I stayed in the Key West Hideaway from 4/3-4/8 with my family, which included my husband, grandma, grandpa, mom, stepdad, and 2 brothers. We absolutely LOVED the place! There is a decent sized pool directly off the back porch with pool tables and chairs, which we all loved. We all went to Key West for my uncle's wedding, and when my uncle, new wife, and her two kids came over to hang out, we all still had plenty of space.

The house was extremely beautiful and clean and housekeeping was on the ball everyday. The location is PERFECT, just a few steps from Duvall Street. The Hemingway House is just a couple of blocks away. There is a CVS on the corner, which we found ourselves patronizing quite often, for water, snacks, etc. I would say the only potentially bad part is the parking, if you have a car. There is no reserved parking for the house, and it is a tight squeeze if you do find a spot. There are two little driveway-ish areas that look like they are designated for the house, but they are not. We had a rental van (since we flew into Ft. Lauderdale and drove from there) and the way we worked out our parking space was kind of funny, actually...There was a random orange cone nearby in the road, so whenever we left we put that in our spot, hoping no one would pull in there. It worked everytime!!

I was only there during the checkout process, and the lady at the desk was very nice. She was very glad that we all loved the house.

Here is where we ate:

Denny's: Half a block away, just your typical Dennys!

Willie T's: Great, fast service, especially since we had a large party! Food was good.

Sloppy Joe's: You gotta get the Sloppy Joe! It is AWESOME! I only tried a bite, but I had the nachos w/ Sloppy Joe on it, and it was surprisingly amazing!

The Mexican Cafe: HUGE burritos, good service, good food

Two Friends Patio: Karaoke was so much fun, food and drinks were great! It did take awhle to get our food, but we had 18 people, so it was understandable. Gotta try the Key Lime Martini!

Blonde Giraffe/Key Lime Pie factory: Not the best Key Lime Pie at all. VERY sour, made my eyes water! I had a bite of the Key Lime Pie at Crabby Dicks and it was much better.

Conch Republic Restaurant and Bar: We had drinks and food here, but we reserved it and had special food for the wedding reception, but it was good. We even saw an extremely drunk lady fall over the edge into the water and barely get saved by about 6 men.

The bakery/cookie place right next to Ripleys: (I can't remember the name, but it has huge cookies in the window display) Chocolate chip cookie was AWESOME!

Margaritaville: We had a great time there late at night, having drinks and watching the band, and they were incredible! We also had lunch there the next day and were really disappointed. I ordered a Cheeseburger in Paradise, but it was pretty awful. The food was cold and their menu is limited. Nothing like the Orlando/Universal Studios Margaritaville. I think that is because it is a Margaritaville 'Cafe', not "Restaurant".

Just a few other notes about Key West...

-If you want to go parasailing, talk to the guys behind the Hyatt at "Almost Heaven" parasailing. They were sooo nice and let us stay up in the air longer than 5 minutes, like the big companies on the island. I've never done anything like that at all, so I was really nervous, but I had the time of my life. BEAUTIFUL!! They even let my family go on the boat with us for $10 altogether, even though they usually charge $10/person.

-Irish Kevin's was alot of fun...A big bar and concert area. Fun show.

-The Hemingway house is beautiful

-Rent a moped or electric car if you want to venture off of Duval St. (which some of us did since we couldn't all fit in the van we rented)

-Go see the sunset at the end of Duvall

-Try at least one Key Lime Shot (or martini). I'm hooked!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email and ask!! Hope this was helpful.

-Jessica
24
Lawrence, KS