Marie

My husband and I are thinking about going to the Keys in early December. We don't know which island to stay on. We want good snorkeling, snuba or diving. We also want a lot of wildlife, ie dolphins manatees, fish. We want someplace secluded, not busy, and just beautiful. I don't know much about the keys, so I need some help!

susan

Marie - I suggest you look into Islamorada. I'm not a diver, but I've heard it's a better area for diving and snorkeling than the lower keys. We stayed there at the Cheeca Lodge and thought it was nice. The place next door - the Moorings - would satisfy your desire for seclusion. It looked really beautiful. You might do a back search of this board for further information about it.

Maria

I live in the Miami area, and when we go to the Keys we prefer Islamorada as well. Cheeca Lodge is very nice, and there is a good listing of accomodations at the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce website, http://www.islamoradachamber.com/.
Islamorada offers all the acitivities you noted you would like to pursue on your vacation.
A disadvantage of Islamorada is that it is not that close to Key West, and so if you are planning to visit Key West, you will need to drive a little bit to get there from Islamorada. On the other hand, Islamorada not that far from Miami, if you are interested in seeing Miami.

Keys

I would also suggest Islamorada.

Marie

Thank you! I had been looking into Islamorada, it looks beautiful. Does anyone know how long it takes to drive to Key West from there? And I know this will be a silly question, but is it a high bridge? I'm afraid of heights. The Coronado Bay bridge in San Diego really freaks me out. I'm afraid I'm going to miss a lot of beautiful scenery because of my dumb phobia. Thanks everyone!

xxx

Marie, to get to Islamorada, you have to go over a bunch of bridges. Some small and some large. The biggest bridge is the 7 mile bridge which is outside Marathon which you must take in order to get to Key West. Key West is about 2 hours from the middle of Islamorada. If you give in to your phobia, you will miss a truly beautiful place.

Keys

The Keys are hundreds of islands linked by bridges.

Marie

Is there any difference in the Atlantic or Gulf sides to the islands? I hope thats not a dumb question.

xxx

In Key Largo and Islmorada, the Gulf side is actually the Florida Bay. It is not considered the Gulf until around Marathon. If you are staying in Islamorada, the Atlantic side (in my opinion) is nicer. Most of the hotels in Islamorada are on the Atlantic side.

native

Marie,
Just got back from my first trip (I'm embarassed to say) to the Keys. We stayed in Marathon - specifically Key Colony and LOVED it. We obviously drove through Islamorada, but didn't stop. Honestly, I wasn't impressed (maybe the closer you get to the resorts, the better it looks). That particular Key struck me as being very touristy - although all the Keys are that way, but it was more so. Marathon too is pretty bad, but Key Colony (which is a community on the island) was great. It was laid out with private canals throughout, there is a "cabana club" with it's own private "beach" a 3 par 9 hole golf course, etc. We rented a two bed/two bath house that was spotlessly clean, and wonderful with our own private 30' dock =- www.rentalinthekeys.com. From the canal we had access to both the gulf and the atlantic sides. As for snorkeling etc. We went down to go lobstering, so spent almost all the time in the water. Marathon is close to Seven Mile Bridge, which has some lovely areas to snorkel, and Sombero Reef, which is a state park. Isalmorada is close to John Pennekamp, and I have heard there is good sites to snorkel, but my boyfriend who is a frequent visitor of the Keys thinks middle/lower Keys are better. We saw lots of lobster, nurse sharks, manta rays, barracuda, etc VERY beautiful!!

sharon

message marie: Our family just returned from the key largo and islamorada. To those places, there were no long or high bridges. I am afraid of the Chesapeake bay bridge in Maryland so I am aware of bridges. We went snorkeling in Key Largo with Amy Slate's Dive shop and it was memorable. There were only 14 of us on the boat and the divemaster was attentive to our needs. We went to the Christ statue and the horseshoe reef and saw lots of parrotfish, angel fish, barracuda, tangs, a ray, fish in schools, coral of all kinds and it was calm and the water was crystal clear. Definitely bring an underwater camera. We can not wait to go back. There is also a dolphin center around that area and a bird refuge. I think you can still enjoy the Keys even if you cannot make it over the seven mile bridge. Have fun!