OT: Key West recs

[HuskyHawk]

When I was 22 it seemed like a good idea to drive from CT to Key West with a couple of buddies.
This was bad. I remember thinking what an idiot I was for thinking we were “almost there” when we got to Miami.
We stayed at El Patio Motel and played “Ignition Remix” on repeat all week.
We had a lot frozen drinks with extra shots of 151 and a lot of beer.
I fell in love with a dancer.
There was a tiny pizza joint near southernmost point that had very… interesting… videos playing on loop. Pizza was trash but it hit the spot late at night.
The drive back was pure torture.

Basically… if you want to have a good time in Key West… don’t do any of these things.

Reminds me somewhat of my drive to Hilton Head from CT around that age, except I remember it fondly. Three UConn guys. We stayed at my parents' house (they were not there) near Beaufort, an hour and change away. First night we spent the night on the beach with a band and some Michelob the bar sold out the back door. Drove home, napped, drove back to the beach. Then home, showered, back to bars, then home. Put that on repeat for a week. The driving home at 2-3 AM was...unwise. More due to tiredness than alcohol. Place was loaded with ACC and SEC people. Briefly fell in love with a U Tennessee girl. Started speaking with a southern accent. Saw an awesome Hendrix cover band at the Old Post Office Emporium, sadly now closed. Learned that last call there meant they couldn't sell booze, but they could sell you a bucket of Rolling Rock at 1:55 AM and you didn't need to leave. Played beach volleyball with Marines from Parris Island and held our own.

Even in your case. You obviously got memories. Making memories is a good thing.

 

[Northbound]

Seven Fish for dinner - might have been mentioned.

 

[Stinger92860]

When I was 22 it seemed like a good idea to drive from CT to Key West with a couple of buddies.
This was bad. I remember thinking what an idiot I was for thinking we were “almost there” when we got to Miami.
We stayed at El Patio Motel and played “Ignition Remix” on repeat all week.
We had a lot frozen drinks with extra shots of 151 and a lot of beer.
I fell in love with a dancer.
There was a tiny pizza joint near southernmost point that had very… interesting… videos playing on loop. Pizza was trash but it hit the spot late at night.
The drive back was pure torture.

Basically… if you want to have a good time in Key West… don’t do any of these things.

No tattoo?

 

[8893]

No tattoo?

 

[CTMike]

No tattoo?

Unfortunately no. For a good 500 miles on way home though my buddy wrote on a whiteboard and stuck in the rear window “my name is CTMike from Hartford CT and I like boys”
Just shook my head at next gas station and admitted defeat.

 

[Edward Sargent]

I will second Casa Marina, we stayed there and golf carted everywhere as my wife was having issues with her hip. Hemingway;s house and Mallory are great I don't remember where we ate but don't remember a bad meal either, enjoy

 

[CTBasketball]

I’ll be in Southern FL in July and August I might have been convinced to take the drive down there.

 

[alexd]

We were in Key West in 1997. A lot of pluses have already been covered here. I do remember a great meal at what was then Kelly's, a few blocks off of Duval. It was owned by actress Kelly McGillis. I guess it's now called First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery. A very cool building that was the birthplace of Pan American Airways and has a huge outdoor area under some huge trees.

 

[Chin Diesel]

When I was 22 it seemed like a good idea to drive from CT to Key West with a couple of buddies.
This was bad. I remember thinking what an idiot I was for thinking we were “almost there” when we got to Miami.
We stayed at El Patio Motel and played “Ignition Remix” on repeat all week.
We had a lot frozen drinks with extra shots of 151 and a lot of beer.
I fell in love with a dancer.
There was a tiny pizza joint near southernmost point that had very… interesting… videos playing on loop. Pizza was trash but it hit the spot late at night.
The drive back was pure torture.

Basically… if you want to have a good time in Key West… don’t do any of these things.

Fat Tuesday's daiquaris with the floaters are a must.

I too almost fell "in love" with a dancer. Forget the name of the club. Think it was the Upstairs?? Been a while but I think there was good drunk pizza near Rumrunners bar.

Too many good stories about Rick's on nickel draft night.

The whole point of Key West if you are there to have fun is to basically drink excessively, do some things you probably wouldn't do anywhere else, not be judged for it and not feel guilty about it. It's hedonism without judgement.

 

[HooperScooper]

We were in Key West in 1997. A lot of pluses have already been covered here. I do remember a great meal at what was then Kelly's, a few blocks off of Duval. It was owned by actress Kelly McGillis. I guess it's now called First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery. A very cool building that was the birthplace of Pan American Airways and has a huge outdoor area under some huge trees.

Cool place.

 

[Vancat]

a "dancer"?

 

[Greathusky]

Geez - you guys are better than Trip Advisor!

 

[HCCForever]

Fat Tuesday's daiquaris with the floaters are a must.

I too almost fell "in love" with a dancer. Forget the name of the club. Think it was the Upstairs?? Been a while but I think there was good drunk pizza near Rumrunners bar.

Too many good stories about Rick's on nickel draft night.

The whole point of Key West if you are there to have fun is to basically drink excessively, do some things you probably wouldn't do anywhere else, not be judged for it and not feel guilty about it. It's hedonism without judgement.

I went to a club called "Bare Assets" on Truman which last time I was there last year was still open. There is also a "Red Garter" on Duval. Key West is a good place to drink until 4AM than start up again at 7.

 

[CTMike]

a "dancer"?

She had great moves and really liked me. I think.

 

[8893]

She had great moves and really liked me. I think.

 

[Palatine]

We stayed at The Reach. It has been a while , so check it out as things have probably changed. It is on the water and does have a small sandy beach which is one of the very few in Key West. Near the quiet end of Duvall. They would come around the pool with small frozen towels or spray you with cold Evian mist.

 

[8893]

We stayed at The Reach. It has been a while , so check it out as things have probably changed. It is on the water and does have a small sandy beach which is one of the very few in Key West. Near the quiet end of Duvall. They would come around the pool with small frozen towels or spray you with cold Evian mist.

Thanks. Interesting, as that one has not come up before. Looks like it is owned by Hilton now. They claim to be the only private, natural sand beach in Key West.

I gather that the beach at the Pier House is man made and some of the reviews have mentioned that it's not much to enjoy in that respect; but I thought both the Southernmost Beach Resort and Casa Marina had their own private sandy beaches as well?

Geez - you guys are better than Trip Advisor!

There are tons of reviews on Trip Advisor but the thing troubling me the most is that each of these top places has at least one or more very recent reviews where people are complaining about lack of service and filthy rooms, when they are paying between $700 and $1,200 per night for what are supposed to be some of the finest rooms on the island.

It sounds like the housekeeping is really suffering at a lot of these places during Covid, when they have only been cleaning the rooms once every three days.

We experienced a bit of that the week before last when we stayed at the Marriott Renaissance Arts in Providence. I usually love that chain and this was a nice enough hotel and room, but it was noticeably less clean than expected, including a few children's toys I found behind one of the chairs, and some food waste on the carpet.

That kind of stuff can queer a trip for us in short order, so I'm hoping that the level of service improves. In the meantime I'm also thinking more about smaller places with much fewer rooms, which would seem to reduce the housekeeping burden and the risk of being disappointed.

 

[Waquoit]

We stayed at The Reach. It has been a while , so check it out as things have probably changed. It is on the water and does have a small sandy beach which is one of the very few in Key West. Near the quiet end of Duvall.

Heh heh, you said quiet end. A few years back, we were on Duval walking back to the action from Louis' Backyard (awesome view, food was pricey but pretty good. Our option is a nice cocktail to start the drinking day on their deck). First bar we pass has a naked guy with a cowboy hat dancing where the windows would be. The GF didn't even notice. The place had a (un)cover charge if you wanted to watch from the front and really queer a trip.

 

[HooperScooper]

We stayed at The Reach. It has been a while , so check it out as things have probably changed. It is on the water and does have a small sandy beach which is one of the very few in Key West. Near the quiet end of Duvall. They would come around the pool with small frozen towels or spray you with cold Evian mist.

The Reach is next to Casa Marina. At one time they were both Marriott properties and shared some amenities. I'm not sure if that's still the case.

 

[8893]

The Reach is next to Casa Marina. At one time they were both Marriott properties and shared some amenities. I'm not sure if that's still the case.

Both owned by Hilton now; Casa Marina is a Waldorf Astoria, Hilton's luxury brand.

 

[Palatine]

Heh heh, you said quiet end. A few years back, we were on Duval walking back to the action from Louis' Backyard (awesome view, food was pricey but pretty good. Our option is a nice cocktail to start the drinking day on their deck). First bar we pass has a naked guy with a cowboy hat dancing where the windows would be. The GF didn't even notice. The place had a (un)cover charge if you wanted to watch from the front and really queer a trip.

We had a late cocktail at Louis almost every night. One evening we met Lawrence Fishburn in there. Very cool place.

 

[David 76]

Almost 40 years since I moved from KW. Can't give you anything relevant re food or lodging. Pier House and Marriott were brand new then.
Big thing is, if you want space and nature, stay at a different key.
If you want ambiance and people watching, stay in KW. Action is/was centered around Duval St. on the Mallory Square side. I think the island is 1.5 X 2.5 so transportation is not an issue. I would get a place walkable to Mallory Square
If staying on KWI ( lived there 2 years without A car.)
It was a unique combination of Cubans (out machoed my East Haven roots), artists, gays and a few actual natives who descended from New Englanders
Who wanted to avoid the Revolutionary War (We would rather eat conch than fight).

 

[Eleven]

We have a condo on Duval, at the quiet end about six short blocks from Southernmost. Great location. Can walk down Duval to everything. At night,
there is live music everywhere. Stick your head in as you walk by and stay for a drink or two if you like the sound. At the end of the night, we’re too lazy (or wasted) to walk back so pedicabs are a nice treat.

Definitely drive the Keys. Just don’t do it on Friday or Saturday. The scenery is awesome and there are a lot of good places to stop. Mrs Eleven and I biked from Key Largo couple years ago. Did about 35 miles/day and enjoyed the Keys more than on any of the many drives, even though they were also nice.

The Yankee Clipper to Dry Tortugas is a great day. Saw sea turtles, flying fish, baraboo on the way. Snorkeled the reef around the fort. Add in lunch and some history and you have a wonderful experience.

Next island over, Stock Island, has location called Hurricane Hole (I think) where you can rent jet skis and kayaks. The paddle through the mangroves was fun. There is also a jet ski tour around KW from that location, which was loads of fun.

There is so much to do, Day and night. The diversity of people and attitudes are certainly there but everyone does their own thing and nobody bothers anyone else. It’s quite a live and let live atmosphere, so if the things that are different are bothersome to someone, those things are actually quite easy to ignore.

 

[8893]

Definitely drive the Keys. Just don’t do it on Friday or Saturday. The scenery is awesome and there are a lot of good places to stop. Mrs Eleven and I biked from Key Largo couple years ago. Did about 35 miles/day and enjoyed the Keys more than on any of the many drives, even though they were also nice.

I would love to do the drive but we're already kind of shoehorning this trip in, and between the connections through Miami and the drive to and from Key West it looks like it would take up a good amount of that time, versus direct flights in between JFK and Key West, which are just over three hours each way. Also, Mrs. 8893 has vertigo and doesn't dig long bridges over water, so I don't think it would be nearly as enjoyable for her. Finally, with the rental car shortages right now, adding a car to this trip seems unnecessary otherwise when it appears that almost everything in Key West itself is walkable.

As an alternative, would it make sense to rent a car for a day trip drive while we are in Key West? Or do you think something like the Dry Tortugas trip you suggested would be a better use of our time?

 

[methodology]

If you stumble into the Garden of Eden and make it to the rooftop, keep your eyes and hands up.

I was roped into going there with a group of girls I was with. A 6' 8 giant muscled black man came in (one of the largest humans I've ever seen) got the one remaining lounge chair next to us and went to his birthday suit. I turned to the girls and was said that's my sign to leave it was down to his kneecap

An older friend of mine has been going down to key west for about past 35 years became real good friends with captain Tony (captain Tony's saloon) when he died in 2008 at 92 years old all his kids were at his funeral forget how many but they ranged from 68 (oldest) to I think 21 (youngest). Guy lived an insane life and had so many stories