shazam@mhuxl.UUCP (08/24/83)
My wife and I will be spending a week in Key West in early December. Any tips regarding local sights to visit, good restaurants, hotels, etc. will be appreciated. Tom Marsden BTL MH 6A-319 (201) 582-3817 mhuxl!shazam
summers@ihuxk.UUCP (08/29/83)
I lived in Key West for three years and can recommend many things to see and a few to avoid. For accomodations the Marriott's Casa Marina Hotel can't be beat. It is on the expensive side ( around 65-100 a night) but they do have weekend package deals. It is beautifully restored Spanish architecture multilevel (I think about 4 floors). The food in the dining room is supposed to be good (I haven't eaten there) but it is probably overpriced. They have a grand ballroom with dancing nightly also. It is situated on the ocean (As nearly everything in Key West is). Second would be the Pier House, it is nearly as expensive more modern in appearance but not as good a deal in my opinion. In the more moderate price range the Key Wester is quite nice with rooms and also cottages. Avoid the Ramada Inn, and the Holiday Inn, both are in bad locations and are rather mediocre. As far as dining goes there are many excellent restaurants in Key West. Seafood is of course the specialty and Perrys is a nice family restaurant for that. Marthas is also very good (a little higher but more atmosphere). For excellent Cuban food try La Lechonera. It is small cramped and the service is only fair but the food is great. (Oh how I miss Cuban food!). Things to do: Deep Sea fishing (300-500 a day for a charter boat for four). The best deal is to find another party of two and split it. Also SCUBA and snorkeling is the best in the U.S. in the Keys. Sailboarding is also very popular and the sailboards can be rented by the hour or day. Jet Skis also can be found. Anything to do with water can be done in the Keys. There are also some nice museums to check out including the Lighthouse museum and the East Martillo fort. And of all things you can not miss is sunset at Mallory Square. This is a very popular event with jugglers, comedians and such when tourist season is in full swing. The Conch Train offers an hour tour of the city pointing out sights and giving a look at the history of the town and would be a good starting point for a visit. Hope you enjoy your visit. Bob Summers !ihnp4!ihuxk!summers Bell Laboratories, Naperville -- Robert L. Summers Bell Laboratories Naperville, Illinois 60566 (312) 979-1649 ucbvax!ihnss!ihuxk!summers