Keywest, FL - Family trip in January with a 2 year old
- Sara Gouthwaite
- Jan 3, 2017
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 22, 2021
Our trip to Keywest was broken down in to two parts, since it was almost 6 hours to get from Kissimee to keywest we stopped off at Hollywood (the other one) in Fort lauderdale, not far from Miami. We stayed for one night at the Hard rock hotel...this was about 3hours from Kissimee and meant that we would have a 3hr drive the next day to complete the journey to the keys.
The hardrock hotel was over £250 per night but we had been given a £100 voucher from hotels.com for the kerfuffle we had in our last hotel, so it helped to keep costs down! There isn't much surrounding this hotel, it had an awesome swimming pool, and lots of great music memorabilia as usual....It wasn't massively child friendly as it was actually a casino too! I didn't quite realise as I was sold on it being a hard rock since we've stayed in a few before, we know they are lots of fun so booked away! There are lots of fast food joints inside, and a few restaurants in and around the grounds, a few coffee shops too and a main restaurant. Food was pretty pricey, we paid over $50 (about £45) for lunch...a pizza and a burger and chips! But it's generally the going rate for the area. We left at about 8am, and luckily cass was still asleep as we transferred him from bed-buggy-car seat! We are so lucky he's always been a fantastic sleeper!
There is one road into key west and you are on the same road for about an hour! It is a great view if you are not driving! there are some parts that are just beah either side! You go through great little fishing towns and palm resorts, we had some great 80's music on blast..i felt like i was in miami vicce...or atleast vice city my favourite video game as a kid! A great little trip!
We arrived in key west around 11am, we stayed at the Hilton garden inn, around £200 a night, which sounds pricey, but actually middle to lower cost on the island, as most places are £400-600 per night! The hilton was very new, we had been given free breakfast due to some complications with our room, staff checking in and out were very friendly. We had a ground floor room, the choice of 2 great pools as we had access to the sister watergate hotel next door. There is nowhere to buy lunch in the hotel which is a shame, but there is a great food truck in the sister hotel, lots of tasty mexican treats! I had a cocktail and quesadillas why the boys had fun in the fool, picturesque surroundings and boiling hot weather...surrounded by palm trees and bright sunshine..what more could you ask for...long journeys are always forgotten about once you get to the pool or beach!
The breakfast at the hotel was perfect...you could pick a cooked breakfast, as many times as you liked, i would usually order french toast with scrambled egg and maple syrup (i'm afraid i really pigged out in the states) then a waffle with fresh fruit for cass....he also had an apple and banana, and a variation on cheerios what were wholegrain and very very low in sugar, the milk was a bit of an issue as he usually has non dairy (he does eat some dairy i just keep it quite low) milks that are high in calcium...they had none of these and the milk offered was homogenized and filled with some nonsense...but you have to pick your battles, i let it go sometimes, i just found food a lot more awkward in the states than in the uk, i feel very lucky that we do have a lot more regulations on food and what can go into it! Cassius does have treats don't get me wrong, but I save them for special occasions and certain times, he has the odd bit of processed or rotten food...but again there is a time and a place, and it certainly isn't daily...he mainly has water or pure juice diluted, lots of fruits and veg, lots of rice and wholemeal pastas, wholemeal baked goods, homemade meals and lots of whole foods...when you go away sometimes you have to let it go if there isn't much around! Pick your battles as they say!
Key west is close the the caribbean and about 90miles from Cuba! So a mild tropical climate, you can almost guarantee warm weather, it rained on one day but we still took Cass for a swim as it was so warm! For lunch we drove into town, parking is a little bit of a task, but you will find somewhere eventually, meters take coins and are quite old. We would stop at a cafe and grab a sandwich, this was usually only a few dollars and there are lots of cheap places to eat.
In the evenings we drove into town for food and a wander...everywhere is super busy the sea front at sunset is jam packed, there are street performers, drinks and food stands, its a great atmosphere, everybody is there to see the beautifl sunset, it quietens down after the big event! There are plenty of restaurants, every cuisine you could imagine and a very busy shopping area. You can visit the southern most point in the US, which is pretty cool!
The town houses are awsome...similar to those in celebration village in orlando, wooden and all with rocking chairs on the porches, beautiful pastel colours as if they are from a 1970's american film, really really eye catching and I would go back just to visit them!
Key west is a pricey trip, family friendly, safe and comfortable, easy to get around and very warm, a nice break from the hustle and bustle of orlando, definitely worth a few days during a trip to orlando or if you are touring...we wanted to visit the bahamas, but it was quite awkward to get a flight in and out, more expensive than we planned and having to leave the car parked seemed a bit of a nightmare, boats and flights are only on certain days...a shame as we were so close but we will go just to the bahamas next time and plan it properly!
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