My friends and I are looking for a long weekend break from NYC and were thinking of heading down to Fort Lauderdale and driving on to Key West (not exploring Ft L). We would leave NY on Wed night and head to KW Thursday morning, returning on an evening flight Sunday night. It's a first visit for all of us and we just want to be able to chill, hang out and eat good food.. Can anyone advise if it's worth the trip for 3 full days in Key West? I am assuming it will take at least half a day to get back to Ft L to catch the return flight so am not factoring Sunday into our plans; I expect we will just have time to have a nice brunch/lunch and start driving!
Also, can anyone recommend things to do there? We're late 20's/early 30's and are not big party animals, but enjoy having some drinks and definitely need good food.. Thanks!
Are 3 days in Key West enough?
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It's a long way but you can do it. Have you thought about car one way and flying back to FLL the other? Or vice versa?
It is a long way, but it is pretty beautiful from Islamorada on down.
The other keys are so attractive that you might find it hard not to stop on the way down for a few brews and some fried seafood. One thing turns into another, and ... there you go, a whole day on the road! No time in Key West!
Three days on the ground in Key West is a good amount. You won't quite have that, but you will have two half days in the Keys, so I might do it if I were young and energetic.
That sounds like a great trip and yes, you have enough time to do justice to Key West. I would definitely visit the Hemingway House, even if you aren't fans of his writing. I can't stand any of his books, but his house and the polydactyl cats are fascinating.
I'd also plan on a day trip to go snorkeling at Bahia Honda State Park. It's just under a one-hour drive and the snorkeling there is quite good. There are also snorkeling tours out of Key West, but I've heard the coral and sealife is not as good as at Bahia Honda. You could even do a day trip to the Dry Tortugas National Park, but it's a bit pricey.
If you are looking at good accommodations at a reasonable price, check out the Best Western Plus Hibiscus. The rooms are large; the pool is nice; the parking is free and it's in a great location that's close (but not too close) to Duval Street.
Thank you both for your comments!
Ackislander - we have considered it but cost-wise it works out almost the same as flying both ways. With 4 of us it's much more cost effective to drive, we don't get to do that in nyc as none of us have cars so we're happy with another road trip!
Can anyone recommend any restaurants we ought to try?