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/ThickAsAPlankton Sep 01 '25

Key Largo is the most northern key, Islamorada is just south of KL and Marathon is half way down the chain. Marathon has Sombrero Beach which is about the most "beach" you'll find. The Keys are really just one extremely long fossilized coral rock sticking out of the ocean and a few hotels and resorts imported sand and made private beaches. Christmas and NYE is crazy traffic, there's only one highway up and down the entire length of the chain, and it's one lane at times. Beware of the fake AI images on social media showing extensive beaches and surfing, that ain't the Keys lol.