Key West
Key West: the southernmost place in the continental U.S. and for me, a (whirlwind) Plan B for a summer getaway / birthday celebration (hello 27!).
Back in January when booking trips for the year was normal and we didn’t have to think twice about traveling, my childhood best friend and I gleefully booked a trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas. We snagged that room with a view, booked a swim with dolphins excursion, and dreamt of sunny days & crystal clear waters. Fast forward to July, just two weeks out from our departure and we were hit with a two-punch:
•Atlantis delayed its opening date to TBD
•Bahamas banned all Americans from entering the country
After a semi-stressful 48 hours of processing refunds + changing flights + booking a new resort, we decided to change our trip to Key West! Some of the best parts of the Keys were: no crowds / very quiet (their busy season starts in November!), they banned folks from Miami coming in (high COVID cases!), aaand hurricane season has just begun so that’s a big factor in driving away tourists. We made the best decision to book with Southernmost Beach Resort. *Side note: Hurricane Isaias completely and totally missed the Keys so we had nothing but blue skies for our entire stay (the Bahamas had stormy / rainy days so we were truly spared from what would’ve been a bummer trip!)
We treated ourselves to the ocean front balcony which came with comfy robes and the perfect amount of space. Southernmost has 3 pools, a private pier, and their own beachfront alongside a restaurant / bar which provided us with yummy food & cocktails all day. Couldn’t recommend this place enough — it was clean, comfortable, and relaxing.
We booked 2 excursions during our 4 day stay — the first was a dolphin watching + snorkel trip with Fury Water Adventures. We got a discount, masks were required (except for when you’re in the water), and soft drinks / beer / champagne are all included! The second was a 2 hour jet ski tour with Barefoot Billy’s — our two guides were awesome and we rode around most of the island, including a 30 minute stop for us to free ride in a designated area (they’re the only business in Key West that provides free riding!).
Another great thing about Key West is that almost everywhere we went was walking distance. If not, we caught cheap Uber rides! Now let’s talk FOOD. Just about everywhere we went was recommended to us by locals / employees of Southernmost. If you have the pleasure of visiting, hit up:
-Old Town Tavern & Beer Garden
-The Raw Machine (get the Islander smoothie!)
-Glazed Donuts (get the confetti cake!)
-Dante’s Key West Pool Bar & Restaurant
-New York Pasta Garden (get the limoncello cake & thank me later)
You don’t have to be staying at Southernmost to eat at their restaurant, but snag a SOMO Slam if you’re around!
Getting a good view of the sunset is really easy no matter where you are, but many hit up Mallory Square to watch it fully rest below the horizon.
I’ve never had to completely change a trip just less than 2 weeks before leaving so I was nervous about how it would all go down but we truly couldn’t have asked for a better, more relaxing & seamless trip. If you’re looking for something tropical, chill, but also options for adventure then look into Key West!
“The world is book, and those who do not travel only read a page”
-Saint Augustine
