KEY WEST
About
After 20+ years of enjoying winter vacations in Florida, my husband and I finally made it to the state's most southern point in February of 2022. Read on to find out what we loved about the tropical paradise, and how we'd plan our next trip for a better experience.
THE DETAILS
Visiting the Florida Keys was part of a 3-week road trip my husband and I took around Florida's entire coastline, so we only stayed 3 nights at the Banana Bay Resort & Marina in Vaca Key, and drove down to Key West for a day filled with sunshine and adventure. To be honest, we'd always avoided visiting the Keys as we were told it's not a "lay on the beach" kind of environment, and that's generally our favorite vibe. But we were pleasantly surprised by our experience...
GETTING AROUND
There's basically one major road that passes through the Keys, so it's not convenient to hop around without a vehicle, and calling for an Uber or Lyft can be extremely expensive. Driving through the Keys requires patience, however, as traffic can be slow, and in fact, the speed limit cuts down to 30 MPH after dark. It took almost twice as long to return to our resort in Vaca Key from Key West. There's not as much to see from the main road as I expected, and everything is extremely spread out (nothing was really within walking distance from our resort). Because of all these factors, if we're given another chance to visit the Keys, I would definitely rent a place in downtown Key West where it's convenient to travel everywhere by foot (especially if it's another whirlwind experience).
BANANA BAY
resort
Although we didn't get to spend as much time at our resort as I would've liked, the overall experience was disappointing. Both the pool and bar on the point of the property were closed despite the posted hours. I'm not sure if it was because of the lingering pandemic, or if they just don't adhere to a schedule during weekdays. The view was beautiful, however, and the accommodations were high-end. Still, I would not book this property again as it's located on a busy road, and the bars/restaurants in the area were not within a casual walking distance (and we're usually okay with long walks).
DAY SAIL
Being the water bug that I am, we couldn't visit the Keys without taking a cruise on the water. The 2-hour Windjammer Classic day sail with Schooner Appledore was hands-down my favorite part about this trip! We parked a few blocks from the marina in Key West next to the iconic Harpoon Harry's. After indulging in their scrumptious breakfast (I highly recommend their biscuits and gravy) and Bloody Marys, we boarded the schooner just after noon and enjoyed free cocktails (they even had my favorite - Prosecco!) while cruising along the bay for two sunshine filled hours. Our son serves in the Coast Guard, so we couldn't help but get excited with the site of the fleet of Coast Guard ships parked nearby!
TRIP SUMMARY
Despite renting a place in a more affordable area, staying in the Keys still nearly broke our budget, and it was cumbersome to get around. If you plan to stay for more than a few nights, I would look into splitting a rental in the heart of Key West with a large group. There's so much to see and do in downtown Key West, and I love how it came alive after dark!