Places to stay in Key West, any recommendations

[seemunkee]

and/or Key Largo Looking for something under $200 a night. We are planning on doing some snorkeling out at the Dry Tortugas after stopping at Pennekamp. We are looking to go around Memorial day.

[Inchworm]

1. We always stayed on Marathon

I don't remember why though. We usually rented boats and bar-hopped.

:hi:

[monmouth]

11. My son Kevin is the bartender at "Frosty's". I think it's an older bar

with a new name. Caters to the locals and prices are way below the norm.. Have fun..

[Inchworm]

19. That may have been the calling

the "local" aspect.

Well, funny story.. I used to drink .. a l.o.t.

I was in a bar on Marathon and the buddy I had with me got so blasted he passed out at the bar. I guess it was early 90s. The bartender asked me where he was staying. Two big dudes come in, asked me for his room key and then picked my buddy up and carried him to a cab. They also carried him to his room and locked the door lol

That seems all cool and stuff. Problem was we never locked the doors when we were out, so about 4-5 hours later I went to the room and he was passed out pretty as a peach inside.

I recall waking up on the windowsill at sunrise hugging the screen that I had managed to get loose from the window :D

gawd... good times.

:hi:

[yellowdogintexas]

2. Dry Tortugas is not to be missed. Take the day trip out of Key West

on the big Catamaran. You can even go out on one day, camp in the little campground and go back the next day, so you get 2 full days on the island. It is lovely.


we stayed here: http://www.seashellbeachresort.com/ just north of Marathon. We liked it. however the turtle grass smells at low tide. We stayed anyway. There is a similar style family run place next door.

We snorkeled Sombrero Reef and took a snorkel trip from the state park that is south of Marathon.
here: http://www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda/ There are cabins and things here and we would have stayed there but they were booked. We also snorkeled at Pennecamp and spent a day in the Everglades before we went down to Marathon.


We took this trip about 10 years ago, so things could have changed, but we were very happy overall with our stay. There are lots of unfancy places all along the Keys, Key West will be more expensive.

DO tour Ernest Hemingway's house and enjoy all those multidactyl kitties.

edited to add: we were very glad we chose to stay in the Middle Keys area, as nothing was too far in either direction.

[XemaSab]

4. I second camping on the Tortugas

It's really special, and it's $3 a night. :D

[Steven_S]

3. I stayed at this place....

http://oceankey.com/oceankey_partners.aspx


Ocean Key Resort. It was several years ago but the place is right where the action is and it's really nice.

[yellowdogintexas]

5. this is all making me want to take a snorkeling vacation again. nt

[Steven_S]

7. I go almost every day in the summer...

Only I do it in the Long Island Sound.

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. If you want to go to the Dry Tortugas stay as far south as possible.

so you don't spend too much time in transit. Key Largo is way up keys.

I wish I had some places to recommend, but I've got guaranteed beds every January because of my in-laws so I've never had to shop for lodging.

Unfortunately, there isn't really an off-season for Key West. It's pretty much always high season.


Not sure if you'd consider this kosher, but I know Hyatt is desperate to get people into their Windward Pointe resort. You might get a good deal if you agree to listen to a sales pitch. *shrug*

Wish I had more suggestions. Sorry!

[seemunkee]

8. I try to stay away from places like the hyatt

We were thinking of spending two nights around Marathon/Key Largo and 3 nights in Key west.

[BreweryYardRat]

9. I was halfway to the morgue with a vicious cold the last time I visited Key West.

Let me talk to my dad in the morning, see if he remembers any of the restaurants we visited.

[XemaSab]

10. You gotta eat some Cuban food

We went to the BEST little Cuban place with a HUGH mural of Elian on the wall... GOD the food was GOOD. :9

[seemunkee]

15. Do you remember the name?

[poiuytsister]

16. I didn't go but I heard a lot about

a little hole in the wall place called Pepe's

[XemaSab]

20. I don't, sadly

:(

[lost-in-nj]

12. Just booked this for my son

for the second year in a row
he liked it

http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/EYWDTDT-Doubletree-Grand-Key-Resort-Florida/index.do


I agree on the Tortuga trip!!!
but I would take the bigger Cat boat. They have good cold frozen drinks to buy on the trip back to KW :)

Beautiful place and if your a camper its probably a great place to camp.
no amenities at all though.
have fun and I am SO jealous, I love Key West

lost

[trof]

13. We stayed on a cabin cruiser in Key Largo once.

It was docked in a nice marina with bar & grill, laundry, etc.
Didn't take it out, just rented it to live on for a week.
It was pretty cool.
2 cabins, 2 heads and a decent galley.
Me & Miz t., our little girl and her friend.
It was advertised in the Airline Pilots' Magazine classifieds.
You might try a google.

[poiuytsister]

14. I just got back form Key West

Best time EVAH!

It was a girls get away so we weren't looking for anything romantic and since we were there in Feb we paid top dollar. We stayed at the Inn at Key West which was wonderful, except that it was at the north end of the key and we had to shuttle downtown everyday. $23 and damn well worth it. However when I go back, and someday I will, I want to stay right downtown on Duvall at a hotel called La Concha. It was built in 1923, I think but is beautiful, and within the price range of everything else down there. It's haunted of course. Let me know if you want more KW info. I loved it.

[seemunkee]

17. The Crowne Plaza?

Is this the place?
http://www.laconchakeywest.com/
Looks nice, but we're trying to stay away from a chain hotel.

Where did you eat? Any recommendations? I could live off conch fritters and beer.

[poiuytsister]

18. I try to avoid chains as well, but

it "felt" like a stand alone. The location was perfect, tho, right in the heart of downtown.

Must eats: The Conch Republic. Grouper is really big down there, I am not a fish person but it was so fresh and prepared so many wonderful ways I was hooked. And being a Jimmy Buffett fan I had to go to Margaritaville which turned out to have really good food -- a cheeseburger, of course. Medium rare with an onion slice. We also ate at the Grand and Mango (a/k.a The Last Mango) both right on Duvall and both excellent. Go to Captain Tonys for a beer. It is the real, original Sloppy Joes where Hemingway hung our. There is still a place called Sloppy Joes but it is a rather scary biker bar. And of course take an hour to go to Hemingways house, just to see all the polydactyl kittehs. O hai, I haz 6 toez.

Don't forget the sunset on Mallory Pier.

Can you tell I want to go back.

[yellowdogintexas]

21. oh you have to stop at Mangrove Mama's which is on the last key before

you get to actualy Key West. Heading south it is on the right @ Mile Marker 20. I hope it is still there, it is such a neat and funky place. It had undoubtedly the BEST KeyLime Pie we ate the whole trip. And we ate a lot of Key LIme Pie.

[poiuytsister]

22. I don't remember seeing that place

not to say I didn't blow by it, but I would remember that name. When did you see it last?

[yellowdogintexas]

23. it was 10 years ago. however I think it is still there..it is set back in a grove of trees