out of your door and being on the beach is a priority, maybe you should think about going somewhere else. There are wonderful places in Florida which will offer you the same requirements, plus a nice beach such as Sanibel Island...

Joe- I agree with Native...Smathers beach is not the type of beach you're talking about...Smathers is a parking lot covered with sand, with the main road behind... water sports in Key West require you to board a catamaran for snorkeling to take you to the reef, charter a boat for fishing, or rent jet skis from the marina. This is more of a "people type" trip... strange characters, restaurants, tiki bars,sunset pier, in your words"offbeat and friendly). To maximize your experience, you must stay in old town, and you can do all the water stuff too. Thats why I recommend the Ocean Key, it puts you right at the center of both. good luck!