The Best of Key West
Welcome to Key West!
Wow! What an incredible week in Key West, FL! From the moment I stepped off the plane in the Conch Republic, it has been an adventure! The reason for my trip was to OFFICIALLY celebrate my 30th Birthday and have a memorable vacation with my sister! This was the very first time we had ever taken a solo sister vacation and SO overdue!
dress (similar) // sunglasses (similar)
First things first, you will need to jump in one of the many Pink Taxi’s from the airport to your hotel – there is no Uber here! Most of the “must-see” sights are within a few blocks of each other but if you’re feeling extra touristy book a seat on the Old Town trolley and take a hop-on, hop-off bus tour!
Once I was in my pink taxi, I absolutely could not wait to check-in to the Casa Marina Waldorf Astoria Resort! (this place is serious paradise!) From the second we arrived the attention to detail and customer service was spectacular. With two pools, beachside hammocks, plush cabana’s, complimentary popsicles and cold towels – you instantly know you’re on island time! Specialty cocktails and phenomenal fish tacos are just a snippet of the pool-side bar options. As soon as we checked into our room, we threw on our swimsuits and hit the beach. Little did we know this weekend was also one of the biggest boat racing weekends all year! Super Boat International brings in thousands of people from all over the world to watch this phenomenon on the water! Once we found out this was going on, we threw on a cover-up and headed to Mallory Square!
Once at Mallory Square, we posted up at the famous Schooners Wharf on the water (where Kenny Chesney made an appearance the day before! DANG!). With my cold Corona and Conch Fritters in hand, it was a great way to celebrate the last day of my 20s!! Once the sun set, we decided to do a little shopping at the many shops in Mallory Square. One spot we stumbled upon was Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe, for a slice of their famous Key Lime Pie! If you get the opportunity to stop by here, do not leave without getting the award winning, chocolate covered, frozen, key lime pie slice on a stick! YUM! I will say, Day 1 in the Keys was a success!
PS: Get the latest deals for hotels in Key West here!
Rise and Shine it’s Birthday Time
From waking up to surprise Champagne and gifts from my sweet sister, we were ready to hit the town for a great day! Birthday breakfast started with a traditional Cuban breakfast at Ana’s Cuban Sandwich shop! You cannot come here without getting the Cuban sandwich and Cuban coffee! One thing that is also a must from Ana’s are the fresh coconuts! They drill a hole, stick a straw in and Whala! Fresh coconut juice! A few short blocks down the road is the MUST SEE Southern Most Point landmark. We carried our coconuts with us from Ana’s because.. great photo prop! After a few hours of sight seeing in the morning, we made our way back to the hotel for some pool time and to get ready for THE. MOST. AMAZING. NIGHT.
Prior to flying down to Key West, I knew I wanted to be on a boat at some point to ring in my 30s…so I did some research. While searching, I came across Echo Champagne Sunset cruises. WOW. You guys, this is the real deal. You cannot come to Key West without booking this 2 hour sunset cruise! Not only did we end up having the best captains but SUCH a fun group of people from all over the U.S. (Shout out to Momma Topo and the best Michigan crew around!) With amazing Moet Champagne, gourmet cheeses, fruit and flatbreads this was seriously a memory I will never forget.
After our Catamaran cruise came to an end, we hopped off the boat and wandered down Mallory Square. Stopping into the Westin Hotel for a quick restroom break, we were stopped by a guy in the lobby. He walked up to us and asked if we had plans for the night and if not, would we like to hang out on a Yacht that they had chartered down for the boat races. So…we left the Westin, turned the corner, and there it was. Ya’ll, I have never seen a more beautiful Yacht in my life as I’m sure you saw if you caught our snapchat story! At this point, I had to say YES! We were greeted by the Excellence crew and hopped aboard. For the next two hours we were poppin’ bottles, dancing and officially ending my 30th Birthday as one for the books!
If you are looking to head down to Key West for a weekend getaway be sure to cross off these other must-see attractions for a vacation to remember!
- Duval Street
- Mallory Square
- Ernest Hemingway house
- Southern Most Point
- Blue Heaven
- Cuban Coffee Queen
- Kermit’s Key Lime Pie
- Schooner’s Wharf
- Sloppy Joes
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