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A Florida keys trip is on many people’s bucket lists. Should you go as a family or with other adults? What should you do while you are there? Well, I have you covered.
I have made two trips to the Florida keys. The first one was in the Fall of 2012 with my husband. It was a fantastic 4-day trip with just the two of us. The second trip took place in July 2021. Our family of 4, which included a 13 and a 15 years old, went down for a beautiful week-long vacation.
In this article, I’ll share honest reviews of the places we stayed and of all the things we did. Both trips took place before my blogging days. Therefore, I will have limited restaurant information. I have done my best to remember as many of them as I can and include them below. Let’s jump in.
Florida keys Hotels and places we stayed at
During our first trip, we chose to stay at two different keys during our 4-day trip. Our first stop was Key Largo. We stayed at the Hilton Key Largo, which doesn’t exist anymore.
Our second location was Key West. We stayed at the Casa Marina by Hilton. It is a beautiful and luxurious hotel with rooms currently going for about $500 per night. We were celebrating and did splurge during this trip. The hotel is conveniently located off of the busy loud nightlife area. It would take us about 30 minutes to walk to the other side of the island using Duval Street. We only used the car once while in Key West to go on an excursion. I would recommend it if the price tag fits your budget.
For our second Florida keys trip, we decided to rent a place using AirBnB and stay there the entire time. To allow us to visit other keys, we picked a location right in the middle, in Marathon. I will be honest, we were not pleased with where we stayed. We rented at a small complex made of several tiny houses right on the beach. We knew the place was dated but we thought it would be clean. Unfortunately, it was not. The houses were in bad shape and so was the property. Therefore, I am choosing not to link the place.
With that said, Marathon was a great location. It is about a 2.5-hour drive from Miami International airport, about an hour from Key Largo, and approximately an hour and 15 minutes from Key West. However, be aware that traffic is common in the keys. There is ONE highway. When traffic gets backed up, everyone is impacted.
Top things to do in the Florida keys
Key Largo
- Everglades outpost: A non-profit animal rescue located technically in Homestead Florida. You do have to go back inland but it is only about a half hour from Key Largo. This is a beautiful center if you enjoy learning about animals. The staff is friendly and the animals seem well cared for.
- John Pennekamp Coral reef state park: We booked this excursion during our trip as a family. They took us out on a boat to the coral reef. It took about 45 minutes on the boat to get to the reef. It was quite windy that day and my son got a little nauseous so be aware if you tend to get seasick. However, the reef is beautiful and we got to see lots of life underwater. The state park also offers glass-bottom boat tours, scuba excursions, kayak rentals, and more.
Islamorada
- Robbie’s of Islamorada: This is super touristy, I will give you that. However, all we wanted to do was feed a giant tarpon and we got to! They also offer several excursions such as snorkeling, fishing, scuba, jet skiing, and more. The place has an open-air market with several shops full of souvenirs (we bought a cool old-looking map of the keys) and a restaurant. We did not eat there.
- Florida keys watersports company Islamorada: We signed up for a jet ski guided tour with them. It was terrifying yet really fun. The waves were enormous and I was trying my best to keep up with the group with my tiny 13 years old daughter sitting behind me. She loved it! As of me, I drank half my body weight in salt water and was just happy we all survived. We rented two jet skis. The kids just rode behind us and I’m glad we did it that way. My son could have been on his own jet ski and I would probably have died of a heart attack.
Marathon
- The turtle hospital: Beautiful turtle hospital with great education programs. We learned so much while we were there. If you are lucky, you could be visiting during a week when they plan to release a turtle into the wild. That did not work out for us, but it would have been a unique thing to see. We spent a couple of hours there. I highly recommend it.
- Sombrero beach: The Florida keys have very few beaches, and most of them are rocky. Sombrero beach is a beautiful white sandy beach right in Marathon. If you want a quiet beach day during your Florida keys trip, head to Sombrero beach.
7 miles bridge
Even if you are not planning to explore past Marathon, I would encourage you to at least drive the 7 miles bridge. This bridge is 7 miles over the beautiful turquoise water. The view is stunning.
Key West
- Key West lighthouse: Put on some comfortable and walk up the 88 steps to see magnificent views of Key West. The current lighthouse opened in 1848 and was kept by a woman, which was unusual. This was a great quick visit that I recommend to those capable of getting up and down the iron spiral staircase.
- Ernest Hemingway home and museum: And CATS!! So many cats. Ernest Hemingway was a famous author who won the Nobel prize of literature in 1954. The house was built in 1851. Ernest Hemingway purchased it in 1931 and resided there until 1939. The house, in addition to being a museum is now home of approximately 60 six-toed cats. Ernest was given a white six-toed cats which is the ancestor of many of the current cats living in the home. This is a great visit if you love cats, Ernest Hemingway’s work, or history in general.
- Mile marker zero, or the most southern points in the continental US should is a fun way to capture your time in Key West. The line can be long, so I recommend going early if you can.
- Dry Tortugas National Park: Between the everglades and the Dry Tortugas, you can check two National parks off of your bucket list. This 19th-century fort is located about 70 miles West of Key West. This 100 square-miles park can only be accessed via boat or seaplane. To add an extra cool adventure, we chose to go by seaplane. It was an amazing experience. We departed from Key West airport early in the morning. Because the plane is much faster, we got there before the first boat and had the fort mostly to ourselves for a while. We rented snorkeling equipment and spent a few hours exploring the park from the water. This is a great visit you should consider adding to your next Florida keys trip.
Food recommendation
- Islamorada brewery and distillery: Cute place with a fun outdoor seating area. The food was average but we enjoyed the beer. The staff was friendly. The atmosphere was relaxed and kids were welcomed.
- Island fish company in Marathon: We loved this place and actually ate there twice. Both times were for dinner. It is located right on the water (like most restaurants in the keys). It does get really busy. Therefore, arrive early and plan on waiting.
- Sparky’s landing fish and cocktail in Marathon: A good restaurant next to a water canal. As most places in the area, there is a wait so plan ahead.
- Key Colony Inn Restaurant & Lounge in Marathon: The restaurant is nothing fancy and it is not in a particularly pretty part of Marathon, but the food was really good! Because of the location I suppose, we didn’t have any wait which was great. I would definitely recommend it.
- Burdine waterfront in Marathon: We went there for lunch after a long morning at Sombrero beach. There was a huge storm and rain was pouring from the straw ceiling, it was a fun experience. The food and service were good. It’s really laid back with nothing fancy.
In conclusion
The keys are a fantastic vacation option for families, couples, or friend groups. There are so many options to choose from, and I hope this article gave you a good start on your Florida keys trip plan.
Bon voyage!
Cat xx