Transportation

• Flying directly into Key West is pretty expensive, as only small planes go there. Flying into Miami is cheaper, but the best deal, at least when we went to the Keys in summer 2008, is flying into Fort Lauderdale and getting a rental car from there. It only adds 20-30 more minutes to your drive than if you fly into Miami, and it saved us a couple hundred bucks in plane tickets, money that paid for the rental car. It also got us out of having a long layover in Atlanta.
• Factor in ample time for driving down to Key West from the mainland. Significant stretches of the one road down have only two lanes, so traffic slowdown is not uncommon.
• Because of the long drive, it might be a more efficient use of your time to break up your return trip. Instead of making that 5-hour drive from Key West to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale in one day and basically spending most of that day in the car, spend a night at one of the keys midway in between. Key Largo is a good option, as the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is only a couple hours from Key West and offers a lot of water sports and activities.
• Parking is a pain around Key West, not to mention expensive.

Lodging

• Obviously there are plenty of hotels down in Key West, but if you are looking for something a bit more romantic, check out the bed & breakfast places down there. We stayed at the Atlantis House for a few days, and it was one of the best experiences we’ve had (see more pictures). The room rate wasn’t cheap, but it certainly wasn’t outrageous by any means considering the kind of room we were getting.
• We also liked the hotel we stayed at in Miami, the Hyatt Coral Gables. The accommodations were luxurious, and it was within walking distance of the Miracle Mile, where you can do plenty of shopping, eating, and drinking.

Dining

• While in the Keys, you must try the fresh seafood, including the conch chowder. Finding conch steak, however, was no easy task because it’s no longer legal to catch conch in the waters off the Keys and all the conch that’s served in the Keys are imported from the Bahamas. In fact, the only place where we found conch steak on the menu at was a place in Key Largo. By the way, it’s pronounced “conck“. Get it right.
• If you can swing it, try the A&B Lobster House in Key West. It’s pricey, but very good.

• Try Blue Heaven for breakfast in Key West. The food was fine, and the place has a unique atmosphere, with free-ranging chickens grazing in between tables.
• A good Asian/Chinese restaurants to check out while in Miami: The Lotus Garden on the Miracle Mile, which serves a delicious duck. We would also recommend Mr. Chu’s on South Beach, where we had an amazing Peking duck meal, but unfortunately the place has closed.
• Try the Jupina juice while you are in Miami. It’s pineapple soda and you can find it in a lot of places. We tried it in a Pollo Tropical, and Courtney got hooked on the stuff. Unfortunately, we can’t buy it here in North Carolina, and the only place we can get a taste of it is in a Cuban restaurant near us.

Attractions

• Go see the Venetian Pool. It’s a huge and gorgeous public swimming pool. For local residents, it only costs $4; for out-of-towners, it’s $10, but it’s well worth the price. (Pictures)

• It’s not the first thing that comes to mind when you think Miami, but Monkey Jungle is a neat little attraction on the outskirts of the city. It’s a primate preserve where various species of monkeys roam free while you walk around along a caged-in path. There are feeding bowls dangling from chains, and you can put some food in them for the monkeys, who have learned to congregate around these bowls and follow tourists all around the premises. (Pictures)
• The Miami MetroZoo is definitely worth a trip. Its grounds are expansive and beautifully landscaped. The exhibits are very well designed so as to allow you to get close to the animals and still keep them from escaping. (Pictures)

• Another place to put on your list while in Miami is Vizcaya, the winter home of agricultural industrialist James Deering. The inside of the house is gorgeous and filled with bits and pieces obtained from various locations in Europe. What really makes this attraction stand out is the lush and beautiful grounds, situated right on the bay. (Pictures)