Key West Vacation
Key West Vacation
The Bear family vacation at Key West was an unplanned vacation spot for me. I was not expecting to attend the mini getaway with my husband and kids, although, the Florida Keys was listed on my bucket list. The kids were excited about their vacation and it helped that my husband rented a Tesla model Y. Another road trip with baby C, but he’s a trooper and fits right in with the swing of things. With the Tesla sitting outside packed with our things, we were ready to go!
Since it’s a long drive from Orlando to the Keys, we stopped for the night in Deerfield, Florida, which is close to Fort Lauderdale. We arrived in Deerfield late at night. It was a quick stay at a basic hotel on the beach. Boy, that hotel was a joke! My kids kept saying, “It’s so old in here” and “It looks like something from the 90s.” Even though it was funny, the kids were right about the hotel being outdated. I will not give that hotel a full review since our stay was only for one night.
Off on our adventure the next morning, we were headed to Key West. Crossing over the legendary Seven Mile Bridge was more incredible than words can describe. The water was the bluest and prettiest that I have ever seen. It was really quite impressive, as we have been to many beaches in Florida. When we had to stop to charge the Tesla, we came across a few of the natives to the land—iguanas. They were everywhere and walked around freely without a worry in the world.
The hotel that my husband booked was across from the beach. We were excited to be staying at the Margaritaville Keys Beach Hotel. Not to sound bougie, but we had spent a staycation at the Margaritaville Resort in Orlando and thought they might be similar. The exterior was true to their signature style for being a cottage looking 50’s vibe style. We waited while my husband checked us in, and I noticed the entry way had a staircase leading to the lobby. However, there was no ramp for accessibility. That was a bit puzzling, especially in this day and time... to not have accessibility for everyone seemed strange. That became an invisible negative in my mind. Off to see our suite, low and behold, the fun 50’s style was dripping in the room, combined with the modern style. The kitchen area had a retro looking refrigerator and microwave. It was so dolling! The bathroom had all the built-in shelves and closets for space. The thought of utilizing the bathroom to hold the clothes was a wonderful play on space creativity. My favorite space saving idea was all the doors were barn doors. Simply brilliant! No clunky doors getting in the way to open and close. It gave the entire suite a modern, trendy vibe with keeping the classic 50’s vibe. The suite had two rooms, one with two beds for the kids. Their room actually had two barn doors. Our room had a half-bathroom in it, which I found to be a nice touch. Each room had a massive sized television. The living room was a decent size, but we didn’t spend any time in there. The kids loved being either in their room or in ours. My husband requested a play-yard for baby C to sleep in. They arrived less than ten minutes after we checked in with a very retro 50’s inspired crib. We were blown away because all the hotels we stayed in never gave us a crib.
The grounds of the hotel were filled with plants and trees along the paths to the pool, restaurant, and tiki hut. We saw the iguanas running to and from each time we went out. It definitely gave the place an island vibe. I loved the beauty of the natural foliage surrounding us. Low and behold, we found the hidden ramp to enter the lobby and hotel restaurant. It was located a little distance from the pool area. This was also the ramp for people to access the hotel; however, it was so hidden that guests arriving in the night would certainly miss it. The ramp needs to be up front and accessible for all visitors as they arrive. Now, I love visiting hotels that have a well- decorated lobby. It is the beauty of the hotel and really defines the mood of your visit. Margaritaville did not disappoint with staying on theme from the lobby and throughout the entire property. It was well decorated and everything flowed effortlessly.
We rented a golf cart to explore the island for a day. The kids really enjoyed the feeling of being chauffeured around in the golf cart. Every little bump or jagged turn was met with excitement. We took a picture by the renowned southernmost point of the continental United States. Boy, oh boy, that was a long line in the Florida heat, but we persevered. Key West had one of the best restaurants we dined at while on vacation. Frogarty’s had a large open courtyard and a laidback vibe. My heavens, when the food came out, there wasn’t a peep to be heard by the bunch. Let me tell you this, we dined there two nights in a row and that’s not like us when there are other restaurants to try out while on vacation. It was so good we needed to savor it again.
We had dinner one of the other nights at The Hard Rock Café. Not to sound like a snob, but we have this restaurant in Orlando and never dined there as a family. While dining at The Hard Rock Café, we were greeted by a photographer that worked for the café. He snapped a lot of pictures of our family. When the meal was over, he brought out an array of beautiful pictures for us to choose from. Of course, we had to pay and it made it difficult not to pick them all when it’s so beautifully put together. We bought one and the other one was given to us at no cost—winning!
We spent some time at the beach across the street. This was not like one of our signature beaches in Florida with the beautiful picturesque water you see in the movies. We had to go through a marsh of seaweed to get to the sandbars, but the family still made the best of it and we had a good time at the beach.
Oh, pardon me! I forgot to mention the hotel restaurant where we had the pleasure of eating breakfast. Their breakfast packed a punch on your tummy in a good way. The portions were more than bountiful. It kept us full for most of the day. Margaritaville has some really amazing staff that works for them. We always received top-notch service and pleasantries from everyone. Until... cue the beat drop... this is when things comes to a sharp turn.
The kids were having a pool and beach day with daddy while I stayed in the room with baby C. As time passed, I noticed that no one had come to clean our room. That was okay with me, but I needed some clean towels and the trash taken out. I contacted the front desk requesting fresh towels and the trash removal in the early afternoon. In the late afternoon, the towels were still not delivered and the trash was overflowing, so I went to the front desk. A cheerful employee assured me the towels would be delivered soon and someone would take the trash. We left for dinner and hung out late enjoying the evening. When we arrived back to the room, the trash was still overflowing and no clean towels had arrived. By now, it was almost 9 PM. I contacted the front desk and asked to speak with the manager but was told the supervisor would be able to assist me. The supervisor called me back. Turned out, it was the cheerful employee that greeted me and assured me that the trash would be taken out and we would receive clean towels. He apologized for the mishap and said he would have the resort fee for that day removed. Within twenty minutes of the call, the room attendant brought clean towels and emptied the trash.
This all occurred the night before checkout. I was concerned that we received this type of service because it was our last night in the hotel and maybe they didn’t feel it warranted us getting clean towels or trash removal. When my husband checked out the next morning, he said the resort fee was not removed from the bill as the supervisor said it would be. That one experience left a bad taste in my memories. As beautiful as the hotel is, and as nice as the wonderful staff was, it was sad to see how we were treated on our last night there.
In the end, I was able to cross off Key West from my bucket list. The family still had an overall great time despite the few little disappointments. See you next time for another Bear family vacation.