Jul 3, 20227 min read

TRAVEL BLOG: KEY WEST

I thought it would be fun to switch things up a bit and talk a little bit about the unique place of Key West, FL! Key West is its own Island which is wild to me! It truly felt like you left the United States and entered another country! Key West is also the furthest south you can go in the United States, and the weather proves that!

It was 97 degrees everyday and high humidity. Key West is also only 90 miles away from Cuba! One other fun fact about Key West is that they have chickens and roosters EVERYWHERE. Just like it is normal to most of us to see squirrels everywhere, that is how the residents there feel about chickens and roosters!

I will start with sharing the food, because if I am being honest that was probably my favorite part of the trip! I love getting to try new foods and visiting out of the box restaurants! We did not go to any chain restaurants (which there are only a handful anyway in Key West) which was honestly so fun! We didn't really know what to expect each time, but we were never disappointed!

FOOD SPOTS:

- Two Friends and a Patio

- Castaway

- Three Amigos

- Key West Key Lime Co

- The Glazed Donut

- Sloppy Joes

- Breakfast Club

- Hogfish Bar and Grill

And... you all know that I will have some coffee recommendations!! This was probably my second favorite part of the trip, was looking at all the different coffee bars and bistros they had in Key West.

My Favorite Coffee Spots:

- Koffie House

- Cuban Coffee Queen Roasters

- Also, at the Breakfast Club restaurant they had some delish coffee options

Now for the activities of Key West...

Most people either walked, road their bikes, or had a golf cart! We rented a car and we were so glad we did because AC is a necessity in Key West! Some of the things we did included going shopping, (I will include specific locations below of all of our activities) going snorkeling, going to the southernmost point, and then one day we did a road trip and went exploring towards Miami and stopped at some fun stores along the way.

One day we went snorkeling (so fun!) and went on a dolphin cruise. This was such a fun experience and our captains we had literally made the day a blast! If you go request for Willie and Gabby ;) Also, I am not super adventurous but the water was so clear where we were at and I did not feel afraid that something was going to eat me, ha! Your captains keep a watch out while you are off the boat snorkeling. We also went to the Southernmost Point in Key West where you can take your picture by the "90 miles to Cuba sign."

This line was longgg but it was worth it to get the picture! This spot also has some fun shops around it and is so beautiful. We walked around there for a bit before heading out. We also visited a couple beaches and I will say the views are beautiful, but they were not the cleanest. There was seaweed all along the beaches so we did not stay at the beach for too long, but it is definitely worth going to see just for the views and to snap some pictures! Lastly, we hung out at the pool and also chilled in our condo when we were worn out by the heat! You definitely want to stay hydrated when traveling to Key West!

ACTIVITIES:

- Shopping ( Duval St. is one of the nicer shopping areas)

- Driving towards Miami: There are so many unique things to see along this drive. Castaway is also in Marathon and we stopped there along the way for lunch.

- Snorkeling and Dolphin Cruise: We did this through Fury Water Adventures

- Southernmost Point: Fun shops and picture spot with the "90 miles from Cuba" sign

- A beach to visit for amazing views: Fort Zachary Taylor Beach

Now for all the photos!!

Let's start with the FOOD!!

Two Friends and a Patio: Mahi Mahi Tacos

These were so fresh! By far the best fish tacos of the trip!

Castaway: This sushi was the best sushi I have ever had! The one on the bottom was a Philadalpheia roll and the one on top was called the Volcano and I can't remember exactly what was in it, but I remember it tasted amazing! We also got the crab queso here that was EXCELLENT. This place was off the beaten path, but we heard of it on Guy Fieri's show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" and it did not disappoint!

Three Amigos: This place served authentic Mexican food and it was also so incredibly fresh! I got the bowl here with chicken with all the toppings and it was so yummy!

Key West Key Lime Pie Co.

I can not say enough good things about this place! The key lime pie milkshake was INSANE. I got it twice while we were here and would of gotten it a third time, but they had run out of the ingredients to make it, so I got a chocolate milkshake which was still amazing! This place is a must when visiting Key West!

The Glazed Donut: We of course had to get donuts one morning and this place had so many great donut flavors! The maple bourbon and bacon donut was my favorite! You seriously cannot go wrong with any flavor! They also had some yummy coffee options here as well! Tip: Get there early because the line will be out the door if you wait too long! We got there at 7:45 and there was a bit of a line, so the earlier the better!

Sloppy Joe's: When going to Key West you cannot miss this place! It is such a unique atmosphere and they usually have live music. They are known for their sloppy joe sandwich and that is what I got here. It is definitely like no other sloppy joe sandwich I have tasted, but it was good! This is such a well known place in Key West, so it was fun to visit!

The Breakfast Club: This was their monster burrito and it lives up to its name! It truly is a lot of food and it is packed full of yummy things! I added some hot sauce to mine and it was delicious!

The Hog Fish Bar and Grill: To get to this place you have to drive down a sketchy back road but once you get there it is not sketchy! We sat right by the water and it was such a laid back and fun atmosphere! These are the hogfish tacos which were so fresh! One thing about Key West that I really appreciated was all of their food was incredibly fresh! I was never grossed out or hesitant to eat anything. People there know how to make good food!

The Koffie House: This place was so unique + a whole vibe!

I loved how different this place was! They had some really yummy pastries, smoothies, and coffee options! I got an iced carmel latte and it did not disappoint! If I lived here I would definitely come to this place to work on homework or to do laptop work!

Cuban Coffee Queen Roasters: This was such a fun little spot and break from the heat! I got an iced vanilla latte and it was STRONG, but SO good and refreshing on a hot day. They also have food here, smoothies, and other fun drink options.

Now for the ACTIVITIES!!

Shopping: There were so many fun boutiques and shops in Key West. This boutique was so beautiful and had a whole wall of plants! Key West has beautiful and unique plants + it was so fun to see! Key West also has a few chain stores such as Gap, Banana Republic, and Ron Jon Surf Shop.

Road trip: We went through a town called Marathon and we stopped at Cast Away for lunch! It was just a hole in the wall, but it was incredible! We also did some shopping and we went to a Bass Pro shop in Marathon. For all the ladies- shop the brand Natural Reflections. They had some cute things! It's not just all hunting and fishing gear, ha! Also, at the back of the store outside they had some beautiful flowers and a huge porch. It was so beautiful!

Snorkeling and Dolphin Cruise:

This was such an incredible experience and it was so beautiful. The water in the bottom picture was where we snorkeled and the water was so clear. I did not feel afraid and the water was a perfect temperature! We had sting rays swimming beneath us and it was a wild experience for sure! We also saw several dolphins up close, and they are incredible creatures.

The Southernmost point: The line here to grab a picture was so long, but we came back another time near supper time and the line was not as long! It is so cool to now say we have been to the southernmost point of the U.S.A. and to only have been 90 miles away from another country!

Fort Zachary Taylor Beach: This was so beautiful to visit, but due to the amount of seaweed on the beach it wasn't somewhere we wanted to spend the whole day at. It is definitely a gorgeous place to visit though!

I hope this is helpful for those of you wanting to travel here or traveling here soon! It is for sure a bucket list destination and a place like no other!

Here are some extra photos from our trip!