florida vacation?

[Steve Smith]

sadly, my cruise plans did not go as well as planned.. so i'm planning to go to the florida keys.

can anyone give pointers to a first vacation in the keys?

im planning on getting a hotel in marathon, renting my own boat out there, going to the different sights for snorkeling, go fishing on the boat, etc.

any notable restaurants, places, tips i should do?

we'll be driving out to the key west one of those days we're hoping unless someone tells us otherwise.

[Henne Given Sunday]

born and raised in florida, lived there 21 years......south florida to be exact, and never have been to the keys. heard its awesome however. hope you dont get caught in traffic (1 highway in and out)

Have fun!

[CatsMeow]

sadly, my cruise plans did not go as well as planned.. so i'm planning to go to the florida keys.

can anyone give pointers to a first vacation in the keys?

im planning on getting a hotel in marathon, renting my own boat out there, going to the different sights for snorkeling, go fishing on the boat, etc.

any notable restaurants, places, tips i should do?

we'll be driving out to the key west one of those days we're hoping unless someone tells us otherwise.

Try a place about 10 minutes from Marathon called Hawk's Cay. It's on Duck Key, around MM 61 or so. It's a full service resort, and they have a marina where you can book snorkeling, scuba or fishing excursions or just rent a boat on your own. Or jet skiing, parasailing, whatever.

Then, if you want to go down to Key West for a day or evening, it's only an hour away. Try to make the sunset at Mallory Square in Key West--it's not only beautiful, but full of colorful characters. Mel Fisher has a Maritime Museum there where you can see some of the treasure he's brought up from shipwrecks. Hit the Hog's Breath Saloon. It's just a hole in the wall, but it's world famous, so you should go there. BTW, keep an open mind, if you're going to be around Key West after dark. It can get kind of crazy.

[Hawk]

Try a place about 10 minutes from Marathon called Hawk's Cay.

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[CatsMeow]

permission required and not granted without payment first.

PM for paypal account number

You wouldn't let me stay there for free?

[AppStatePanther]

Weve been going down there every year and stay at a place in Islamorada. Lorelei in Islamorada is a great outdoor bar which usually has bands playing every night. As another poster said that if you plan on going to Key West its only about an hour away. It's a great walking town just get some parking and walk around Duval st (where most of the bars are). DO NOT RENT A SCOOTER because with the mix of not knowing where you are going and the tourist in the car not knowing where they are going it can lead to a ruined vacation. If you are looking for a good guide for a day fishing trip 7-8am to 2-3pm get in touch with Frank Ortiz (305)453-7330. He's out of Key Largo and this guy can find the fish I almost got a Grand Slam (Tarpon,Permit,Bonefish in 1 day). Just be ready to relax... nothing about the keys requires plans. Oh yeah don't worry about the weather it'll say scattered thunderstorms everyday haha and they last about 10 mins tops (enough time to find shelter in your local bar). Hope this helps and you'll love it.

[AppStatePanther]

Try a place about 10 minutes from Marathon called Hawk's Cay. It's on Duck Key, around MM 61 or so. It's a full service resort, and they have a marina where you can book snorkeling, scuba or fishing excursions or just rent a boat on your own. Or jet skiing, parasailing, whatever.

Then, if you want to go down to Key West for a day or evening, it's only an hour away. Try to make the sunset at Mallory Square in Key West--it's not only beautiful, but full of colorful characters. Mel Fisher has a Maritime Museum there where you can see some of the treasure he's brought up from shipwrecks. Hit the Hog's Breath Saloon. It's just a hole in the wall, but it's world famous, so you should go there. BTW, keep an open mind, if you're going to be around Key West after dark. It can get kind of crazy.

Hog's Breath is awesome. watch out for the chickens.

I liked Irish Kevin's too

[Hawk]

You wouldn't let me stay there for free?

you maybe...but not just everyone!!!

and permission never hurts....damn huddlers that just think they can do what they want!

[Zcustom]

Rum Runners on islamorada is a must, home of the rum runner drink and a great view.

Loreleigh's is really good as another poster said.

I've been twice, once staying at a resort, the other at a little motel in Key Largo, The Pelican, awesome place to stay. I liked it better than the resort.

You really can't go wrong when you go down there. Just stumble around and have fun!

[Panthers_Lover]

Weve been going down there every year and stay at a place in Islamorada. Lorelei in Islamorada is a great outdoor bar which usually has bands playing every night. As another poster said that if you plan on going to Key West its only about an hour away. It's a great walking town just get some parking and walk around Duval st (where most of the bars are). DO NOT RENT A SCOOTER because with the mix of not knowing where you are going and the tourist in the car not knowing where they are going it can lead to a ruined vacation. If you are looking for a good guide for a day fishing trip 7-8am to 2-3pm get in touch with Frank Ortiz (305)453-7330 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting**************(305)453-7330******end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting**************(305)453-7330******end_of_the_skype_highlighting. He's out of Key Largo and this guy can find the fish I almost got a Grand Slam (Tarpon,Permit,Bonefish in 1 day). Just be ready to relax... nothing about the keys requires plans. Oh yeah don't worry about the weather it'll say scattered thunderstorms everyday haha and they last about 10 mins tops (enough time to find shelter in your local bar). Hope this helps and you'll love it.

My ex and his wife live on a beach estate (they're the "caretakers") on Islamorada and they love it. (The estate belongs to the Rich family ... as in Rich Stadium, where the Bills play.) I'll try to ask for some other pointers about activities.

[Steve Smith]

thanks for all the tips fellers.

just some questions

as a first time vacationeer in the keys, how easy is it to rent your boat and go out to sea to find the snorkeling spots and go fishing? is there any sort of guidelines i have to follow? I know about the anchoring and how to navigate the boat through the waters.

I'll look at hawk's cay, thanks. Is there any other suggestions for places to stay? I'm definitely looking for a place where I can just get everything at one place without having to stumble around.

[Skew]

thanks for all the tips fellers.

just some questions

as a first time vacationeer in the keys, how easy is it to rent your boat and go out to sea to find the snorkeling spots and go fishing? is there any sort of guidelines i have to follow? I know about the anchoring and how to navigate the boat through the waters.

I'll look at hawk's cay, thanks. Is there any other suggestions for places to stay? I'm definitely looking for a place where I can just get everything at one place without having to stumble around.

Don't know about the Keys exactly, but for most places, it depends on the type of boat you want to rent. Motor boats are easier to rent than sailboats. They usually will rent a motor boat to anyone who has money. Sailboat rental require you to have a lot of experience to rent bareback, or they will require you to hire a captain (the captain is not there for your safety, but for the safety of the rental boat. He doesn't give a poo what you do, but you do have to feed him). Without a captain, almost all will require you to be anchored, docked or morned by sunset. They usually give you a captain's meeting the first morning of your outing going over maps of the area and the local rules and regulations. That's the basics.

[Henne Given Sunday]

thanks for all the tips fellers.

just some questions

as a first time vacationeer in the keys, how easy is it to rent your boat and go out to sea to find the snorkeling spots and go fishing? is there any sort of guidelines i have to follow? I know about the anchoring and how to navigate the boat through the waters.

I'll look at hawk's cay, thanks. Is there any other suggestions for places to stay? I'm definitely looking for a place where I can just get everything at one place without having to stumble around.

dont hunt lobster if it isnt season

[Steve Smith]

Don't know about the Keys exactly, but for most places, it depends on the type of boat you want to rent. Motor boats are easier to rent than sailboats. They usually will rent a motor boat to anyone who has money. Sailboat rental require you to have a lot of experience to rent bareback, or they will require you to hire a captain (the captain is not there for your safety, but for the safety of the rental boat. He doesn't give a poo what you do, but you do have to feed him). Without a captain, almost all will require you to be anchored, docked or morned by sunset. They usually give you a captain's meeting the first morning of your outing going over maps of the area and the local rules and regulations. That's the basics.

i'll be definitely getting the motorboat.