Weekend Getaway in Key West

A few weeks ago the Mr. and I made our way to Key West for the 5th or 6th year in a row (I've lost count) and had a great weekend getaway. We got with the same group each year and have the best time!  I just love flying in and seeing that beautiful water! 

We always stay at the same house which is amazing. It's actually two separate houses, but one has a living and kitchen area and the other is just bedrooms. There is a pool in the middle, a ton of tropical plants and less than a block to the marina and only a few blocks away from the nightlife and restaurants Key West is known for. 

Our flight didn't arrive until late afternoon and I knew we would be heading to dinner shortly after so I wore my favorite Amazon Maxi Dress on the plain because it is so comfortable and I knew it could take me straight to dinner that night.  

After settling in we took the golf cart to dinner since reservations on this night were a bit further than walking distance. 

We at at a new restaurant we had never been to before called Firefly and it was amazing! 

It was southern food with a twist and so, so yummy! Our server said they were known for their fried chicken and we got a ton of appetizers to share and they were all delicious!  

We were all gushing over this biscuit.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  It was HUGE and melted in your mouth.  

The weather wasn't great on the weekend we chose to visit.  It was very windy and there were a lot of storms here and there.  Our first full day was going to prove to be the best so we got up early to go fishing.  

It was pretty choppy out there, but still fun and we were able to catch a pretty good amount of fish! 

Yellowtail was mainly what we caught and it as fun coming back to the docks because there are always tons of people walking around wanting to see what you bring back. 

After a quick regroup we went back out to do a little lobstering. And by "we" I mean the Mr. dives for the lobster...

...while I stay on the boat and relax with a drink.  :-) It's a win-win for both of us. 

This year the lobstering wasn't great earthier because most of them were too small, but they did manage to catch a few for us to bring home! 

That night we ate on Bourbon street and did the Key West thing...bar hoping and drinks before calling it a night.  

The next morning the weather was pretty overcast so we slept in and grabbed a quick lunch before heading back out on the water.  We ate at one of my favorites, Conch Republic Seafood Company.  

It is literally across the street from our house and right on the water. It's open air, they generally have live music and just a fun, laid-back atmosphere. 

There are roosters and chickens all over Key West that just roam the streets and I have gotten used to them over the years.  This was the first time I had ever seen one INSIDE of the restaurant though! 

After lunch we went out on the boat for a little while, but they had to drag me away from this sweet Manatee.  He was drinking from he hose that was at the dock and just hanging out there for the longest time.  

That night we got all decked out in our UGA stuff to watch our Dawgs play Notre Dame. It was such an exciting and fun game to watch!  

The next day the guys went out on the water again and I decided to stay back with a few of the other ladies since the water wasn't great and it was drizzly . I read, relaxed, did a little souvenir shopping for the kids and then we got all dolled up for dinner on our last night. 

We ate at Prime Steakhouse for our last night there and it never disappoints.  Such delicious steaks and family style sides with amazing wine.   

None of us wanted to call it a night so we made our final stop in Key West at Smoking' Tuna for drink and live music.  I had the frozen Moscow Mule and it was so good! 

It's always fun to get away, but I also love coming home. This time it was much easier to leave knowing we were going to be heading on a trip with our kiddos the very next day! I'll share about that next week! 

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Parents Escape: Key West {Day 4-7}

This week I've been chatting about our trip to Key West. To see the first few days, take a peek here:

Parents Escape: Key West

Parents Escape: Key West {Day 2-3}

All this reminiscing...my trip booking finger is getting a little twitchy. Especially as I am staring down rain, a pile of school tasks, and just general school year chaos. Tropical paradise sounds nice right about now! But, for now, I will just soak in all these fun memories. 

Day 4

On this day we woke up and went for a quick work out at the Casa Marina gym (super well equipped by the way!), before heading out to Duval Street. 

The World Cup Final was on and we wanted to watch it somewhere fun. We heard Irish Kevin's Pub was going to be hosting a World Cup gathering, so we thought this would be the perfect spot to watch. 

It was close to lunchtime so we went ahead and ordered a light lunch. I asked the waitress to surprise me with one of her favorite popular cocktails.  So she brought me this... 

I'm not opposed to day drinking, but The World Famous Green Alligator was a little strong. She informed me it would taste like Kool Aid. Kool Aid isn't exactly what I would describe it as. I also might suggest Ubering over walking after half of one. 

| tank | shorts | sandals |

After France beat Croatia, we decided to walk off our lunch and head back to the hotel on foot. It had rained so it wasn't quite as hot. 

When we got to the hotel we heard it was National Ice Cream Day. So we celebrated by grabbing some coconut gelato. It was worth every calorie! 

The rest of the afternoon we decided to just lounge beachside. 

We knew the next day we would have to get up bright and early so relaxing and staying close for the rest of the day was perfect. 

| dress | sunglasses | earrings |

We decided to stay on property for dinner, and couldn't believe we hadn't done that yet. It has such a pretty view in the evenings! 

Dinner was so yummy, and once we were full we went straight to bed!

Day 5

Now we had to go to bed early the previous night because on this morning we were waking up at the crack of dawn to go off shore fishing. Mr. Cute loves to off shore fish, and on almost every tropical trip we've taken together he's chartered a boat for us. Now over the course of 17 years that's added up to a lot of trips. Out of those trips I can count on one hand how many total fish we have caught together. He was beginning to think I was bad luck. After last year's trip I made sure to pack an extra iPhone charger and downloaded two extra books. 

Do I at least look the part?

| top | shorts | 

 We met with the Linda D's Sport Fishing crew nice and early. Right off the bat I had to admit it was probably the cleanest boat we'd ever booked. Like I wasn't even scared to use the potty this time around. That's saying a lot. Trust me. 

We said goodbye to land for the next eight hours in search of Mahi Mahi. 

And even though I typically inform everyone on the crew that I am more of a watch, not catch, kind of girl, this crew wasn't having it. They made me fish and I actually had fun. 

And then they made me touch the fish and our relationship was officially dead to me. 

Overall it was a super fun trip. The crew was amazing, and Mr. Cute and I had a blast. I rarely had to get out my book. It was a fishing miracle. 

After working up an appetite, we showered off all the day's accumulated fish guts and headed out to dinner. I was so excited to wear this seersucker dress I purchased when we were in Hilton Head earlier this summer. 

| dress | sandals | earrings |

The charter crew had given us a recommendation for a restaurant that would cook some of the fish we had caught. They also said Dante's had amazing macaroni and cheese. 

Okay, if you are wanting to get back in my good graces - mac and cheese is the way to go. 

I asked the waitress to surprise me with a house cocktail of her choice and whatever she brought me was amazing! 

The food wasn't bad either! And the mac and cheese did live up to it's hype. 

We are now back on speaking terms. 

Dante's was an interesting atmosphere. I can only describe is as a dockside/poolside/bar lounge restaurant. It was open air with picnic tables, and there was a pretty decent band playing. It was super casual, and great people watching. 

Okay, we had driven and walked past this wine and dessert bar dozens of times the previous days. We finally decided to see what Better Than Sex was all about. We heard the desserts were out of this world good. 

The menu was extensive and all the desserts are homemade. Reading the descriptions of everything is almost better than eating everything. Key word - almost. 

Because a chocolate rimmed wine glass might now be my favorite thing. Throw in a decadent chocolate cake...I'm never leaving. 

Are they hiring? Someone ship my kids to me. I'm a writer...I can help with the menu...you know a more PG version, but still... 

All that to say, it's worth a visit. A kid-free visit. 

Day 6

We knew this was our last full day so we decided to do nothing but relax. We did a quick down the street to take a peek at the the Southernmost Point in the U.S. 

The line was quick (apparently it can get pretty bad), and then we made our way back to Casa Marina for the rest of the day. 

We parked ourselves at the adult only pool with a good book and a few cocktails, and didn't move until absolutely necessary. 

And this called for absolutely necessary. We ordered lunch and all of the sudden these guys leaped out of the bushes behind us. 

And brought nine of their friends. I was pool bound after that. This mama doesn't do large lizards. This nice couple from New York was in the adjoining cabana and let us lounge with them for awhile once they saw we were under siege. It was a fun way to spend the day, and we had a good laugh about it once we commandeered our stuff back. 

That night we made our way to Duval Street to enjoy a dinner at Antonia's. It is an Italian restaurant and it was so so good! I didn't take many photos because the food didn't last long. 

| dress | 

Day 7 

Time to go home... but not quite. Our flight wasn't scheduled until almost dinner time. So we were able to lounge at the hotel most of the day and requested a late checkout. 

I made sure we soaked in every last ounce of beach time that we could. 

It was super hot this day, so around mid-day we decided to change and get some lunch. I don't care where you are in the world, cheese dip and margaritas are always a good lunch option. And Old Town Mexican Cafe held that statement true. 

Our food was excellent and we ate way too much of it! Oh so worth it though. 

| top | shorts | cross body bag | sandals |

We still needed to kill a few hours, and we saw the Key West Aquarium was close by. It is small, but has a lot of hands on experiences and a lot of rehabilitated animals. 

After this we made our way back to our bags at the hotel. 

We couldn't leave without at least one more key lime pie under our belts. We hadn't really had any the entire trip and felt like it was necessary before we left. 

Shortly after we were back at the airport and headed home to our crew. 

It was such a fun week, and I definitely get the draw to this part of Florida. I can't wait to plan another trip there soon, and am already living through Carrie Beth who heads down in a few weeks. 

Have you traveled to Key West? What are some of your favorites on the island? I feel like we saw a ton, but still missed so much! 

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