Key West & Islamorada
We had been to Key West a few times before this, but those were just cruise stops (day trips). Our intent this go-around was to actually experience what Key West had to offer beyond some of the main tourist highlights, the Hemmingway House, Conch Train Tour, and a few other places we had visited in the past. The Perry Hotel, on Stock Island, offered us the ability to be close to Key West but also have space from it. The hotel has multiple pools, restaurants, and a great coffee shop that offered smoothies (one of our go-to breakfasts).
On our first day in the Key West area, we did a Sunset & Dolphin tour on a Catamaran by ECO Tour. They were a BYOB tour, which jetted out around 4:15, and had around 14 people on board. The weather may not have cooperated for the sunset that we had imagined in our minds, but there were plenty of dolphins to make up for that. What was really great, we to just be on the water and be able to be disconnected for a few hours from everything else and enjoy the moment. Being surrounded by water, complete strangers, and soaking in the views of Key West and the surrounding area was just what we needed. We took the recommendation of the Captain and went to dinner at Moondog Cafe, which was an amazing place where we were able to sit outside and have a great meal. The next evening we decided to see Key West from what seemed to be the way the majority do, by Golf Cart. We rented an electric golf cart from Arcimoto and toured around the island. The one drawback (which we completely understand) is the speed on the golf cart is limited to 25mph. For our drive, there were a few spots where the speed limit was above that which we just had to deal with being in the slow lane. Nobody became irate or anything, they just seemed to treat it as a normal occurrence. This was the perfect way to get around Key West, we were able to zip around, easily park, and had what felt like some freedom of getting around. We would highly recommend renting one to go and explore more of the island than Duval St. and the surrounding area. One place that was recommended to us was Louie’s Backyard for sunset. We could not get a reservation for dinner, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as their outdoor bar had the best views. We will definitely be back on our next visit though to try out their food. On our last day, we got breakfast/lunch at Sarabeths which had great service and when our server asked what plans we had for the weekend, we responded that we were heading back. We felt this feeling of disappointment that we had to start heading north. Though we had one more stop on this adventure, this one would lead us to Islamorada with a pit stop on the way. About an hour north of Key West is Big Key Island, famous for its Key Deer and wildlife sanctuary land. We weren’t fortunate on the way down to see any as we drove through different parts of the Key. This time we were determined, did as many walking tours of the wildlife refuge as we could only to find 0 wildlife, despite the signs telling us to watch out for everything from birds to poisonous snakes (oh yay!). Feeling defeated, we headed back to the highway, where we saw one just crossing the road. Then we saw a second in the grocery store parking lot. Look closely, they are there!
Our last evening of the trip, in Islamorada was pleasant, we stopped at Islamorada Brewing, which was a fun and quirky brewery. Then we called it an early night so we could get up to capture the sunrise which we only had to walk 100 steps from our cottage to see. The sunrise came and it was just lovely to have a chill morning before heading back to the airport. On the way, we stopped and got breakfast in Key Largo at CoCo Plum Place which had refreshing food, and a great vibe to the place. As we got to the Miami airport, our mission became clear, to try out the Centurion Lounge which just happened to be on the opposite side of the airport where we got through security. After a 20 minute trek, we got there, and WOW… had to be one of the larger Centurion Lounges we have visited and worth the 40 minutes spent there. We could do a blog post just dedicated to Centurion Lounges we’ve been to thus far. All in all, another amazing chapter on this journey and off to the next which will take us to the central time zone.
