I Said Goodbye To April In Key West
Not even two weeks later and I'm still thinking about the sunsets.
I was 10 years old the first time I went to Florida.
My parents took me and two out of my three siblings on a vacation to Disney World. Given that I am now 31, it probably isn’t all that surprising that my memories of said trip are fragmented.
But what I do remember is lovely. I ate many a Mickey-shaped personal pizza (I was very picky as a child and it is a mystery to me how my sensitive stomach survived a week downing mostly bread, cheese, and sauce, in the heat); I rode Space Mountain with everyone, including my mother (Rosemary does not do rides, people — this was a rare and awesome occurrence); I did a sassy hand-on-my-hip pose with Cruella DeVille for a picture; I insisted on correcting the poor man dressed as Smee that he was, actually, one of the seven dwarfs; and I remember getting my hair braided and wrapped in pretty colored yarn before our flight home.
The second time I went to Florida, I was 24.
The weekend stay was for a destination wedding, also in Disney World. I went with my now-husband for his cousin’s nuptials, and we spent some time in the Disney parks, as well as Orlando Studios. My in-laws and I ran around Magic Kingdom like we were kids, and I lived out my fantasy of existing in the magical world of Harry Potter for a day.
Fast-forward to the last week of April 2023, my husband and I flew to Florida for my third time visiting the sunshine state and landed in Key West.
We were originally planning a trip to Colorado. I wanted to go snow tubing and to the hot springs, and Mark wanted to pop into Denver. The only problem was, all of those activities happened nowhere near each other. At least, nowhere in close proximity, and I was not in the headspace to plan such an active trip.
One morning, as we were coming home from picking up coffee, I looked at Mark and said, “Do you want to go on a beach vacation with me?”
It was sometime in February. I’m pretty sure there were remnants of the last New Jersey snow on the ground. It was cold outside, but we both were burnt out on the inside.
“Yes,” he said, matter-of-fact. “Where?”
And that was that.
I asked one of my best friends (hi Megs!), who I knew had been to Key West, where she stayed, and how she liked it. She told me The Pier House, and that she highly recommended it, explaining, “They have a private beach and a pool, and they share a bar.”
We were sold.
Monday, April 24th
We touched down in Key West around 1 pm on Monday. By the time we got off the plane, got in our Uber, and arrived at the resort, it was around 2:00 pm, and we were starving. The game plan was to drop off our stuff, assess the room, and find food.
The Pier House is a beautiful resort and we had an amazing view of the ocean and Key West’s famous sunsets. It’s also in a great location, though Key West is such a small city, that everything is in proximity.
We booked one of the Ocean View suites. The room was spacious, the bed was comfortable, and the balcony was small but private. The bathroom was by far one of the best I’ve experienced in any hotel. The rain shower was *chef’s kiss* and the vanity had plenty of counter space for all of my makeup and hair styling tools.
Like Megan, I would definitely recommend it!
We opted for a late lunch at a place called the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, both of us ordering fish tacos as our first meal in Key West. Mark had The Fresh Catch tacos; I had Blackened Shrimp tacos. They were loaded with fresh pico and came with small bowls of black beans and island rice.
The meal was delicious.
The company, however, threw me for a loop.
A little FYI for those of you who haven’t been to Key West: Wild chickens walk around freely, through the streets and, evidently, in outdoor restaurants, resorts... everywhere.
There were two roosters, a hen, and a few chicks walking around the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon like they owned the place. I didn’t know how to feel about it at first.
By the end of our vacation, I was almost used to it.
Almost.
We spent the rest of the evening by the pool, which was glorious. A worker greeted us at the gate and gave us towels. Just as I cracked open Carley Fortune’s latest title Meet Me At The Lake, a waiter came to take our drink orders. Mark got a margarita, I got a frozen daiquiri, and we cheered to vacation!
By the time we got back to the room, showered, and got dressed, we still weren’t super hungry. We decided to walk around a bit and people-watch. The nightlife is popping in Key West. We’re not exactly partiers or bar hoppers, but we did enjoy watching the hoards of people on the street.
We stopped at a hole in the wall called The Kolache Kitchen for a late-night snack.
In simplest terms, a kolache is a pastry that can be filled with either sweet or savory fillings. Some pictures online will show you generous servings. These were small. I got a sausage and cheese kolache, and it tasted like a corn dog with cheese. Mark also got a turkey, chipotle, garlic, and Swiss kolache, which looked much more interesting.
Our final consensus was they weren’t bad, just boring.
Tuesday, April 25th
Tuesday was the first of our beach days, and I could wax poetic about this resort’s private beach.
It was lovely.
Just like the pool situation, when you show up at the beach, a worker is waiting to help find your ideal seat, place a towel over your chair, and supply you with additional towels for if you decide to take a dip in the ocean. Once you're settled, a waiter eventually finds you to take your drink order.
We got used to that quickly.
The beach was a serene little area. It was clean and the wait staff was friendly and attentive. The ocean was roped off, so you couldn’t go too far out, but that was fine by me. It was deep enough that Mark couldn’t touch the ground, so it was perfect for swimming.
We ate at the resort restaurant for breakfast and it was decent! I had a veggie omelet and Mark had two eggs over medium with sausage links.
We skipped lunch in favor of a liquid meal (the drinks were just so convenient!) and grazed on Goldfish crackers.
For dinner, we went to The White Tarpon (as recommended by our future brother-in-law, Brian). I got fish tacos (yes, again) and Mark got a mahi-mahi sandwich. Both were fantastic. We ate on the boardwalk and had a nice view of the dock.
Wednesday, April 26th
Wednesday was the last day we ate breakfast in Key West, and if you’ve ever tried eating eggs in the heat, you know why.
Two Friends is an all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot across the street from The Pier House. The menu was great, but, as I said, I couldn’t enjoy my omelet and potatoes as much as I wanted to in 80-degree weather.
I did, however, enjoy the rooster the wait staff had affectionately named Solo that sauntered around the outside tables. When one was free, he’d hop on top and cock-a-doodle-doo, reminding everyone that was his domain.
Before heading to the beach on this day, we checked the number one thing off my “must-do in Key West” list: We visited Judy Blume’s bookstore.
Books and Books in Key West is a quaint shop with floor-to-ceiling shelves of books spanning all genres. Unfortunately, Judy is on a press tour celebrating the release of the Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret movie and wasn’t at the store, but my lovely cashier did tell me that Judy normally pops in two to three times a week.
I was devasted I’d missed her (and mighty bitter when I found out just a week or two prior, she and Rachel McAdams were there promoting the film and doing press interviews), BUT I was able to leave the Judy Blume title I was buying behind at the register for her to sign when she gets back.
Come June/July, I’ll have an autographed copy of Smart Women to display on my bookshelf. What a happy mail day that will be!
The remainder of the afternoon was spent on the beach and the evening was spent at The Sunset Pier, which was probably my favorite restaurant of the trip.
When people say Key West has the best sunsets, they aren’t exaggerating, and The Sunset Pier (aptly named) was the second best place to view one (the first being our balcony, but more on that later). I also had the best lobster roll of my life there, which was a big deal.
The restaurant is what it sounds like: a long pier with high and low tables, lit only by the sun and strings of twinkling lights.
The majority of people came just to watch the sunset and leave, but we stayed for dinner and to watch the live band play covers of oldies. Some of the stragglers danced. Almost everyone sang along. We stayed for a little more than two hours, just enjoying the night.
On our way back to the resort, we stopped at The Original Key Lime Pie Bakery, just minutes before the owner closed shop. Normally, Mark and I share deserts, but not this time. We had to get our own slices to get the full experience.
It was a 10/10.
Thursday, April 27th
We skipped breakfast entirely on Thursday and went to Wahlburgers for an early lunch. I’m a New Kids On The Block fan, so when we passed by the restaurant Tuesday night, I knew I wanted to get there eventually. (Yes, I realize the restaurant is owned by Paul and not Donnie, but, as a Donnie stan, I felt compelled to support the family.)
Mark and I both ordered the Our Burger, which is a beef burger with “government cheese” (aka American), lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and Paul’s signature Wahl Sauce. A much better option than eggs in the heat.
Then we digested for a bit in the room before heading to the beach, where we stayed all day, soaking up the sun.
Friday, April 28th
Our last day at the resort was nothing short of adventurous. On a whim, we decided to rent a motor scooter and take a drive around the entire city.
Mark was given a crash course (more like crunch course — it lasted all of four minutes) on how to drive the thing, and off we went! We passed by the Hemingway House (we would have stopped for a tour but there was zero parking anywhere we looked), the Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S. Buoy, and down Duval street. We parked in front of a harbor and took a picture to commemorate the experience.
We stopped by Island Dogs after nearly three hours of cruising and split a bar pie. It was one of the best tavern pizzas I’ve ever had, and the water tasted like heaven (but that was probably because we were so hot).
Once full, we headed back to the resort and spent the last of our time in Key West lounging on the beach and taking intermittent dips in the ocean. I was so sad, I actually said goodbye to the water.
We watched the sun go down from our balcony. It was high in the sky, turning the clouds pink as it descended behind the water, and people cheered from the dock below. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Overall, Florida isn’t for me. I don’t do well in the heat. That said, I loved my time at The Pier House, and would recommend the resort to anyone and everyone looking for a place to stay down there. We had a great time, and I still miss that piece of the ocean.
I think I always will.
I Said Goodbye To April In Key West
I loved loved this recap of your vacation!!! So happy you had a great time and this is a great resource for those looking to travel to Key West! Amazing ! I went to island dogs and that same key lime pie place :)
Thoroughly enjoyed the read Jules!!!