The Florida Keys on a Budget
We continued our tour through Florida heading down into the Keys. I have never seen water so blue on any beach in America. It was absolutely breathtaking and it just kept going. And going. And going. The Keys is one never-ending bridge surrounded by bright blue water. It’s sensational and definitely something to add to your United States Bucket List.
Our Airbnb was a condo in Marathon Key. Marathon is about halfway down the keys, still an hour above Key West. We felt this was a perfect location for our budget and a central location to all the activities we wanted to do.
Marathon Key:
Where to Eat:
Castaway Waterfront Restaurant and Sushi Bar – the first night in town we ate a giant sushi dinner at Castaways which was about 15 minutes from our Airbnb. Hid in a sea of mobile homes and boats, this restaurant really is a hidden gem. We sat out on the patio overlooking a canal. The sun was setting, providing us with a beautiful evening. The menu is extensive, to say the least. There are so many options. We opted for three sushi rolls; the two-day roll, Mexican Roll, and Island Roll. To drink I had the rum punch and Garrett had a jalapeño margarita.
Havana Jack’s – this restaurant is a part of a resort just five minutes from where we were staying. It was recommended by our host. Though it is a part of the resort, anyone can go to the restaurant. It has an awesome tiki bar, a patio that overlooks the ocean and live music. It was a lively atmosphere of people laughing and dancing. The food was delicious too! We ended the night with their famous deep-fried key lime pie. YUM!
Isabella Marketplace – a great pitstop for coffee. We stopped here on our way to one of the state parks. They have an adorable cafe area with pastries, sandwiches, and coffee of course. It also is a boutique-like store with bathing suits and cute souvenirs. A great place to buy gifts for family and friends. I believe it is connected to a resort, so it was a bit pricey. But it is open to the public, so don’t feel like you can’t go in if you aren’t staying at the resort.
What to do:
Check out the State Parks – Our first beach day we went to Bahia Honda State Park (located on Bahia Honda Key, right below Marathon). Garrett came here with his family as a kid, so he was very excited to show me. Nothing like the beaches on the mainland, this beach was quiet, calm, and not crowded at all. Piles of seaweed made a line down the beach from where the current dropped it off. Signs posted by the entrance to the beach explained that the seaweed is left so that a natural habitat can be maintained for all species, which made me happy. It was very rocky close to the beach, but once you get out far enough, there is a sand bar. Here is where I had my first attempt at snorkeling, I had a hell of a time with the mask, did not like not being able to breathe out my nose. Unfortunately, the water was a bit murky and even Garrett, who is a much better snorkeler than I, was unable to see as much as he would like. I think this must have been a seasonal occurrence or something to do with the current because plenty of people were attempting to snorkel and were surprised by how little they could see.
While resting on the state park beach, we also caught a glimpse of some manatees, cruising along the coastline. We talked to a snorkeler that said he followed them all the way down the beach and they even let him pet them! So cool! I have never seen a manatee in the wild before, it was an amazing experience.
The other cool aspect of this state park is the path that leads up to a part of the old bridge. Garrett convinced me to hike up the steep but short hill. It is worth it for the view at the top. Absolutely beautiful, as is any view with turquoise-colored water, but also so much to look at too! Garrett said that he and his family were able to spot sharks from on this bridge before!
Check out the Seat Turtle Hospital -When we left the state park, we went directly to the Sea Turtle Hospital in Marathon. You know how passionate I am about the sea turtles – we had booked a tour online, ahead of time and scheduled a tour for that evening. The hospital used to be an old motel, with a swimming pool, and then a motel and a gentleman’s club with rescued animals, and then finally a Sea Turtle Hospital. A very odd history, but this establishment is saving hundreds of sea turtle’s lives on the regular. They have transformed the pool area into saltwater, filtered pool for the rescued turtles. Additionally, they have tubs of saltwater housing individual turtles, pending their needs. They have an evacuation plan in place for the turtles, in case of hurricanes. The tour was thorough and fascinating. It started with a presentation about all the issues that sea turtles are up against. Our tour guide talked through what the hospital does to help the turtles, and how we can help too. I’m so passionate about saving sea turtles, all animals in general, so any opportunity I have to visit with sea turtles I do! This is a great experience for kids and families. It was educational, fun, and not too long!
Check out the free beaches – Unless you are staying at a resort, a lot of the beaches you have to pay to attend. Check out Sombrero Beach in Marathon for a free family-friendly beach. This was just a quick 5-minute drive from our Airbnb. They have restrooms, a park, a picnicking area, and beach access as well. Garrett and I posted up and had a perfect lazy beach day. He checked out the snorkeling and drank some White Claws, I sunbathed away under my floppy sun hat. It was a blissful beach day.
Key West
Where to Eat:
Blue Heaven – we loved this restaurant. Everyone told us to go, it was top of our list. The wait thankfully wasn’t that long, but even if it was, I wouldn’t have cared. Across the street was an outside waiting area. An eclectic assortment of tables, chairs, barstools, and benches, along with a bar where you could order drinks while you wait for your table. Our waiter at Blue Heaven was very good at his job. He took care of us, gave us time to enjoy ourselves, and was very thorough. We ordered brunch, I got an omelet, Garrett got the eggs benedict. Of course, we got breakfast cocktails, that were incredibly strong, so a word of caution to the lightweights. We finished our meal with a slice of key lime pie, with mile-high meringue. Probably some of the best Key Lime pie I have had. (this was before the deep-fried key lime at Havana Jacks!)
What to Do:
Walk Duval Street – Overly full from our incredible meal, we took some time to walk Duval Street. Plenty of beach shops, cafes, and bars, leave you with endless possibilities. Since we couldn’t eat or drink anything more, we popped in and out of shops in search of the perfect sun hat for me. We found success and my hat will be accompanying me on all beach vacations.
Visit the Butterfly Sanctuary – We ended our walk down Duval Street at the Butterfly Sanctuary. If you love nature the way Garrett and I love do then please add this to the list of your must-sees while visiting Key West. The butterflies are beautiful of course, but the garden in which they are housed is also an experience in itself. Two flamingos that have been rescued also call the sanctuary their home, along with several types of birds. There were volunteers throughout the space to point out different butterflies and explain about each species.
Take a Picture at the Southern Most Point – To continue our day of exploring, we walked on down to the Southern Most Point. The farthest south you can get in the United States and only 90 miles from Cuba. This is a booming tourist attraction, so be ready to wait in line. At the southernmost point, the town put a giant buoy that draws tourists from all over.
We finished our day in Key West with a sunset cruise. Along with 20 other people, we boarded a boat, equipped with a bar, and headed out to watch the sunset from the water. The captain and his crew were more than accommodating, creating an awesome experience for everyone on board. There was music, and they even took pictures of every group in front of the sunset as a keepsake for each guest. We drank wine and had a great time.
Visit Captain Tony’s – I’m going, to be honest, the only reason I wanted to come here is because of the number of songs that mention this place. Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney are both regulars of Key West and they mention this bar in their songs. I had to see it. It’s a giant dive bar, with dollar bills all over the walls, and bras hanging from the rafters. There was live music and we posted up at the bar for a beer. It’s was the perfect way to end the trip to Key West.
On the last day of our trip, we were supposed to drive straight up to Miami in the morning, to spend our final day there. But we weren’t quite ready to leave the Keys. We found a State Park in Key Largo. We spent some time on the beach, swimming, talking and relaxing. Then we decided to rent kayaks. We received a map and kayaked through the mangroves. It was beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. The water was so clear we could see fish swimming past our boats.
This was one of those trips where Garrett and I got a little too excited. We planned big, we wanted to pack it all in! But we wore ourselves out in the first three days. By the end, we really just wanted to relax, enjoy the natural beauty around us, and be together. That’s the point of vacation anyways right? As much as we love to plan a trip out thoroughly so we see all the highlights and miss nothing, we also like to be spontaneous and relax.
This trip blew my mind, there is so much to do and see in the Florida Keys and I know we didn’t even scrape the service. We will be back to tackle the rest soon!