aliska

There will be 4 of us staying in Key West from Dec 22-25 (prime season!!). After doing research, very interested in Sheraton Suites as it has 2 double beds and a sleeper sofa. Reviews on Trip Advisor are pretty favorable. Not right in heart of Duvall St., OK with us, we will have car and hotel has shuttle plus 2 teenagers who should not be out drinking anyway. Any Fodorites have experience here? Any restaurant recs? We want to stop at Pennecamp Water park in Key Largo, any idea how far driving from here? Thanks!

aliska

ttt

SAnParis

If this is the place on Smathers Beach, you don't want to stay there. You're right by the Airport & nothing else. You'll need to get into your car to use the bathroom. You have to stay in Old Town. Personally, I don't like to stay beyond Truman. There are many posts on here re: Key West, just do a search. You'll also need an entire day to get to Key Largo & back, it's not close & depending on traffic, that could be one miserable day, particularly when you happen to be going. You've barely given yourself time to even get a taste of Key West, I'd just stay there, & enjoy. BTW Key Largo is probably about 100 miles, @ least 2 hours under the best of circumstances, which is rare when driving in the Keys. I'll see if I can top some recent ones for you as well.

SusanCS

My brother-in-law and his wife stayed at the Sheraton Suites several months ago and liked it a lot. It was their first trip to Key West and the location didn't bother them at all. The hotel has apparently undergone a recent renovation and is quite nice.

If the weather is nice, your teens would probably love Smathers Beach for all the reasons I don't! It's very crowded, and the street is lined with food vendors and people renting water crafts. It's just across the street from the Sheraton Suites.

I understand your dilemma looking for double beds. Unfortunately, I can't remember which places have them, but I think most of the options are inns and guesthouses rather than hotels. You might look into the Island City House. It has all sorts of different accommodations, is in an excellent location and gets rave reviews. http://islandcityhouse.com

Key West is very much a walking town. If you stay in Old Town, you'll be within close walking distance of sunset celebrations, tourist activities and restaurants. Even with a car, parking can be difficult to find. I might add that you won't have to worry about your teens drinking at night because Key West is VERY strict about underage drinking. Teens aren't allowed in bars (even with parents) after about 9 o'clock at night.

A couple of other thoughts: I'm not sure what minimum stay is required over Christmas but I'd be surprised if it weren't at least 4 nights, so you should probably check that. In addition, I agree that for such a short time you should head on down to Key West and forgo Key Largo. If you plan on snorkeling or diving (you'll probably need wet suits), you can do that in Key West, too.

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!

bookhall

SAnParis is right. The reason the Sheraton Suites has nice rates is location. It's among the worst on the island. A quick tip: Any time you see the word Roosevelt in the address for lodging, stay away.

It's gonna cost you more to stay in Old Town, but you won't regret it. Go to http://keywestinfo.com/ . It's the official Key West Welcome Center, and they're quite helpful. Honest.

aliska

Bookhall, you might be interested to know that I did contact the Key West info site you mentioned. Not very helpful at all. I spoke to a woman who asked me what my accommodations price range is. Their policy is NOT to divulge the name of the property they are booking you in or be able to describe whether this is 1,2,3, or 4 star property until after you have booked with your credit card!! Well, this won't work for me. We will continue to look for a place stay, thanks for your help.