Spring Break in Key West

Flying into Miami, renting a minivan (hey, four girls = lots of stuff) and driving down the coast and through the keys is well worth it. It's cheaper than flying directly to Key West, it's a scenic drive with lots of neat places to stop, and you get to have a short "car vacation" which always yield more memories than a plane ride! :)

Hemingway's house is a must! I'm not an avid reader, but the guides also offer insite into a little Key West history, which was cool. The house itself is neat also.

There are lots of bars and clubs on Duval. We made it a point to try and visit all of them. They each have their highlights, and I recommend at least trying a few!

The weather in Key West is awesome! We began to wonder if it ever rains! A local assured us that it does, but rarely. I think he's lying because all the restaurants, bars, clubs, and many shops are open air with decks and outside patios. We only saw a few clouds during our entire stay!

Quick Tips:

Ask for locals suggestions for cheap places to eat - eating in KW is not cheap, but the locals have to eat somewhere!

Key West is famous for their sunsets and yes, you have to see one from Mallory Square. BUT, another (less-crowded) location is from the tallest building IN Old Town, The La Concha Hotel. It's on Duval, only 6 stories tall, but it's a great view of the sunset and the town.

A great thing about Key West restaurants: There is almost never a wait! We would never eat till 7 or 8, and where I'm from, this would mean waiting for an hour. Not in Key West! We were always seated promptly. (with the exception of our 20 minute wait at Hard Rock Cafe).

Best Way To Get Around:

Mopeds, bikes, and walking are the best ways to get around.

We had rented a car to get down there, but then returned it to the airport. Our 3 mile cab ride for the 4 of us? !! It was per person! As for having a car, there is nowhere to park near the main drag (Duval). Most of the parking on the streets near it is reserved for residents. There is no parking on Duval, and none of the restaurants have parking. There is a parking garage at one end (by Mallory Square), but I'm not sure how much it costs. Most everyone on the island is on mopeds (~/hour, /day, /week), bikes (/day, /week), Harleys (for which there is parking), little moped-engine cars (~/day i think), or just cruising in their convertibles on Duval (and not parking).

We rented bikes. They were great, but we were only a few blocks from the beach and half a block off Duval (easy walking distance). We enjoyed the exercise and the fun of renting the bikes.

We were looking for the perfect location, the perfect amenities, for a perfect price. We found what we were looking for here.

Jasmine House is relatively "new" to the Guest House World of Key West. In looking for accomodations, we found that most guest houses were unwilling to house SpringBreakers, but the Jasmine House people listened to our explanation (We''re ages 22-25, only one is still in college, and we''re nice, good girls who wouldn''t wreck the place... apparently guest houses had some problems with SBers in the 80s).

The owner gave us a break on the price since we got two rooms for 5 nights.

We arrived in Key West on a Sunday night. We followed the simple directions and found ourselves on a quaint little street with a little yellow and white house with all kinds of greenery out front and sparkling little lights in the bushes. It was like going to my grandmother''s house, but in paradise. We were greeted by a personal note from one of the owners on the door, telling us where the keys were and to have a good night.

There are three guest rooms in the house, two regular rooms, and a suite. We had the two regular rooms, which were the first two rooms as we passed the carribbean-colored-tiled porch and walked through the screen door. The two rooms each had a double bed, personal details, hand-picked furniture and knick-knacks, a (tiny) bathroom, a small refrigerator, and a TV. The hardwood floors had a rug covering them in each room (good in case of a "sand" accident on the wood floor) . The rooms were exactly what you would want to find at a relative''s house: clean, personal, with fresh towels and sheets and sunny yellow walls. French doors were our entrance to each room (and each had their own key) from the hallway.

We spent a few mornings sitting on the porch, enjoying the nice weather, greenery, and blue skies. It was wonderful. There was also a small pool at the guest house (Olivia) across the street that we were allowed to use, but never did.

Every night, we would walk the 7 or 8 blocks down Duval home from the bars & clubs, turn onto our little QUIET (we were amazed at how quiet it was, being only a half block from Duval), and go to our little house! We loved it. There were also convenient bike racks out front, and (for those with cars) a reserved parking space. It''s a very safe, quiet neighborhood, and we never were worried about coming home late at night. It''s a short bike ride to almost anywhere on the island.

As we were leaving, we told the caretaker that staying there was "like coming home to an aunt''s house every night." and that we felt "right at home." She said that was the kind of stuff they loved to hear!

The La Concha Hotel is not only a hotel, but a great place to watch the sunset (it's the tallest building in KW) and it's also on the National Register of Historic Places!

Last time we went to KW, we stayed last time near the 900 block of Duval, and although we LOVED our guesthouse, we decided to try somewhere different and closer to the bars and the action. It was so convenient that I doubt we'll ever stay anywhere else again. It was the perfect location for everything.

Upon arriving at the hotel, we walked into the lobby. It's an older hotel, but it has been restored, and it has a very "vacation-y" feel. It almost feels like you are outside, but you definitely feel like you are on vacation. Checking in was a breeze, with our pre-paid voucher.

Our first room had an odor that even the bellboy detected upon walking in. He made a call, and we were moved to another room.

All the rooms' windows look out to the street or (in our case) the parking lot, but right out our door was the door to the patio and pool area, which was nice. The pool is on the second floor, but there are landings leading down to it from even the fourth floor. Our room was a good size. Two queen beds, nightstand, table with chairs, armoire with a TV, and about six feet of room between the beds and the far wall. There was plenty of room for four girls. The bathroom was average. Our only complaint was there was only ONE plug in the bathroom (four girls!). At night, we found the hotel surprisingly quiet, and we all slept very well.

We had drinks at the the Crown Room restaurant a few times. The drinks were not cheap ($6-8), but they were good, and we could charge them to our room.

BONUS: Since this IS the tallest building in KW, it's also a great place to watch the Famous Key West Sunsets! Take the elevator up to the sixth floor (follow the crowd), and with your Hotel Keycard - you get in free! In the past couple years, they have started charging non-guests $5 (plus free drink ticket (beer/wine)) to watch the sunset. Grab a pina colada ($8, but worth it) and head outside to the amazing view of KW. There's also a guy with a guitar up there that plays music accompanying the sun setting.

Overall, the room was great, the service was great (we used the bellboy, and the concierge, and checked our bags there on the last day), the price was reasonable, and I would stay there again.

(I found the room for a pre-paid rate of $184 (including taxes)/night for three nights (in January -- "peak season"). Not too bad.)

This restaurant just looks FUN. Walking in you notice all the Key West/Jimmy Buffett memorabilia, street signs, and all the bright, loud colors covering the walls. The upstairs has the "shade" windows that make it look sort of like a house and then parts of the ceiling are covered in black plastic with holes to look like a "starry night". The music is, of course, Jimmy Buffett, and it's blaring from speakers encased in wooden crab traps suspended from the ceiling.

We were promptly seated at a table upstairs with a nice view of the people below. We really liked one large booth downstairs with a 3D-like painting of a field of yellow flowers. Looking over the menu, I decided that since we were "in paradise" and it's "MARGARITAville", that the Margarita would be a good start. At $6, I was highly dissappointed at the sour concoction that I received. However, the food made up for it.

Three of us ordered the "Cheeseburger in Paradise" which came with fries, and one ordered a fish (Mahi Mahi?) sandwich that came with cole slaw. The cheeseburgers arrived hot, fresh, and big. Very, very good. My friend finished hers in about 4 bites, she just couldn't put it down! The fish sandwich was obviously good, judging from the clean plate at the end of the meal.

I definitely recommend going there for a cheeseburger!!

This place was recommended as a really good, cheap place to eat breakfast or lunch by our guest house owner. She was right.

After finding many places to have $10 hamburgers and $15 caeser salads, it was nice to find somewhere with good home-cooked food at reasonable prices located within walking distance of our guest house, as well as Duval. The place is mostly filled with locals and a few tourists.

We went there twice for breakfast. Breakfast is served all day here, which is good, considering we were there at noon. The first time I got the belgian waffle that came with a side of one egg for $4.95. It was very down-home cooking, including the a little-burnt-on-the-bottom waffle. It was still good, and what I wanted - a good home-cooked breakfast. My friend said that their eggs were "the best I've ever had." One thing: Soft drinks are a little expensive: $1.50, no refills. Orange juice is a better deal @ $1. OJ was better anyway!

The next time we went, I got the "Deer Key" special. It came with two eggs, two pancakes, and two sausages. It was very good, and a great deal at around $5.

The restaurant itself has an interesting story, which is on the back of the menu. It opened in the 50s by a couple out of their garage using the kitchen in their house. The story goes into detail about how every one of their children and grandchildren have worked there and a few of the waitresses have been there for 20 years. It also talks about the physical changes and renovations that the restaurant has undergone through the years.

Overall, it was a relatively cheap, good breakfast.

All we knew was this place had "large portions", and you could order a "half portion", it had "good home-cooked food", and locals ate there. From the outside it looked a little dark, but we thought it might be a quaint little local's restaurant. The name "Our Place" also intrigued us.

One night, we were all famished, and running out of money, so we thought this place might be good. We walked in. It was a BAR. Well, that's what it looked like - it was dark, there were several pool tables, lots of smoke, and a bar. We just thought it was a restaurant! As we walked in a little further, with everyone in the "bar" staring at us. Past the bar, we saw some booths and tables, looking a little more like a restaurant...

We were the only people in the restaurant, and were tempted to leave, but sat down at a booth anyway. The waitress came out and brought some menus and we took a look and decided that their prices were cheap (if you got the half-portions), and the descriptions looked good. So we stayed. The whole place seemed "stale," like the kind you'd find on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere filled with truckers.

We all ordered half portions: 1 chicken scampi, 2 shrimp scampis, and a pork chop meal with mashed potatoes. The waitress assured us that these half portions were big!

We were famished, and we noticed that another table of people who had come in had bread, so we asked, and got bread and butter. It helped tide us over till our food arrived…. the three of us who had ordered the scampi were pretty disappointed - the half portions were not very big! All four of us cleaned our plates, and only the one who had ordered pork chops was satisfied with her food. The scampi was ok, taste-wise. And I'd have to say that the chicken was better than the shrimp, but only because the shrimp scampi only came with TWO shrimp!

To combat our hunger pangs, we decided dessert was in order. I had the chocolate cake and my two friends had the pecan pie. They said the pecan pie was good, but I was once again disappointed by the chocolate cake. It tasted dry, like it had been left out for a couple days with no cover. The whipped cream on top was just disgusting... like eating whipped eggs.

I hate to sound so negative about this place, because I'm sure they do have some good food (the salads we saw other people order looked HUGE and good), but we apparently didn't order it. I guess we should know better than to order Italian food at a down-home cooking kind of place, but then again, why is it on the menu? I would have at least expected their desserts to be down-home good, but they failed again there!

Key West is the meeting of many cultures and many cuisines with a Key West twist. Banana Cafe serves up French food with a tropical flare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

At breakfast and dinner, their specialty is crepes. They serve over 40 different kinds. Entree-type crepes include everything from the simple crepes made with cheese or meats and cheese, to the "La Mer;" a crepe with Sea Scallops in White Wine & Cream. The large portion of their crepes are their dessert crepes, from the delicious black and white chocolate crepes, to the fruity pineapple, cinnamon, apple, strawberry, and honey and lime crepes; you have many to choose from! I had the black and white chocolate crepe and also tried the chocolate and almond crepe... both were out of this world!!

Not wanting a crepe? They also serve up a menu full of other French and American cuisine. For lunch, they offer an extensive menu consisiting of several different types of salads and sandwiches. I think their dinner menu offers quite a bit more.

Of course, being in Key West, there is an outdoor balcony to dine on at the front of the building. If it's full, try the side deck.

The first Blond Giraffe on Duval was opened in 1999. After taking first place in the first Key West Key Lime Pie Festival, a second Blond Giraffe was opened on US 1, at the entrance to Key West.

The second location is more of a "shop," where customers can sit at a table and enjoy their dessert. The first location, on Duval, is more of a "to-go" place. This is where we stopped in to grab some of their famous Key Lime pie after dinner one night. It's basically a little shack on one side of duval... you stop in at their pick up counter and order your dessert. "To-go" is the only option - there are no tables! There is a counter, if you really desire to eat your dessert there, but we opted to take it home and enjoy it on the porch of our guest house.

Key Lime pie is the quintessential Key West dessert (i.e. you have to try some!). It's offered at almost every restaurant in the city. Made from those tiny little tart limes that you sometimes see at grocery stores, Key Lime pie is said to have originated in Key West. The recipe is basic (egg yolks, key lime juice and sweetened, condensed milk poured into a graham cracker crust), but there are many variations of it. At the Blond Giraffe, the recipe that is used was handed down from the owner's grandmother. It features a delicate pastry crust, a tart custard filling and a rich, downy meringue. Delicious!!

You can also shop the Blond Giraffe online at http://www.blondgiraffe.com/.