Key West is a fabulous, yet historic place. Many of my childhood summers involved road trips to the Florida Keys. I have created great memories there, and was so happy when my best friend, Ally, called to tell me we were celebrating her 24th birthday in Key West. Me, along with 6 girlfriends, made our way down the East Coast of Florida, across the gorgeous Seven Mile Bridge, to the the very last key to celebrate Memorial Day and our very best friend! Without a doubt, Key West exceeded our expectations, provided a platform for us to laugh, reminisce, enjoy drinks, great food, and tan our sun-kissed skin. We went to our favorite bar, Flying Monkeys, and rented beach cruisers to get us around the island. We stayed at The Palms Hotel, (stay tuned for reviews below) a very small bed and breakfast, and explored the quaint culture of this old Florida city. There is so much to do and see in Key West it is almost impossible to accomplish it all in one weekend!
The first stop on our long trip down the coast of Florida led us to the beautiful island of Islamorada, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Tiki Hut, a wonderful little gem with great views of the crystal clear water and awesome live music!
After lunch we made our way down to our final destination, Key West.
Overall, I was not impressed with the Palms Hotel. The location was way farther from Duval Street than we were led to believe on their website. We also ran into issues initially with parking in which the staff explained there were 35 spots in a parking lot beside the hotel at a first come first served basis. This was a complete and utter lie as there were absolutely no parking spots available, let alone a parking lot to be found on property. You were left to fend for yourself and find street parking. Luckily, we were all able to find some! The hotel did not meet my standard of cleanliness, and I found multiple bugs in numerous locations…including a bug folded into one of our “clean” towels. Obviously we are a group of fun loving girls, so we made it work and had a great time, but if you ask me personally, I would never stay at the Palms Hotel again. If I had to recommend a hotel for you to stay at on the island, I would highly recommend the Hyatt on Duval or the Marriott by the Hot Tin Roof, where we had an AMAZING brunch. After unloading our stuff, we walked around the island and began to explore.
And of course….it would not be a Key West vacation for us if we didn’t make multiple stops at Flying Monkeys, our absolute FAVORITE place on the island. We got a drink here every single day!
We rented bikes from A&M rentals, and I highly recommend using this company. They gave us the best rate on the island for $10 a day. 
We rode our bikes to the Southernmost beach, and the water was crystal clear and refreshing! At this point, we were only 90 miles from Cuba!
The night life in Key West is fantastic! We spent most of our time at Irish Kevins, Cowboy Bills, Sloppy Joe’s and Willie T’s. One of the best things about going out at night in Key West is enjoying all of the live music. Each bar has a live band, and all were incredibly talented! My favorite bars were Cowboy Bills, a country bar with an electrical bull, and Sloppy Joe’s, a casual bar playing all the latest and greatest.
What girls trip is complete without brunch? None! That is why we had the most scrumptious brunch at the Hot Tin Roof with all you drink Mimosas and a Bloody Mary Bar. I am still dreaming about their cinnamon roll bacon bread. It was heavenly.
Mallory Square is one of the most famous spots in Key West! It is not to be missed when visiting! We rode our bikes there and explored all it had to offer from the unique shops to the interesting statues. Don’t miss out on the sunset ceremonies if you are visiting for the first time. That is when you will catch all of the street performers! They have fire blowers, acrobats, men with kittens and monkeys…anything and everything weird/entertaining you could possibly think of can be found on Mallory Square.
Overall, we had such an amazing time! If you haven’t explored the beauty of the Florida Keys, I urge you to do it right away! Especially, if you live in Florida! It is true paradise, and such an easy place to get to! Not to mention, it is a complete blast!
I hope you enjoyed this extra long post, Love bugs!
Until next time–
Christina
Traveling Love Bug 
We have made such great memories in Key West, love that you will continue to make more memories on your own!!! I love all your pictures and descriptions you open my minds eye……….I love you always to the moon and back and to infinity and beyond!!!!