Travel Guide: Key West Edition

 

Happy Tuesday ya’ll! Today I am so excited to share about one of my most recent trips to the beautiful KEY WEST, FLORIDA! This particular trip is one I will remember for a lifetime because it is the trip I took with a group of amazing ladies for my soon-to-be sister in laws BACHELORETTE party! I also must give the credit to her amazing maid of honor Caitlin and sister Brice for the amazing planning on this trip.  Ok, so who is ready for a tour across Key West?!?!?!?

Our trip began as we landed in the beautiful city and quaint airport of Key West! We were greeted by a limo as a surprise to the bride and then made our way to our amazing Resort, THE REACH a Waldorf Astoria Hotel.  The Reach was a beautiful hotel located near the Southernmost point of Key West which was central to everywhere and a quick bike ride to Duval St. in Key West where all the bars and shops are located!  The Reach had everything we needed! There was a large pool (pictured below), beach front with a pier you could walk on and chairs and hammocks to spend your days in the sun on the beach (in all honesty we could have just stayed there the entire trip and I would have been just fine 🙂 )  This is a family friendly resort as many families were there enjoying their stay and the beach was quaint and calm. Below are a few pictures from our resort!

On to the FOOD!!! Oh my goodness…Key West has THE BEST FRESHEST FOOD! We pretty much did brunch each day and dinner… we sort of snacked our way through the afternoon 🙂  My favorite spot for brunch was Southernmost Beach Cafe.  This amazing little spot is right on the water with oceanfront views and incredible food! I actually ordered two entrees because I wanted to try both a sweet and savory option! I had the ‘Three Little Pigs Omelet” which had bacon, smoked ham, sausage, cheddar cheese with a side of potatoes and whole grain toast… IT WAS INCREDIBLE! I also ordered the “Southernmost Toast” which was Challah bread battered in toasted coconut, bananas foster sauce, maple sugar… truly HEAVEN in your mouth!! I also had the best lattes (yes, that was plural 🙂 )  Below is a photo of the food along with the view from the restaurant!

 

Another amazing lunch location was Sarabeth’s! Sarabeth’s was a quick bike ride from our hotel and it was so cute! The spot had the most beautiful flowers surrounding it as well as it was indoor/outdoor which is so great! On the day we went here I was craving lunch so I ended up getting the best turkey club on the planet with a side of fries and it was INCREDIBLE.  I also tried a fun drink that was made fresh called “Flower Juice” which was orange and pomegranate juices blended with fresh pineapple and banana (almost the consistency of a fresh smoothie!)  One of the other girls got the french toast with fresh strawberries and it was also so good!

Dinner spots were everywhere in Key West! We had dinner at one place in particular that was so YUMMY and fresh called NINE ONE FIVE!  The night we went here we all wanted to just relax and chill and this restaurant was the place for it! We all pretty much ordered from their freshly made pasta menu and I got the TORTELLONI DE CASA which was shaved black truffle, ricotta in a pecorino cream sauce.  The cream sauce on this dish was almost like a fettuccine, not quite as heavy but definitely rich and buttery! I was going for the Lobster Raviloi, but I realized it was in a marinara sauce and I decided to go with the tortellini because it had the sauce I was craving! I also went with an appetizer of the calamari which was lightly breaded and perfectly crisp! We tried almost all of the appetizers across the table and I know the cheese plate and the grouper ceviche were enjoyed by everyone as well!  If you love pictures when you travel, there was also a beautiful pink tree out front of the restaurant that made some of the pretties pictures on our trip!

 

After dinner we did drinks each night and I had to share out favorite bars/spots!  Willie T’s was a fun bar to stop at, have a drink and listen to live music during the day! This bar has dollar bills nailed to the ceiling and walls with people’s special moments written on them! We left a dollar so if you see #Hollyspickingadickens you know we were there! We also really enjoyed Fat Tuesday at night which had great frozen drinks and a DJ that played all the current tunes as well as some of my personal favorite 90’s hits (took me back to highschool!)  We also enjoyed grabbing a frozen drink at The Flying Monkey! All of these bars are on Duval St. and within walking distance of one another!   We went to a place called Dante’e poolside bar one afternoon and it was a large pool with a swim up bar and tables all around! This place is definitely where everyone hangs during the day, the pool was FULL and all the tables were occupied, so if you are looking for the crowd, they are HERE during the day!  We walked up and down Duval St. and you will find awesome little spots just to pop in and out of… it is the main strip in Key West!

Apart from the night life if you are looking for a beautiful shopping spot and more tourist attractions there is Mallory Square which EVERYONE says you have to visit at Sunset! This is an area of oceanfront bars and shops and famous bar: Hog’s Breath Saloon!  Another fun attraction is the Ernest Hemingway House which we did not get to go in, but looked so awesome if you are looking for something to do during the day! Also, a great photo-op is THE SOUTHERNMOST POINT buoy that overlooks the ocean and everyone loves to take a group photo!  I would suggest renting bikes and just bike up and down the streets as everything is so close and the air feels amazing!

There really is so much to do in Key West that is geared to any desire or need! I am already begging my husband to take me back! I am going to link all of my Key West Outfits/Bathing Suits below for you guys and I hope you enjoyed this trip to the Keys! If you have been I would LOVE to know where your favorite spots were and what you did so I can add them to my list when I go back! Also, I have been working on a brand new Spring Forward Styles Tab and it went LIVE yesterday so check it out now for some serious Spring cravings! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all are having a FANTASTIC WEEK! XOXOXO!

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