Make your travel plans easy with some quick hire car comparison checks and get the best deal for a rental car to collect at from Miami International Airport. You could be driving across a seven-mile bridge with tranquil water on both sides as far as the eye can see. The best part? It’s all yours at the lowest price possible.
The keys are a string of natural coral islands connected by roads and bridges. Key West is the most southern and popular in the line of islands. Drive halfway between Miami and Key West and prepare yourself to be amazed by all there is to do on Islamorada. This Key’s main lagoon is a sanctuary home to bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, sea turtles, tropical and game fish, sharks, stingrays and more. The seventeen-acre garden is home to exotic birds, lizards and crocodilians. You and your family can wade in and swim with dolphins or sea lions, but do avoid the crocs!
If dining on fish is more your style, then not far away on the same Key will you find outdoor restaurants built to lounge and savour the sunset. Wicker chairs and umbrellas with a backdrop of the sea or the ocean make for a perfect setting. You can enjoy five star dining or a pizza and beer. Anything you want tastes better in the setting sun and salt air of this Floridian hotspot.
If Key West is your destination, then complete leisurely ocean driving over coral islands and smooth arching bridges, with billowing sailboats in the distance. Upon your arrival, you know you can’t go home without saying you reached the well-publicised and most photographed spot on Key West, signposted ‘The Most Southern Spot in the 48 States’. Here you can book a half-day deep sea fishing trip with experienced sea captains. For the more faint of heart, a tour of the Ernest Hemingway home, complete with the descendents of his family heirs, in the form of cats, might be more to your liking. Warning: step carefully. For the active, I can only begin a list of how to spend the day, the week, the season: snorkelling, diving, boating, eco-tours, kayaking, golfing, swimming (both in pools and beaches), and flat path hiking. For those who want peace, a full range of spas, both day and with hotels, are there to pamper. In the evening, Key West comes alive with theatre, art galleries, nightclubs, and the full range of dining experiences from candlelit elegance to marina casual. Top it all off with a slice of the world famous Key Lime Pie, noted for its unique tart and aromatic flavour. There’s nothing else like it in the world.
As you head back North, take heart in that the drive back is as beautiful and breathtaking as the drive there. The peace you will feel from a combination of excitement, activity, culture, and fine food all packaged in a small peaceful village existence will stay with you till the next time. Trust me, there will be a next time.
Diane Pfister is a duel citizen of the USA and UK, who has spent the last thirty years travelling, writing and painting her way across Europe and the United States. Her involvement in www.bestloved.com goes back twenty years and her paintings may be seen at www.pfister.co.uk. Diane is a regular contributor to Carpé Noctem, a travel and lifestyle blog published by Best Loved Hotels. Diane welcomes responses to both her art and her writings.