619-324-1444 x3
JONATHAN@PLVACATIONS.COM
The Key to Key West
My husband Joe and I had a wonderful summer trip to the Florida Keys this summer. A highlight was of course Key West and I wanted to share some of the top things we did and saw.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Island City House– It was amazing!
They have 3 different houses (each with a different style and theme). We stayed in the Cigar House, a plantation style suite near the pool. Equipped with a king bed, a full kitchen, and living area, complete with a double-doored porch w chairs and a hammock. Perfect for relaxation.
There are also bike rentals on site for a small fee (which we took advantage of), and on-site massages (which we didn’t).
https://www.islandcityhouse.com
Note from Purple Light. We always have access to the best rates which depending on the time of year start from about $250 a night.
An Amazing Pool Party
The Island House– not to be confused with the Island City House!
While we didn’t stay there, we went there one day for a tour. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, and showed us around for about 15 min, no appt required. We liked it right away, and decided we’d come back for their Sunday pool party. It was fantastic! If you stay there, this party includes free drinks- so it was a packed event and we had a lot of fun (even though we had to pay for our drinks!). Surprisingly, the food was really good too, and we decided to lengthen the day and stay there for dinner. Overall, a great place to play that attracts very friendly people.
https://islandhousekeywest.com
Places to eat
Brunch at Mangoes was fabulous and about as gay as it gets during the day. Fun food and drinks. Great eye candy, with both patrons and staff.
https://www.mangoeskeywest.com
Dinner at Prime was a splurge. It’s a fancy steakhouse with all that you’d want. I had the surf-n-turf with a key lime martini; I was celebrating my birthday after all!
Dessert at Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe: one must have a slice when in KW. I think it’s mandatory.
Casual fare/lunch at Schooner Wharf Bar was the only place we went to more than once!
The deals were insanely cheap for good grub and drinks.
…and you gotta get Cuban food! We ate at the patio bar at El Meson de Pepe’s, and I regret that I didn’t get their famous version of the Cuban sandwich (we had just come from several days in Miami and had many of them). We got the sampler platter and some mojitos. Yummy!
Finally, one of our favorite street food discoveries was conch fritters, and the best we found was at a little street side walk-up near Mallory Square simply called Key West Conch Fritters. No website, but trust me!
Gay bars
We hung out at Bourbon St Pub during the day a couple of times. Very lively crowd that spills out onto chairs on the sidewalk.
And at nite, we headed across the street to the 801 Bar for their drag show. The performers were a mix of young and old, and the songs were a mix of old and new- something for everyone! We made reservations early, and got front row and brought plenty of singles.
Things to do
I’m a huge Hemingway fan, so there were 3 things that were on my list from the start: the Hemingway Home, Sloppy Joe’s, and Papa’s Pilar Distillery.
The Hemingway Home and Museum beat my expectations, and I highly recommend the guided tour. It was gorgeous and thoroughly enjoyable- even for non-Hemingway fans, such as my husband. My only hint is to get there early (and with cash in-hand- no card accepted); the line can be long and the weather is hot!
Sloppy Joe’s was the biggest and best dive bar that I had been to in quite some time, so it didn’t disappoint either. To boot, we saw our first live music there since the start of the pandemic. We didn’t plan to stay there all nite, but we did. We were supposed to go for a drink before watching sunset at Mallory Sq, but when the music started, and their popular house drink (the Sloppy Rits) started flowing, we camped out on our barstools for hours. So much fun. And yes, I bought the T shirt.
Finally, to end the Hemingway trifecta, we went to Papa’s Pilar Distillery for a rum tasting (we missed the tour, unfortunately!). The rum tasting is underwhelming: just 2 half shots of their blonde and dark rums. However, I am not a rum drinker- at all- and loved the blonde rum so much that we bought some to bring home with us. They export the dark, but not this blonde that we purchased.
Sunset at Mallory Square is everyone’s checklist. It’s a fun gathering space, with street performers, food vendors, local artists, and swarms of tourists, all to catch the perfect sunset view.
With a rented bike, it’s fun to ride down to the Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S. for a beautiful view and a fun photo-op. YOU will likely have to wait in line if you want to be in the actually picture with the monument, but are welcome to stand adjacent to the line of people if you just want a quick pic of the monument itself. On the ride back to the hotel, we stopped for drinks at both Bobby’s Monkey Bar and the Green Parrot Bar. Fun places during the day, but I think they do karaoke at nite (which may be a plus to some!).
Sunset Watersports: we did 2 activities with them, as they were very close to our hotel: parasailing and a sunset dinner cruise (which includes all drinks). Both were great experiences!
Side note, the sunset cruise is FREE on your birthday, and it was really fun to take advantage of that!
HINT: there are always deals on this and other active tours. Contact Purple Light Vacations for more information.
https://sunsetwatersportskeywest.com
And finally, of course, you need to stroll up and down Duval Street (likely, multiple times!), the center of it all. You will see cocks (of all kinds) on Duval Street!
https://keywestattractions.org/duval-street-key-west/
Things that were closed because of COVID and we didn’t get to experience
Always leaving a reason to come back…
Key West Lighthouse https://www.kwahs.org/museums/lighthouse-keepers-quarters/visit
Key West Theater https://thekeywesttheater.com
Tennessee Williams house https://www.kwahs.org/museums/tennessee-williams/visit
Has this sparked your interest in a trip to Key West. Please contact us.
Purple Light Vacations provides you with the knowledge, insight and personalized service to make your vacation all you want it to be at no additional cost. We help you travel in the know wherever you go. To get started, fill out this quick form or call 619.324.1444 (ext. 3).
