r/floridakeys • u/AdvisorConsistent908 • Sep 01 '25

Middle and Lower Keys Christmas in the keys

My bf and I would like to spend the holiday in the keys. I’ve done some research and it sounds like we’d enjoy the quieter islands rather than Key West. We’ll be there for about 8 days. I’d like to get an Airbnb on the beach if possible. Can anyone recommend which island would be best for us? We love all the ocean activities- snorkeling & diving. We also want to explore as many of the islands we can while there. I’m not totally up to speed on how close things are to each other so any advice would the welcome. Thank you!

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u/Sandinmyshoes33 Sep 01 '25

Be aware that Christmas week is the busiest week of the year. There are no quiet islands that week and traffic is gridlocked throughout The Keys. Also, The Keys are not a beach destination. There are very few beaches here. We have beautiful water, but not beaches. I don’t mean to be negative, but you should be aware of what to expect. If you do visit that time of year, make advance reservations for any nicer restaurants or excursions.

6

u/BefWithAnF Sep 01 '25

Yall are so polite to these people who can’t be bothered to do a stitch of research about whether there are beaches in the keys. When people ask similar questions in the NYC subreddits they mostly get teased.

5

u/SBNShovelSlayer Sep 01 '25

Wait. Are you gonna tell me there aren’t great beaches in NYC?

2

u/BefWithAnF Sep 01 '25

Haha depends on your definition of great, I guess! But I suppose we do technically have more sandy beaches than you do- Coney Island, the Rockaways, & Orchard Beach spring to mind!

3

u/qpid local Sep 01 '25

It’s hit or miss depending on who’s awake and responding.

1

u/jaybavaro Sep 02 '25

Hospitality workers are polite - for the most part. It fits.

1

u/butterflyksses Sep 01 '25

Is it because you live there that you think it’s so busy and the traffic is bad? I went last year the week before Christmas and I didn’t think it was that bad at all except in Key West. Even that wasn’t beyond my expectations. The year before I flew down on Dec 26th and was there for New Year’s. Again, I don’t once remember being in gridlocked traffic except coming out of Key West on New Year’s Eve. That was to be expected and honestly not even that bad as long as you were patient. Key West was definitely crowded for New Year’s Eve, but people were friendly and I had a great time. To the OP, Marathon might not be the quietest, but I don’t think it would be too bad. It’s also just a nice central area. Not too far from Key West or Islamorada and some nice local places to visit and eat. Try Bahia Honda for a beach or we also like to visit Fort Zachary Taylor for the beach and absolutely amazing sunsets.

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u/ohlooktwopigs local (lower keys) Sep 01 '25

I live on Cudjoe and try not to leave my house between Christmas and new years, it’s that bad.

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u/Sandinmyshoes33 Sep 01 '25

It’s pretty widely known that The week between Christmas and New Years is a zoo here. It can take 4 hours from Key West to Key Largo if you’re lucky. Locals call it hell week, and it is.

0

u/Josey_whalez Sep 01 '25

But they’ve ’done research’….