Key West, Florida

There are two most convenient ways to reach Key West, Florida. To fly or to drive. I drove from Fort Lauderdale, Florida passing through Miami, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Key Largo, Mid Keys and then to Key West. The more convenient way to get there is to Fly into EYW, however due to the short runway, only small airplanes with light loads may come in. So, some airlines (Delta) will only allow 1 checked bag plus your cary on luggage.

Getting from the airport EYW to your hotel/AirBnB/hostel
Most major hotels have a shuttle that will pick you up at the airport and drop you off right at the front door. You will also be paying the big bucks to stay at these places, rooms start around $300 per night. If you are staying at a hotel without a shuttle, an AirBnB or the only hostel on the island, you will be taking a cab. No Uber here! A taxi will run you max $15 for a ride to your place.

There are so many boats! And all types of them from a weedwacker powered dingy to four story yachts, to the big cruise liners. I opted for an arm powered boat, a kayak. I took an amazing sunset and Starlight tour with Blue Planet that I highly recommend. It set me back $50 for 3 hours with a beautiful sunset and some night time paddling through mangrove trees in search of nocturnal under water creatures.

Key West is a hospitality hub and can be a tourist trap, especially Duval St. There is so much to see and do and eat here, you couldn't possibly be bored. Most activities are revolved around the water, because... well... you're on an island, and so does the eating. Key West's speciality is their Conch (pronounced konk, like honk, but with a k) Fritters, they are very similar to hush puppies with the conch meat. Not my favorite. If you want to drop the big bucks, go for some lobster or crab catch of the day, your stomach wont regret it, but your wallet may.

Good Eats & Drinks!
The cheapest way to eat in Key West is to hit up happy hours. From around 4-6/7 restaurants around town serve their appetizers and cold beverages for a discounted price. I asked around for a late night happy hour (10-12/1), these don't exist.

Turtle Kraals has a great happy hour from 4:30-6:30 with half price appetizers, beer, wine and well drinks. I highly recommend the Bucket of Bones (ribs in a bucket) then stick around on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays for turtle races at 7pm. I tried the Conch Fritters, not my thing.

The Waterfront Brewery also has a good happy hour from 4-6:30. An open area with foosball, ski-ball, shuffleboard, pool, and a few video games will keep you entertained while sipping on their yummy craft brews. The brewery also has a wonderful view of the many, many boats in the harbor.

I stopped in a Schooner Wharf Bar, after happy hour, and it was fun and young atmosphere with live music every night. Beers were $3.75, mixed drinks around $8. A great place to go out with a group of friends.

Kelly's Caribbean Bar, Grill, and Brewery was also a stop on the self made pub crawl. If you stop in here make sure you get the key lime margaritas. At happy hour they are $4. It was the most delicious margarita I have ever had!

I also visited Greene Street Cigar Company, their motto is "Your wife is not here. Come in!", but its anything from a mans cigar lounge. I was welcomed by CJ, told him what I liked and he pulled out exactly what I was looking for. They also have wine, beer on tap, in bottles and a very delicious cider for me! It was a great way to relax, watch the game on TV and enjoy a cigar.

Off Duval St. the streets roll up (restaurants and bars close) around 10pm, pushing everyone to continue drinking on Duval St. It's not a bad area, just reminded me of a clean Bourbon St. in New Orleans. Not my cup of tea, but there are some really good restaurants and bars to keep you entertained if you like that kind of thing.