Happy Wednesday! I can’t believe that my winter break is almost over. Between snow, vacation and the holiday I have been off work for almost a month! Pray for me tomorrow as I head back to work!

But let’s talk about the Keys!! In this post I am going to include places to stay, places to eat and activities to do with your little ones. I honestly can’t wait to pack up and go again! The simple and relaxing vibe was just what we needed.

Places to Stay

We decided that we didn’t want to stay on just one part of the island and wanted to Key hop. There are too many beautiful spots to just stay put. Since we hopped from Key to Key, we needed a couple different hotels/resorts. Both places that we stayed were kid friendly and had many different amenities.

Lets start with Hawks Cay This resort was probably my favorite and was so relaxing. It is nestled in on Duck Key. Duck Key is located between Islamorada and Marathon. Hawks Cay is loaded with pools, water activities, dolphin encounters and lots of different restaurants. You really can go to this resort and not have to leave. The room that we stayed in was perfect for our family. It had 1 king bed and a bunk bed for the girls. We spent most of our time there at the pool watching the girls play and sipping on some delicious drinks. As we walked around the resort we saw the dolphins training and being fed. Next time we would love to meet the dolphins with one of their dolphin experiences. The resort also offers a lot of family experiences like games, movies by the pool and water activities. Honestly the next time we go back we might just stay here the entire time. I wouldn’t have any trouble doing that.

(Photo from HawksCay.com)

The next place we stayed was Casa Marina Resort in Key West. Let’s just start out with WOAH! This was my kind of hotel! It was historic, beautiful and had tons of amenities. While this hotel was kid friendly, I would definitely say this would be the hotel I would go with my husband alone. What I loved about this hotel was that it had a beautiful view of the sunset, its own beach area, a great pool area and it is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Key West. It was also decked out for the holidays with sand sculptures of snowmen and a scuba diving santa. 

Places to Eat! Yum!! 

When I asked my husband what his favorite thing about the Keys was, he said the food, and man did we eat good. Luckily because my friend Dominique recommended some amazing restaurants. We wanted places with great views, amazing seafood and places that were kid friendly. Below you will see a list of places and their locations.

1. Key West- Southernmost Beach Cafe: Right on the water, beautiful place to watch the sunset, great food
2. Marathon- Burdines Waterfront: Chill environment, open air concept, great food and key lime pie.
3. Islamorada- Lazy Days: My Favorite because the view is to die for! Go during the day so you can soak it all in. Great kids menu, awesome food. Amazing key lime pie
4. Key Largo- Mrs. Macs Kitchen- We did not eat here but I have heard from a couple of people this is a favorite. Next time this will be a definitie stop.

(Above: View from Lazy Days) (Above: Fried Key Lime Pie at Burdines) (Above: Chocolate Dipped Key Lime Pie form Kermit’s, downtown Key West )

Kid Friendly Activities 

First of all, if you go to any of these resorts, enjoy the pool and beach areas. I mean I love to get out and explore but there is nothing better than relaxing by the pool and enjoying life.

However, if you want to get out and explore, there is a ton to do that is great for kids and adults.

1. Marathon- Turtle Hospital: This was definitely a highlight of our trip. The girls loved learning about the turtles and seeing how they are cared for.
2. Key West-Conch Train: The conch train is an open air train that takes you down the streets of Key West with hop on, hop off stops. We were able to learn about the history of Key West and see a lot of beautiful sites that would have been too much for us to walk. Highly recommend this tour if you want to take in all of Key West.
3. Duck Key-Dolphin Experience- I was telling you earlier about the dolphin experiences at Hawks Cay. There are activities for younger kids and older kids. We did not do this because it is a little pricey. However, if you don’t want to spend the money but still enjoy the dolphins, try to catch them at lunch when they are training and feeding. My girls got a lot of joy out of this and it was free! Maybe next time we will let them go up and meet them!