"Travel to Florida always starts well. Tampa is the best airport in the world...comfortable, spacious, welcoming, friendly staff, spotlessly clean.
Anna Maria Island is our favourite, it’s so laid back. The pace ..." Andy G., Tewin, Hertfordshire, U.K. Read more
Cheeca Lodge & Spa: A Paradise with Panache in the Florida Keys Florida’s diverse hotels and resorts beckon for a holiday marked by some welcome constants – sunny days, balmy temperatures and the whistle of sea breeze-meets-palm frond virtually all year ‘round. And for all the state’s paradise-like properties, it’s a rare resort that claims as many superlatives as Cheeca Lodge & Spa in the Florida Keys.
Flying High at Hawks Cay Swim with schools of silvery fish past a shipwreck encrusted with sponges and corals. Follow birds over the Gulf of Mexico to catch your own mahi-mahi. Command the aquamarine playground that surrounds you aboard a 42-foot sailboat. At excursion's end, return to your villa, where sea breezes tickle palms aside sun-dappled porches – remember why you've traveled here?
Home Singh Home in the Florida Keys In America, there’s a saying: “everything but the kitchen sink.” It refers to packing so much for a holiday that you’ve basically brought the entire house with you. The reason most folks pack so much? They want all the comforts of home when they travel. Well, here’s the answer for those who want it all – Singh Resorts, a medley of one-, two- and three-bedroom vacation residences in the beautiful Florida Keys.
Key Notes Skipping down the Florida Keys' different personalities, and ways to celebrate them.
The Florida Keys & Key West: Rules of the Keys Life in the Florida Keys is different from anywhere else in the world. The Keys have their own set of rules, all of which require removing oneself from life’s harsh realities, worries, restraints and anything remotely chilly. Here, you can relax and just be.
Florida Keys/Key West
Bahia Honda Bridge
Dangling somewhere between Florida and the Caribbean – both geographically and philosophically – the Florida Keys are all together someplace else. Just as cleanly as they break from the mainland, they depart from mainstream tempos. Their easy-going attitude, renegade spirit and vibrant coral reefs make them a favourite destination for families, couples, watersports enthusiasts and escapees of all kinds.
The jumping-off point from reality, Key Largo, leads this journey into island life at its most colourful and outrageous. Addresses along Highway 1 are described in mile marker numbers and shorts and flip-flops are the official uniform of the so-called “Conch Republic.”
Beginning in Key Largo, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects aquarium-clear waters, its reefs and marine life for the benefit of fishermen, snorkelers and divers. Game and other tropical fish, sea turtles, shells, sea fans and other awesome spectacles await underwater sightseers. Dive shops can set you up with all the gear, courses and transportation you need. One of the most popular spots, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park runs charters to Christ of the Deep, a 1800-kilo bronze statue resting on the sea’s bottoms, and other natural coral formations.
To ogle sea critters without getting wet, head to Islamorada, home to Theatre of the Sea, which offers dolphin and sea lion interaction programmes as well as shows and exhibits. Also, don’t miss the chance to feed giant tarpon that gather around the docks at Robbie’s of Islamorada.
Fishing is one of the Keys’ greatest attractions. Cast for the big guys – marlin, sailfish, tuna, and dolphin – on deepwater charters or learn to fish with finesse for the elusive bonefish, a haunt of backwater flats. You’ll find charters available on all the major keys, particularly Islamorada, Marathon and Big Pine Key.
Marathon appeals to families with its Museums and Nature Centre of Crane Point and its abundance of resorts, from mom-pop to grand destination types. It is the launching point for the Seven Mile Bridge, often known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. As part of the Overseas Highway that interconnects the chain of keys, it consistently gets named among the nation’s most scenic drives. From it, you will spot the original circa-1905 railroad bridge. Today it’s a hot fishing pier that takes you to Historic Pigeon Key, a site where Bahamian railroad workers once lived.
Christ of the Deep
The bridge drops you onto Big Pine Key and Bahia Honda State Park, listed among America’s best beaches. As the most natural of the main keys, Big Pine Key is all about fishing and its leading population of Key deer, a tiny subspecies of the white-tailed deer that was hunted practically to extinction in decades past.
Scuba operators take you into Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, diving at its best in the Keys. Come summer, the quest is on for Florida lobster, whose succulent tails show up on the menus of local restaurants during open season. Conch is another culinary Keys icon, harkening back to the islands’ deep Bahamian roots. Since conch fishing is no longer allowed in the Keys, the meat for local specialities such as fritters, cracked conch and conch salad comes from abroad. Restaurants also serve Cuban dishes, Floribbean cuisine and tropical fruit treats, particularly that speciality of all Keys specialities: Key lime pie. The contest is ever afoot for the best of this pudding-like sweet-sour delight.
At the end of the road, like a tropical island version of Oz (lots of lizards, no wizards), lies the inimitable Key West. Forget all the rules when you enter this world of street performers, artists, pavement cafes, funky saloons, historic B&Bs and a sunset celebration second to none. Historically, one of Florida’s oldest ports and metropolises, it is in many ways mired in the past. Attractions remember Ernest Hemingway’s residence here, visits by Harry Truman, and the island’s shipwrecking era, cigar-making days and military importance. The Key West Aquarium was Florida’s first of its kind. It sits along the waterfront among a sponge market, raw bars and resorts. It’s the place to come at sunset, when throngs witness every form of entertainment from pet iguanas to fire-eaters. This is a small taste of the Key West party scene. For the full force, visit during Halloween when Fantasy Fest turns the streets upside down.
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