FLORIDA: Key West works its charm

I had certain preconceptions about Key West, mainly because during our Florida trip so far we’d been asked several times where our itinerary was taking us, and whenever we mentioned the Keys the general reaction was along the lines of "oh, you’re going to love the Keys, they’re stunning, magical, but Key West isn’t what it used to be, it’s changed, it’s too commercial, too many people, it’s lost its charm" and so on and so on.

Therefore, I ventured down to Key West with low expectations, and as is often the case when you don’t expect much, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I’m sure Key West was fabulous in the free-thinking sixties and seventies, but today there’s still enough left of its eccentric, hippy and hedonistic charm to captivate the first time visitor. Those who fell in love with the old Key West can’t expect to keep it to themselves, or keep it the way it used to be. Like all special places, it will inevitably be discovered by the rest of us, and, as a consequence, changed.

Saying all this, it wasn’t the best of starts. After a chilled out 1 hr and 30min drive from Islamorada – across bridges and past pretty marinas, deer parks, turtle sanctuaries, and miles and miles of turquoise sea that you just want to dive into – we got to Key West and immediately encountered major roadworks, noisy ones at that. Thankfully, they’re only temporary.

We had been warned about the difficult of parking but we stumbled on free parking in the roads around the Casa Marina Waldorf Astoria, which incidentally also has a good, affordable poolside/beachfront restaurant. It might look a bit bland from the outside, but once you’re through that lobby and out the other side, well, see for yourself…

Key West is one of those rare places in the US where you can actually walk, and just a blocks away we found ourselves at the southernmost point of continental US. Everywhere in this little corner of Key West lays claim to being the southernmost – there’s the southernmost beach caf-©, the southernmost guest house, the southernmost beach hotel, the southernmost hotel (not on the beach), the southernmost this, the southernmost that. We soon got the picture, and we took some pictures too. It seemed rude not to.

It’s here that the main street, Duval, starts and one of the first attractions we past was the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. You enter through its butterfly themed gift shop, selling everything that you could possibly want and need in life shaped like a butterfly, or covered in butterflies. Then you’re through the doors and inside an enchanting oasis of tropical plants, waterfalls, trees and a swirl of fluttering butterflies and tiny exotic birds. They were everywhere, and even landed on you. It was magical and I could have quite easily taken a seat and watchd them flutter about for the rest of the afternoon.

But we only had a day in Key West, so we dragged ourselves away from the pretty butterflies and took a stroll up Duval Street, a heady mix of posh shops, trashy shops, ice cream parlours, sophisticated cafes, galleries, tea rooms, cigar kiosks, sports bars, music bars, gay bars, adult entertainment bars – you name it, it’s in Duval Street. It took a while, due to all the people-watching and window shopping, but we eventually got to the other end where we sat and had a chocolate covered frozen Key Lime Pie (yum) and soaked up the atmosphere.

When the sun sets in Key West, the place to be is Mallory Square, so at 5.30pm we headed over, with everyone else. Magicians, comedians, singers, drummers, Houdinis, uni-cycling jugglers, and other ‘professional’ street entertainers were already attracting the crowds, working their audience into a frenzy so they were more generous with their donations.

Beyond the square, we watched the pirate and party cruises sail past and further along the seawall we saw the big cruise ships docked. Some blame the arrival of the cruise lines for the changing feel of Key West. Who knows. The Lonely Planet tells visitors to go to Key West now, so that in 10 years time they can shake their head and say: "You shoulda seen it 10 years ago." They might well be right, but having fallen for the Key West charm, I’d rather go back sooner than that.

www.visitflorida.com
www.fla-keys.co.uk