"Mixed Emotions" a Key West Travel Page by LowBrow

It was a choice between Cabo San Lucas and Key West. The wallet ruled over the heart, so it was Key West for me on fairly short notice. All told, I was a bit disappointed by the legendary nightlife. I was half hoping for Girls Gone WIld, but ended up with Cruise Couples Gone to Shore.

Key West is a great place for fishing. I did see people finish off the piers, but the real action is out on the boats, which is all I did. For $35 or so, you can fish for 5 or 6 hours.

There is lots of shopping on Duval St. although most of it is T-Shirts, and other touristy stuff. There are also upscale shops with Jewelry, Clothing, etc. Also, there are plenty of things to see on the island, like the Hemmingway house, the Audobon House, the Lighthouse, museums, etc.

The beaches however, are very limited. As anyone will tell you, Key West really isn't a beach destination, there are other much nicer places in the Caribbean to do, or places in Florida for that matter.

For me, the real strength of Key West was all the things you could do on the water: sailing, snorkling, kayaking, fishing, etc. You can get as adventurous as you'd like, or simply sit back and sail for the entire day.

Now all of this costs money, like $75 per person for a four hour sailing trip, but it is pretty spectacular. In general Key West is pricey. The Island isn't really geared towards children, and many of the accomodations are adults only.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend the book: June Keith's Key West & The Florida Keys: A Guide to the Coral Islands. It's very very helpful.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Key West is a very "gay-friendly" place, with many bars, restaurants, shows, etc. If this is a problem for you, do yourself (and them) a favor and skip Key West.

However, Key West certainly is beautiful, and there are many great things to do there. The food is really great, and the people are pretty friendly. So, go, bring your camera, and get out on the water as much as possible!