ladymermaid

We will be on our honeymoon June 14-20, yes I've read that it's hot, but we're from Phoenix, where 110 is hot so we aren't too worried. I just need some help with what to do. We are flying into Key West and staying at the Ocean Key Resort for 6 nights.

All I would like to know are some favorite things to see and places to eat while there. The only thing we know of that we'd like to see is Bahia Honda State Park for the beach and snorkeling.

We currently do not have a car rented, but we can if necessary.

ps. Just found out I am pregnant so we wont need anything that revolves around drinking.

Any help would be greatly appreciated since we leave in 3 weeks!!

JeanH

Personal favorite restaurants include, Seven Fish, Blue Heaven, Alice's, and touristy as it is, Conch Republic.

Also, even though you aren't drinking stop by Schooner Wharf and have a soda and just people watch.

Bicycle rentals are a good way to see the island. No hills, wide paths along the Atlantic side.

I wouldn't rent a car for your entire stay, but you'll probably need one for Bahia State Park.

Hemingway House is a very nice tour, especially if you like cats. We also enjoyed the 'Little White House', but it's pretty dry.

Key West is best to be wandered around in. Get off Duval, onto the side streets and enjoy the vibe. Also, the cemetery is a fun place to wander. Lots of interesting history in there.

Have a wonderful honeymoon.

Jean

JackOneill

Would you be up for a seaplane flight to the Dry Tortugas? It would take about 4 hours (1 hour+ roundtrip flight time, and about 2 1/2 hourse to explore Fort Jefferson, snorkel, birdwatch and merely loll on the beach.)
They also have a boat that goes there, but that's an all-day trip.

Bahia Honda is nice, but it doesn't warrant renting a car to get up there. For a nice beach (I guess the term loosely) in Key West, head over to Fort Zachary Taylor. This is also a great, and quiet, place to view the splendid sunsets.

Have fun.

p s The heat in south Florida is different than you're are used to in Phoenix. In south Florida they throw gobs of humidity in with their heat. But you'll do fine.

highbay

I've been coming to the Keys for 30 years and I personally think that Bahia Honda is a great place to go. It is about 35 miles from Key West. If I were you, I would plan to rent a car for the day. Drive up to Bahia Honda to snorkel, then go to dinner at No Name Pub, which is located on Big Pine Key, very close to Bahia Honda.
A fun place to go. No Name Key is a refugee for the Key Deer. If you are lucky, you will see some Key Deer while you are there.
Hope you enjoy your honeymoon vacation.

highbay

That is supposed to read "Key Deer Refuge", not refugee!

Shar

Florida HOT is different than Phoenix HOT. Be prepared for "wet". Just curious, why the Keys for a honeymoon? Of all the places to honeymoon what drew you to Florida?

tilburg

for a special dinner (more expensive), try Louie's Backyard, the backyard is the ocean, ask for an outdoor table

orangetravelcat

We're from Cave Creek, AZ - and we were in the Keys a couple of weeks ago. We enjoyed the Half Shell Raw Bar - very casual - picnic tables to eat on, roll of paper towels on the table - food very good. Also ate at A&B Lobster House which was more expensive, but also very good food.

highbay

Just to add to this post, we have been in the Keys (Cudjoe Key-23 mile marker) for the past two weeks and as far as "heat & humidity" is concerned....there isn't any right now. They have had a strange high pressure system over the state that has caused the wind to be around 15 to 25 mph. It has made it very cool for this time of the year. It has been blowing since Feb. 21st, and does not appear to be relenting any time soon....SO, not to fret over the "heat" in Key West right now, or in the near future.

GoTravel

highbay, I just got off the phone with my mother who is in Islamorada right now and she said it is miserable there. Being from South Carolina, she knows heat and humidity.

ladymermaid, one of the things I like to do at Bahia Honda is to sit in my beach chair in the water.

highbay

GoTravel:
It has NOT gotten over 83 degrees since we have been here. I can't believe there could be that big a difference between Islamorada and Cudjoe Key. Being a native of Florida, I too certainly know what humidity is. There simply is none right now.

SusanCS

We were in Key West from April 24th to May 15th. The first and last week were fairly pleasant, but the middle week was miserable. Maximum humidity ranged from 89% to 94%. In Key West this week the maximum humidity is apparently ranging from the mid 70% to mid 80%. You can check stats at weatherunderground.com

highbay

Okay Susan: I have been here since May 8th and the wind has steadily blown approx. 15 mph on a daily basis. The humidity level may be 90% in Key West, but with the winds at that speed, you do NOT feel it, unless you are spending the evening on Bridal Path with the homeless in a tent. What was the temp? The relative humidity today (according to NOAA) was 67%. The high in Cudjoe Key was 85 today.

I do not work for the Chamber of Commerce, but I am so tired of seeing people exaggerate the Florida temps....heat and humidity,etc. I agree that it can be miserable in Aug and Sept., but feel it gets a bad rap at other times.
My husband had told me to stop extolling the "fine" weather of Florida, in hopes that others will not come and spoil our fun spots here. Maybe he has a good idea.

highbay

Susan: Just for yucks, I looked at the stats on underground weather for the following city's for today:

New York: 91% humidity with temp @ 88 degrees.

Charleston: 87% humidity with temp @ 86 degrees.

Cudjoe Key: 70% humidity with temp @ 86 degrees.

These were highs both for humidity levels and for temps. I would love to be miserable right now, because that would mean that I would be bluewater fishing in the Gulf Stream. But the truth is, it is WINDY as hell, and that means we have only been on the Gulf Stream one time (Saturday) since we have been here. I stand by my previous posts.

highbay

Susan: I looked on weather underground, and the "high" humidity in Key West for the week of May 1 through May 8 (the week you said was miserable) was 89% and that was for the 1st, 2nd, and 5th. It was 80% on the 3rd, 72% on the 4th, 76% on the 6th and 73% on the 6th.
Please check the STATS carefully before quoting them. As it appears the max. humidity level for the time you were "miserable" was 89%.

lenleigh

First off congratulations twice on the marriage and baby! We will be celebrating our 3 year anniversary in two weeks and we also went to the keys for our honeymoon around the same time you are going. We live in Colorado and yes, it was hot as hell (really be prepared for the humidity which neither CO or AZ comes close to). While we were there we watched a couple get married outside at our hotel and I was amazed they didn't pass out with everything they were wearing! We stayed in Key Largo, flew into Miami and rented a car which we drove to Key West twice and all over. The reason why we picked the keys was because my two sisters were gracious enough to give their airline miles and hotel points to us and within the continental U.S. we wanted something resembling tropics.

Personally I think renting a car (we rented a convertible eclipse) because we had a blast just driving down highway 1 which is beautiful. I would definitly go to Bahia Honda. Dry Tortugas looked nice but the boat ride over was pretty expensive so we never did it. You'll find a lot of things to do in Key West, some of them were sort of cheesy but fun. We loved the seafood (Conch Fritters!) so we looked for that everywhere we went but you might not be up to a lot of seafood! I loved the snorkeling, saw lobster and some of the largest fish I've ever seen in the water.

lenleigh

I might add to Highbaby that anything over 50% humidity would be purely misreable for just about anyone from the western side of the country. CO and especially AZ have high heat but very little humidity and that makes a world of difference.

highbay

Lenleich: I've been out west, and you are right about very low humidity and high heat. I don't think there is any place on the eastern seaboard that has less than 50% humidity at any time. Why, in Portland, Maine there is 94% humdity!

GoTravel

highbay, I'm not questioning what you are saying I'm just repeating what my mother said to me over the phone Saturday.

ladymermaid

Why we chose the Keys....

Well, we were supposed to go to Ireland for two and a half weeks in September for a belated Honeymoon, but once we found out I was pregnant we decided to stay in the states just in case anything happens, and to go right after the wedding so I am not too tired and too big, and so we can save quite a bit of money for the new house with an extra room for the babe....that's why.

Anyways...as I said we are seasoned travellers so the heat/humidity doesn't matter, we just want to know some cool things to do.

Thanks!