I’m Back Key West

Islander Beach
Islander Beach

Well, I have not posted anything for a few days now. My birthday was Sunday so my husband surprised me with a quick getaway to Islamorada, about a 1.5 hour drive away from Key West. Key West is a wonderful place to be, but for those of us who live there we like to get away once in awhile too.

We stayed at the Islander Resort located on the oceanside of US1, right across the street from the famous Lorelei Marina, Restaurant, and Bar. The Islander was built in the 1950’s but it has had some renovations, although the bathrooms still need to be updated. The rooms are clean and large with kitchens and either one king or two double beds in the standard rooms which either overlook the gardens or the ocean. There are also suites for larger parties.

Our room was a regular ocean front room with a king bed. The room had a wonderful fanned and screened-in porch overlooking the beach. It was extremely pleasant sitting there at night listening to the water lap at the rocks that line the beach. It was also just a couple steps away from an awesome pool area with a bar that served some really great food.

The property is pet friendly, and your dog can accompany you on the beach and at the pool area as long as he or she is leashed. I had a great time hanging out with my husband, my friends, and my dog on the property over the weekend. For the first time in a long time I did not even look at a computer!

This time of year the hotels up there seem to stay pretty busy but the restaurants and shops were all pretty quiet. We ate at a few different restaurants while we were up there. Bob’s Buns, aka the Islamorada Bakery, is my favorite breakfast spot. Their cinnamon rolls and sticky buns are amazing as is the rest of the food there. We also had a wonderful dinner at Uncle’s one night.  We were the only party there when we dined at 7:30pm. Normally I’d be a little scared eating someplace where we were the only ones, but I have eaten here before so I knew the food was good. The clams were so good. The pasta was al dente. The meats were perfectly cooked, and the fish was flaky and delicious. Definitely the dinner highlight. We also ate at Pierre’s one night which is billed as the best restaurant in Islamorada. When we walked into Pierre’s I was floored by the beauty of it. Intricate wood work adorns the doorways. Old pictures hang on the walls. A gorgeous old wooden boat hung on one of the walls in the large downstairs bar. Everything about this placed screams money. The food was not as good as the atmosphere. Everything was a bit bland. And everything was extremely expensive. I would certainly go back for a sunset drink at the bar but I would not go back for dinner. Not impressed with the food or the $400 bill.

While I mainly hung out at the pool and at the beach at the Islander, we did do a little shopping as well. The Blue Marlin Jewelry shop has an amazing selection of Rolex watches, Hearts on Fire diamonds, and an assortment of other fine jewelry. Next door is the only “department store” on the island, and of course I cannot remember what it is called, but it had an awesome inventory of men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, beautiful kitchen wares, trinkets, jewelry, and more. Key Dives at Bud and Mary’s Marina is a cool dive shop. They have all types of dive gear, spearfishing equipment, watches, wet suits, and all different types of things for the underwater enthusiast.

After a relaxing weekend just up the road I’m back in Key West and back to work and back to my blog!

For more information about things to do and see in our island city, go to our Key West Web Site. You can also visit our Key West Events Calendar to see upcoming special events.

And for restaurant reviews check out our restaurant review section of this blog as well as our restaurant reviews at www.gotothekeys.com.

Island Genn – Your Key West Concierge

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