Miami and the Florida Keys
We stayed at the boutique oceanfront Beacon South Beach Hotel which was in the middle of the art deco district, where you are in the midst of Miami's best shopping, dining and nightlife. Miami beach does also offer art festivals, music festivals and museums or you can sit & relax, watch the world go by in one of the trendy bars and see if you can spot any rich or famous people
After a night in Miami it was where the adventure started with an hour drive to the Everglades to do a fan boat tour which was amazing whizzing through the swamps seeing so much wildlife and of course the alligators. After this we took a small drive to the Anhinga Trail which starts from the Royal Palm Visitor Centre and is a self-guided trail through sawgrass marsh where you can spot turtles, herons, egrets, alligators and so much more.
From the Everglades we then drove another hour to Key Largo and stayed at the Marriott which is a waterfront beach resort and from check in found out we had been upgraded to a lovely large room with 2 king size beds and balcony overlooking the beach and pool. That evening we decided to eat at Gus Grille which is the hotels restaurant but earns the title of Key Largo's popular waterfront restaurant while watching the sunset (which is the 1st of many whilst you are in the Keys)
Next day we were on the move again to the next Key which was Key Colony but not without stopping off at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. John Pennekamp is the first undersea park in the US which encompass approx. 70 nautical square miles. With mangrove swamps, tropical hammocks, its coral reefs and marine life that attracts visitors to the park where you can view the reef from glass bottomed boats to scuba or snorkeling trips. Canoeing and Kayaking are also popular. We decided to do a snorkeling trip where we got to swim with an Eagle Ray - amazing. From John Pennekamp we then headed to Key Colony where we stayed at The Glunz Ocean Beach Hotel. This is a 46 room family owned hotel just off the highway and we booked an ocean view room which is a must. Next door to the hotel is Havana Jacks which has live music, cocktails, food and overlooking the ocean which had a great atmosphere. We were staying for a few nights so for breakfast we found Leigh-Ann's coffee house which did amazing breakfast and had a deli shop aswell. Another night we ate at Sparky's Landing which is a 5 minute stroll overlooking where all the fishing boats and charters come in with their catch of the day followed by all the birds and pelicans..
From Key Colony our next stop was Key West but not before driving over that iconic Seven Mile Bridge. Key West is at the southern most tip of USA and 90 miles from Cuba. It is also the home of the famous author Ernest Hemmingway. We stayed at the Eden House Hotel which is a 9 minute walk to Duval Street's restaurants and bars. Eden House had a lovely swimming pool, hot tub, hammocks all dotted around the hotel and daily complimentary happy hour!! I loved Key West with its colonial style buildings and where so much more is going on with lively bars and live music. One day we took a seaplane trip to Dry Tortugas (a must trip) which is 70 miles west off Key West and took about 40 minutes flying over the turquoise waters and spotting turtles, sharks, ship wrecks and many different little islands. The 100 square mile park is mostly open water with seven smaller islands only accessible by boat or plane and is known the world over as the home of the magnificent Fort Jefferson, picturesque blue waters, coral reefs, marine life, ship wrecks. The coral reefs here are the least disturbed of the Florida Keys reefs.
The sunsets at Key West are truly amazing and the best place to watch this is Mallory Square - ever since the 1960's every day, 2 hours before sunset this area comes alive with street entertainers, musicians and many more. We also did an Adventure Island Eco Tour which was a great day staring with continental breakfast onboard the boat whilst they head out to where we can then get off and snorkel. Afterwards we are then take to a natural sandbar (having lunch whilst we sail there) where the waters are so shallow and clear, here we take a kayak and are lead out on a small tour and then back to the boat to have some more mimosa's while heading back to the marina looking out for dolphins on the way.. Great trip.
Our final stop is back up the keys heading towards Miami to Islamorada (known as the 'sport fishing' capital of the world) where we stayed at the Moorings Village & Spa - Bloodline fans will recognize the pictures as this is where it was filmed.. Moorings Village is an 18 acre resort harbouring 18 cottages and villas ranging from 1 bedroom - 3 bedroom and outside of them all is the most beautiful crystalline white sand private beach with turquoise waters where on offer is complimentary kayaks to take out, wind surfing or paddle boards or you can just lay on the beach with palm trees swaying in the breeze.. Moorings Village doesn't have a restaurant but across the road which you can walk or take one of the complimentary bicycles is Morada Bay dining where you can eat at the beach café or for more fine dining Pierres Morada Bay, but both overlooking the Florida Bay, watching the sunset and both casual.
I loved Florida Keys and there are so many keys to stop off and visit, so much to do and see like the Dolphin Research Centre or the Turtle Hospital, trips out to the coral reefs but what also struck me was the amazing turquoise blue waters that surround you all along the US Highway 1 down to Key West. Will definitely go back and visit some of the other keys
If you would like to know more about The Florida Keys and Miami please do contact me