Husband and I are headed to Miami and then maybe to the Keys for a few days (1 week vacation in total). Any suggestions for resorts/hotels in Keys? Don't know much about the Keys, but like quaint places with a lot of character. Will be 6 mos. pregnant, so unfortunately cannot be too active. Would love to walk around a cute town, hang out at a the beach and pool and relax!!

If the Keys may not be the place, any recommendations for other places worth visiting and spending a few days in relatively close to Miami?

Thanks!!

Check out the Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada.

What's your budget? You couldn't beat Little Palm Island for total luxury and "get away/relaxation".

http://www.littlepalmisland.com/litt...land_home.aspx

Be sure to sit down though when you look at the prices. Don't want you to go into early labor.

We liked the Marquesa in Key West - very cute hotel with a nice pool area.

Not sure exactly how long you'll have for this excursion, but for walking around a cute town, Key West fills the bill. The other keys are located along U.S. Highway 1 and aren't walking destinations.

Having said that, it takes a good 4 hours to drive from Miami down to Key West, so whether that's a practical trip would be based on the amount of time you have.

The drive to key west is LOOONNNGGGG, and I would imagine you might get a bit uncomfortable sitting for 4 hours in a car (each way)on your vacation.I remember doing the drive and I remember hating it. Also, key west is not known for its beaches.

If you want to split up your time, you might consider going to palm beach for a few days and staying on the beach- like at the ritz or the four seasons. I wouldn't call palm beach cute, but it's very nice! And it's only about an hour and a half from Miami.

I think Key West is a great idea. You might want to spend a couple of nights there and then spend a night in the upper Keys to cut down on the drive back. If you are coming in the fall/winter, then you should add a stop in the Everglades.

My family just got back from a trip to marahon stating at Tranquility Bay. www.tranquilitybay.com

Marathon like most of the keys does not offer much except water related activities. All of the action is in Kew West But, the Tranquility bay is a first class resort with expansive and lovely grounds on the Gulf. There are two and thre bedroom townhouses with a porch and water views. Marathon has 2-3 decent restauarants, the best being the Island restaurant located on the water. Key West is an hour farher than Marathon.

The last 10-15 minutes into vcail can be nerveracking

If you like quaint, there's really only two places in that area, Key West, and its quaint in a touristy way (antique looking wooden buildings, etc.), or Naples, which is more updated, but still a great area to stroll downtown, and head over to the beach. Its 2 hours across Alligator Alley and very nice. I'd not call either of them "quaint". Naples has a more sophisticated feel, but lots of great dining, and a pretty beach that is usually very calm, and adjacent to the downtown area.

The keys in general are extremely layed back, old Florida in a motor lodge type of way with a lot of the spots between Miami and Key West laying right on the highway.

check out the Moorings on Islamorada, FL. About 90 min. from Miami airport...right next to the Cheeca Lodge, but you would never know it..well hidden on a virtually unmarked lane. About the same cost as Cheeca but smaller (just a complex of cottages large and small,really) and a lot less hubbub. But it has a wonderful pool,and a truly unforgettable private beach that is often used as the site for photo shoots for magazines and catalogs.
Go to:
mooringsvillage.com

I'd recommend Key West near Old Town. Duval St and Truman Ave are touristy, but there are lots of alternatives and you'll have a range of choices. The beach isn't perfection, but the water's great, it's got sunny and shady areas and there's terrific people watching (like most of KW). The other keys are much more limited in terms of activities, entertainment and restaurants, unless you just want to fish, relax and hang out. If you go to KW, you might consider a bed and breakfast rather than a large hotel--more atmosphere, generally friendlier and probably around the same cost (and they pretty much all have pools, often prettier than the large hotel pools). Enjoy!

I don't know if you have left for your trip yet, but we just stayed at Conch Key cottages last week and loved it. Check out conchkeycottages.com. We chose the Whelk cottage. There is a building under fairly quiet construction (more cement thean pounding in Florida I guess!) so I would choose the Whelk or the one in the middle, but the ones on the beach are very charming and have wonderful bedding and includes fresh oranges and a bread of some sort with coffee every monning . The pool is also quite nice... and if you want the more resort experience you are a quick drive to Hawk's Cay.