florida keys

[tina cooper]

Hi has any one been to the keys? especially the hawks cay resort in Duck KEY? ive read mixed report on it!! also any one any tips on what to do or what not to do in the area?. its my sons 8th birthday when we are there so any ideas what we can do? I ve read about hiring a boat ( with driver) to go and see the dolphins in there natural habitat.Also snorkelling on Coffins Patch any help please Thanks TINA

[PBear]

Hi Tina,

We have stayed at Hawks Cay Resort - it was summer 1999. We paid extra for a sea facing room, and thought the resort was lovely. It had just been refurbished before we arrived, so I am not sure if it has changed since.

The food in the restaurants was good, although at little pricey, but as you are a "captive audience" it's only to be expected, and there wasn't much in the way of other eateries close by for evening meals.

We did the Dolphin encounter on-site which we thoroughly enjoyed, although I don't totally agree with keeping them away from their natural habitat, and close by are both Theatre of the Sea and The Dolphin Research Centre, which are both worth a visit! We also had great fun on the Jet-Ski's!

As Duck Key is more or less in the centre of the Key's it doesn't take too long to get to Key West, which you must visit, and stay to watch the sunset...we saw Michael Palin when we were there!

Hope this is of some help :d:

[Sue]

Hi
We went to the Keys in 1997 and stayed at the Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada, near Hawk's Cay about half way down. Frankly after the hustle and bustle of Orlando we were bored stupid. The evening choice for restaurants was limited and not being into diving or fishing was a big handicap.
We did go to the Dolphin Research Centre at Grassy Key and had a dolphin swim - much better than Discovery Cove (although more rough and ready, less polished surroundings).
Apart from an enjoyable trip to Key West and the dolphin swim, we wanted to get home asap!!!! Doubt we will go back.

[PBear]

I agree Sue, it was a good experience, but very quiet and quite isolated, we wouldn't go back again.

[erictub]

Just to add to the comments above - Hawks Cay was a lovely place to spend a week (DW and I spent the first week in Naples) when we arrived we weren't that enamoured but after a couple of days we relaxed into the slow pace of things and enjoyed it. The hotel was fine - although it was there DW and I learnt to hate the American game of "Marco - Polo" which seems to take place early every evening with all the kids on the resort in the pool (slightly annoying when your trying to relax on the balcony !!) but your 8 year old will love it.

As PBear says - jetski rentals are reasonable ( I dont think an 8 year old will be allowed though :( ) and the seafood restaurant on the mariner was very good. You can also hire boats etc. for day trips and its relatively easy to find Manatee's and other local wildlife.

I would go back though - its nice and relaxing and the pools arent crowded and it had a nice little beach if you preferred that over the pool. Rooms are a good size and there are villas to rent if you fancy something a little more private.

The only nearby restaurant outside the resort was a pizza hut though.

Its well placed for Theatre of the Sea and the Dolphin Research centre (along with the dolphins on site) and its only about an hours drive to Key West.

Cheers

Rick

[tina cooper]

Thanks Rick for your positive comments after the others !! Obvioulsy the keys are very laid back and realaxing after the hustle of Orlando but surely that is why people , well us, go there?The Hawks cay resort was the only hotel I could find that had lots of things for children to do so I am sure Our 2 will not be bored. Did you visit the Dolphin Research centre or Thetre of the sea? its my eldest sons birthday when we are there so we wanted to do some thing with Dolphins, even though we are swimming with them in Discovery Cove thanks again TINAee

[truesdpr]

We had 2 nights booked last October during our Fort Lauderdale trip but unfortunately the Keys were closed due to hurricane Wilma and we had to escape up to Orlando instead. We were really looking forward to it. Have been to the Dolphin Research Centre before and can highly recommend this. My DD was 3 at the time and did the Splash with Kibby - she still talks about him now. We were disappointed we missed out on seeing him again so we'll just have to go back another time!

Pam.

[deeky]

We are going back to the Keys at Easter (our 4th visit) and our son has a great time. We are staying in Marathon again, not far from your resort. There are plenty of nice restaurants around if you are happy to drive. Key West doesn't take long to reach and there are loads of things there to keep children happy. The Butterfly House, take a ride on the conch train, visit Hemmingway's house and see the six-toed cats, sunset cruise. A good restaurant on the Marina is Turle Kraals, which has turtle racing on Mondays and Fridays which our son thought was great even though he didn't win. Another good place to snorkel is Bahia Honda, water is bath temperature and fish swim close to the shore so is ideal for children as they can easily stand up. Glass bottom boat trip out from Key Largo is another good trip. Hope you enjoy your stay, we love it there.

[CruellaDeVilla]

Only stayed in Key West, although drove through the other Keys. It is soooooo laid back, they even had a mini coup in 74 I think, wanting to break away from the States and become the Conch Republic! We have stayed there a couple of times and a lot of Americans holiday there. It is also a Gay holiday haunt although in thetwice I have been there, last time in June I have not seen it, don't care eitehr, it's a cool place.

[Twink]

Hi,
We always try to go to the Keys, normally stay at Pelican Cove, Islamarada,
a great place to visit. There is a place called Theatre of the Sea which is well worth a visit, only half a day though, they take in hurt turtles, dolphins etc that have been hit by speed boats or trapped in fishing nets, some they release others they have to keep to ensure there survival, the kids will love it.Key West is well worth a visit you could spend a good two days just sight seeing, there is also a Ripleys Believe It or Not, the kids would find that fascinating. At the Islamorada Fish Co. they have a fantastic restaurant, its on a floating platform, at about 8.00pm they feed the sharks you can see them quite clearly, the fish seem to know what time it is and start to gather at about 10 to the hour. The Seven Mile Bridge is wow - you just have to go, don't put it off any longer, one of the best places in Florida to visit.:wave: :wave:

[Joey]

Agree with Ann. We went down to the Keys last Nov and loved it!! We stayed one night at Key Largo and three at Key West. Key Largo doesn't look like much as you drive through but wherever you stay ask at reception for restuarant reccommendations as they usually have big folders full of reviews and often can give you money off coupons. It is always handy to know where the locals go!

As someone mentioned the Butterfly house is lovely and Hemmingways house is really interesting (take the free tour) and if you like cats its great. The drive down is breath taking.

Yes, its completely different to Orlando, but in a good way!

Jo

[MrB]

We stayed at Marathon some years ago following a visit to Orlando, Fort Myers, Sanibel. We liked it. It was a fun drive to Key West where we spent a couple of days just enjoying the laid back place. There are also sort of wildlife parks on some keys that you can go spend a day and just relax.