This was the remarkably accurate quote from Jim Ack when he, Lynn, Tim and I introduced ourselves to our Key West Food Tour group! They joined us for 6 days and we spent almost all of our time eating, laughing, walking, drinking, and eating. It was divine! Here are the details:
Tim and I left Orlando and headed to Key Largo for one night and yes, we did play The Beach Boys song as we began the drive into the Keys…we were treated to the giant Hard Rock Cafe guitar building as we drove past Miami and a beautiful Gulfside resort that evening!
The next day we headed to Bluewater RV Resort on MM 14.5 to spend almost 3 weeks. The second part of our 3-part journey was called Christmas in the Keys so this had been a destination for some time. I distinctly remember finding this resort from some YouTube recommendations and making the decision to book it for this long period of time. We have been on the move almost every 3-4 days, so this was a bit of a respite from driving. We splurged on the site and it has not disappointed. Here are our digs:
We had a day or two to get settled, break out the Margaritaville machine, go grocery shopping and get the rig ready for our first overnight guests! Jim and Lynn bunked with us the first 3 nights and then moved to a hotel in Key West. We fished, played games, cooked and basically hung at the Tiki those first few nights but our days were full:
We had a great day on a chartered fishing trip where we caught plenty of fish: Yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, mangrove snapper, grunts, razorbacks and several grouper (both black and red) that weren’t big enough to keep. Jim even reeled in a big one, only to be outdone by a bull shark that grabbed his fish before he could get it in the boat. Crazy. The dolphins cooperated by giving us a show and we took our bounty to a darling marina where the chef cooked the yellowtail up into delicious fish tacos….
The next day was a food tour where we sampled Cuban food, rumrunners, mahi mahi, conch fritters and chowder, cuban coffee and of course, key lime pie! The key lime pie effort was real as we took it upon ourselves to sample at least 5 different varieties to find the best one….the jury is still out on which is best! The next few days we benefitted from Jim’s researching skills as we ate wonderful meals at many of Key West’s finest restaurants, listened to great live music everywhere, and found several remarkable sunset viewing seats! Here are some restaurants to visit if you’re here: Hogfish Bar, Geiger Marina Grill, Red Shoes Island Bistro, Jack Flats, Hot Tin Roof, Santiago’s Bodega, Blue Heaven, Latitudes ( I told you we ate…)
We hit up Ernest Hemingway’s house, garden and museum and spent a simply glorious day on Sunset Key…we arrived for a late brunch at Latitudes and found a way to lounge all day soaking up the beautiful island, exquisite food and wishing we could find a way to live there permanently. If you are ever in Key West….do this. Latitudes at Sunset Key Cottages. Worth it.
We needed a few days to regain our health after they left, but still have 8 days here. We’ve been to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, the Farmers Market on the Truman Waterfront, rode bikes down Hwy 1 and are having dinner with a dear longtime friend on Saturday to watch the boat parade…It’s kind of fun being here for the holidays although it’s very strange to have sun and Christmas decorations/carols at the same time.
Key West has been lovely…mellow vibe, good live music, blue waters, warm breeze. We have loved it and there’s still likely more to come….
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