It's been 8 years since we've gone to the beach- just us, and we just came back from 4 days of absolute bliss in Key West. We didn't just lay by the pool, but the fact that we could (or anything else we wanted to do) put us in a state of chill right from the start. It was lovely. Beyond lovely. We rested, we napped, we slept all night long without being woken up. That right there made this vacation awesome...honestly we could have slept that much and stayed at the EconoLodge on the Ohio River and it would have been equally blissful if we were just talking about sleep with this vacation. But, there was so, so much more in Key West that made our trip so wonderful.
A fan favorite at the pool
We get tons of Marriott points because Chris travels so much, which
means we got to have this sweet room on the ocean- amazing!
This suite was like a time-share unit, with a full kitchen, but because it was an actual hotel, we
had daily maid service. I'm thinking about investing in daily maid service for my own home.
Totally worth it, I think.
Totally worth it, I think.
We visited Ernest Hemingway's home and it was so interesting. Beyond the six-toed cats that were everywhere, we learned a lot about Hemingway, who was actually quite troubled.
This pool cost Hemingway $20,000 in the 30's, which is the equivalent of $300,000 today!
Hemingway's writing room- so neat. I'm sure the mounted antelope (goat?) head gave him tons of inspiration.
They have a cat cemetery on the grounds for all of the fallen cats, including a plaque that gives the dates each cat lived.
We tried to eat at non-touristy places- this was a little cafe called Blackfin Bistro. We had fish every night- I had grouper twice, and also snapper and trout. Oh and conch fritters of course. Can't forget the conch.
They had a neat pier off of our hotel, and these two kids were fishing- they were irritated because an octopus had wrapped itself around their lure, but I thought it was super cool!
Look who we found in Key West! Had a drink at Mangoes with Jackie M. from Western Row! :)
So many "colorful" shirts in Key West- this one would be PERFECT for my Caroline if it came in infant sizes, since we live and die by that child's poop, little constipated thing.
The cruise ships that dock at Mallory Square each day are really impressive.
We went out on a small sailing boat to snorkel and kayak-so neat!
While snorkeling we saw a sea turtle (that was unbelievable cool), dolphins (from a little ways off), grouper, snapper, angel fish, lobsters, and lovely coral and sponge formations. We saw jellyfish and a 6-foot nurse shark when we kayaked. Loved it.
These are all different varieties of sponges- I took this pic off of the boat- the water is crystal clear because of the filtration system that the sponges provide.
You can't stay in a fancy hotel without wearing the fancy robe!
There really are no beaches in Key West, but the resort made its own little beach- we had a piece of it right in front of our room with our own private little cabana- so nice!
Bagatelle, right on Duval St., the main drag of Key West.
Chris had a full red snapper, eyes intact.
Look at those teeth! Also, I poked the eye with my fork. Lots of crazy stuff shot out- I was both horrified and fascinated.
Can't go to Key West without having Key Lime Pie.
I had never seen the ocean this still- anywhere- we were in a little bay that was pretty protected by the wind.
We visited Fort Zachary Taylor- an old civil war fort on the North side of the island.
There was a small actual beach by the fort, so we hung out for a while! It was nice to hear the waves for sure.
The architecture in Key West is its claim to fame. I took about a hundred shots of different houses, but I will spare you. The porches are really amazing, and the vegetation is just unreal.
This guy was playing jazz flute. Awesome.
On our last night, we took a ferry out to Sunset Key, a little island right off of the coast, for dinner at Latitudes, a fabulous restaurant.
Love Palmettos.
Avery and Caroline selfie.
While we were away, the girls LOVED being with their grandparents, who took turns with Avery and Caroline duty- they stayed with Mimi and Grandpa Tommy for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and Nana and Papa for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We are so lucky that we have such great parents who are so generous with their time and willing to watch these stinkers!
Caroline is wild. Wild.
Such a stinker! But so cute.
Shooting hoops at Jump'n Jacks.
The girls had a blast with their grandparents, and that made it a lot easier to enjoy our time away. We are so blessed in so many ways! :)
