Hopping the Florida Keys
To visit remote Dry Tortugas National Park, visitors go through Key West. And for those who make the road trip from Miami, there is plenty to see and do along the way.
Key Largo
WHERE TO STAY: Tucked into a coconut grove on Tavernier Key, the 18-room Coconut Inn (coconutpalminn.com) radiates the barefoot elegance of a well-tended, multigenerational family beach house with a hip eco-conscious flair. Smack-dab between Islamorada and Key Largo, it’s replete with a marina, pool, gardens, 400-foot beach and Hatteras-style hammocks.
WHERE TO EAT: Whether you choose smoked, jerked, blackened or Matecumbe-style with Spanish onion, capers, shallots, tomato and lemon, the catch of the day at the Fish House really was caught that day. Or, go straight to the source, seafood purveyor Key Largo Fisheries, and chomp down on a Key Largo spiny lobster BLT in the backyard café.
WHAT TO DO: Key Largo ranks as the No. 1 dive spot in the Keys. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the adjacent John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park encompass more than 3,000 nautical square miles of coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove swamps in which you can scuba dive, snorkel, kayak and tour by glass-bottomed boat. More than 6,000 species of marine life have been catalogued in the sanctuary, which also protects shipwrecks and other archeologically significant sites.
Islamorada
WHERE TO STAY: Cheeca Lodge (cheeca.com), a favorite of President George H.W. Bush, Jack Parr and Paul Newman, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. The new main lodge sports four first-rate eateries (seafood, Italian, sushi and poolside tiki). Tropical gardens, a 525-foot fishing pier, 1,100-foot palm-lined private beach, six tennis courts, Jack Nicklausdesigned nine-hole golf course, spa, two heated swimming pools and a saltwater lagoon add to the place’s allure.
WHERE TO EAT: Dine on one of the Keys’ only natural beaches at Marker 88 Restaurant; chef Bobby Stoky helped make the Keys’ seafood cuisine legendary. Or hop over to the Green Turtle Inn, a local icon for nearly 70 years. If you fish out of Bud N Mary’s Marina, carry your prize next door to Lazy Days, where chef Lupe Ledesma will deftly grill, fry, blacken or broil it to perfection.
WHAT TO DO: Fishing is the name of the game in Islamorada, which long ago earned its chops as the sportfishing capital of the world. Fish the Florida Bay to the west. Fish the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Fish in the mangrove tunnels and backcountry flats that divide them. Fish out of Bud N Mary’s Marina, the oldest and largest recreational fishing fleet in the Keys with more than 40 first-class fishing captains and guides. I fished with Native Conch Charters’ Timmy Arce with resounding success, catching mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, snook, redfish, wahoo and hogfish.
Key West
WHERE TO STAY: The Chelsea House Hotel is one of a halfdozen charming boutique hotels in the Old Town area and just a short stroll from the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. Any one of these historic inns (historickeywestinns.com) is within walking distance of at least 100 restaurants. A 20-minute walk gets you to Mallory Square to watch the sunset, after which you can toss a coin in the giant grouper’s mouth outside Captain Tony’s (site of the original Sloppy Joe’s, Papa’s favorite watering hole.)
WHERE TO EAT: I could eat breakfast every day in Blue Heaven’s outdoor courtyard, shaded by tropical foliage and funky décor. Stroll down to the seaport for lunch or dinner, where Conch Republic Seafood Co.’s been serving fresh-caught seafood since the 1890s, in a casual atmosphere with live music most nights. For elegant dining, ferry over to Latitudes at Sunset Key for chef Todd Holender’s exquisite classical takes on local seafood and tropical fruits, served on a patio with Key West shimmering across the water. At Stock Island marina, Hogfish Bar and Grill’s killer hogfish sandwich features flaky, delicate fresh-speared hogfish on Cuban bread, smothered in Swiss cheese, onions and mushrooms.
WHAT TO DO: Touring Hemingway’s stately, well-kept grounds and mansion ranks as a Key West must-do — don’t miss feeding supplied treats to the six-toed cats lounging poolside. Among my favorites of the countless shops in Mallory Square are the Shell Warehouse in Asa Tift’s 19thcentury icehouse and the Key West Sponge Market (OK, and Kermit’s Key Lime Shop; you can burn off the pie’s calories with the 88-step climb to the top of the Key West lighthouse later). To catch the famous Key West sunset, Danger Charters’ fun staff ably crew a historic schooner on a Wind & Wine cruise while dishing out wine, craft beer and hors d’oeuvres.