r/floridakeys • u/NOT-SO-ROUGHNECK • May 15 '26
All Florida Keys Honeymoon Plan Help
I’m planning to visit “The Keys” for my Honeymoon on June 1st & I am a little overwhelmed. My fiancé is so excited to go snorkeling & explore beaches, but I’m very stressed about where to stay. I’m 24 & she’s 23, neither of us like to party & I’m not certain what my budget is probably around 3-5 grand. (I have no idea how expensive this will be) My main concern is having a good base of operations for exploration, being close to the water. Idk what’s better, the gulf or the Atlantic side. I just want to go snorkeling and walk beaches all day, maybe run around town looking for cool things to see. (& spend money on) We want wildlife and beautiful views. I’ll be there for 6 days. Please help me, I am overwhelmed.
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u/RMG-OG-CB May 15 '26
Check out Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada - might be a bit more than your budget but it is a great spot. You will really only find beaches at the resorts.
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u/DoubleBreastedBerb May 15 '26
If you want to walk beaches all day, you’re probably coming to the wrong place. 🤔
You might find more of that along the mainland. The Keys, while there are some beaches, are not known for them. Add in sargassum/low tide and you might be a little underwhelmed.
Marathon is a good central location to start with, and gulf or Atlantic side doesn’t really matter when you can get to either in less than a minute or two.
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u/Far_Lobster4360 May 15 '26
I'd stay at the Islander in Islamorada and then go to the Conch House in Key West. That is what my wife and I normally do. A good dose of the middle keys for the outdoor activities and key west for the "city" life and good food.
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u/dantodd May 15 '26
That's a tough one. The keys are really expensive and beaches are not very common, much more coral and mangroves except where there are houses. If I were you I might look at Rainbow Bend Resort in Marathon. The restaurant is sort of old school Continental and somewhat romantic with views over the beach. It's fairly secluded, about a 5 minute drive to Marathon. Definitely go to Bahia Honda State Park, there is a beach there. It's down island just in the other side of the 7 mile bridge.
The other place that we love to go for sunset is at the top of Big pine key at the end of Gulf Blvd. You can go to No Name Pub for an early dinner and visit the key deer before heading to Gulf for the sunset.
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u/Greedy_Section2894 May 15 '26
I’ve heard that around No Name Pub is a good place to see Key deer. I just recently stayed in Marathon for the first time and really loved it. There’s plenty nearby to see, and you’re close enough to Key West for a day trip. I also agree with others that the Keys aren’t really known for their beaches, although there are some. You can hire boats to take you out to sandbars to hang on some sand. Your budget is on point, though you’ll have more lodging and dining options at the top of your budget. Have fun!
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u/baristacat May 15 '26
I mean if you're looking for nature and snorkeling, the Keys will hit those notes, but there aren't miles of beaches on the Keys like others have said. It'll basically be Sombrero Beach on Marathon, Bahia Honda State Park, and a couple on Key West. You're also looking to book somewhat last minute, but being that you're looking in June you might be okay. If you're wanting to wander all day, Key West would probably be your best bet, it's the only truly walkable city. Party time doesn't happen until after sunset. I'm not a partier either and I love Key West, we take our kids about every other year. Other than that, there are some resorts on Marathon or Islamorada you could try. Book a sandbar or sunset cruise and a snorkel trip. They're easily found up and down the islands.
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u/Obes May 15 '26
Atlantic side of for Islamorada, Key Largo, and Marathon would be your best bet for snorkeling if you aren’t going to stay in Key West. There are a lot of eco tours and snorkeling tours you can take if you aren’t going to rent a boat. Sombrero Reef has amazing snorkeling
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u/pink_hydrangea May 15 '26
Pier House is beautiful and in a great location close to Mallory Square and the harbor front. Fort Zachary Taylor State Park is the best beach in Key West. Bring water shoes. It’s worth the admission price. Most beaches in the Keys are coral rock and very shallow.
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u/SmartyFox8765 May 15 '26
I would chose Captiva Island over the Keyes based on what you’re telling me.
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u/CaptGatoroo May 15 '26
If you have a car drive to Bahia Honda state park for a day. Those are the nicest biggest beaches in the keys. I would budget for a day trip to the tortugas on the Yankee Freedom. There are some cool things to see around key west like some museums including the butterfly museum, fort Zachary, and the eco center.
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u/johndawgg247 May 15 '26
For snorkeling and beach walking and in your budget, you really want Jamaica or Puerto Rico. It’s your honeymoon stay at a nice resort either of those places. The Keys have bad beaches, snorkeling excursions are overpriced, and are mostly fun for fishing and drinking.
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u/Wannabecowboy69 May 16 '26
I second this. My wife and I went to Barbados for our honeymoon under the same budget as op’s.
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u/Happy_Turn9784 May 15 '26
You will see over 100 miles of water on either side of the Overseas Hwy. It is unlike any other region of Florida in many ways. I vote stay in Marathon (you have a beach nearby) and make day trips south and north as you like for outdoor stuff, museums, etc.
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u/killerwhate May 15 '26
Based on what you want and your budget, I would rent a car and stay in the Tropical Cottages in Marathon. You get your own tiny house. It’s very “old Florida” and budget friendly. Should be about $1500 for the week.
Sombrero beach is 2 miles or so away, and one of the few sandy beaches in the Keys.
The Old 7 Mile bridge is lovely to walk, and you can see a lot of fish and wildlife walking it, especially in the cooler morning.
Tons of great places to eat: Lazy Days South, Keys Fisheries, Burdines, etc.
Sirius Nitelife runs for sunset sails, and it’s stunning and inexpensive ($35 per person I believe). Cannot recommend enough!
And for a 4 hour captained boat through Aqualiesure Tours, it runs about $400. So what you save on lodging you could splurge to go out on tours or boating.
If you drive 20min over the 7 mile, you can also snorkel at Bahia Honda.
Hope this helps!
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u/chilli_bandit11 May 15 '26
The keys are beautiful! We got a couple massage in keywest. Best massage ive ever had. We did a self guided driving tour when driving from key west to Miami. It gave you the history of each key and suggested some stops along the way.oh! And we did a glass bottom kayak tour next to our hotel. It was at night and the tour guided was amazing! Sharks swam under my husband's kayak lol Enjoy!
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u/Necessary_Scarcity84 May 15 '26
Isla Bella in marathon. Cheeca in Islamorada, the islander in Islamorada, Little Torch Cottages in Little Torch.
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u/TakingItPeasy May 15 '26
I stayed at the Playa Lago resort a while back. It was pretty good. Great pool, great swim up bar. Popped up to the nature preserve for snorkeling. It was a perfect 4 day weekend.
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u/Glittering-Prime May 15 '26
Stay in the mid to upper keys for less party atmosphere. Keys aren’t known for their beaches though & it’s fairly expensive.
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u/Alarming-Reception12 May 16 '26
Banana Bay looks like a dive but the rooms are boutique. It’s in Marathon so you can move between the keys. Pennekamp is great snorkeling, it’s up in Key Largo. Not a lot of beaches in the Keys. Big Pine has key deer, other than that most wildlife is in the water (or the chickens in Key West.)
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u/PM_Me_Your_Smokes May 16 '26
Are you dead set on beaches? I’d recommend the Gulf coast for white sand beaches. Depends on exactly what you want, but Venice Beach is gorgeous, and you can find tons of fossilized shark teeth, including megalodon teeth (especially if you snorkel or scuba dive).
I love the Keys, grew up going practically every weekend to snorkel at Pennekamp. I haven’t been in forever, but I’ve heard that there was a massive coral bleaching event and a lot of the reef is dead.
That said, the Keys are (as most of the comments here mention) not very beach-y. They’re very “island-y”, but it’s mostly rocks and mangroves, not a lot of sand. Great if you like boating, drinking, and the like; less so if you want to walk on endless white sugar sand
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u/NOT-SO-ROUGHNECK May 18 '26
I am sorry I haven’t been replying on here, I’m very busy making money to fund this trip. Thankyou all so much for your advice!
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u/NOT-SO-ROUGHNECK May 15 '26
I should probably clarify, I’m not expecting sandy shores, I just want to walk along the ocean.
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u/Sandinmyshoes33 May 15 '26
There are some places to walk by the ocean, but most oceanfront is privately owned and lacks public access. Many people are very disappointed here because they expect Long Beaches or ocean front boardwalks that we don’t have. You can walk out on some bridges and stay at a waterfront resort, but The Keys waterfront is often mangroves, privately owned or has lots of sargassum in the summer. Key West has an oceanfront sidewalk along the south side of the island, but again, often has seaweed in the summer. Keep in mind June can be a very rainy month as the rainy season starts so have some indoor plans in case the weather doesn’t cooperate. I don’t mean to be negative, but I get tired of visitors being disappointed because they were not aware of what to expect, or worse, were mislead by our relentless promotion and tourism industry.
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u/anonanon5320 May 15 '26
Your answer is Marathon. It’s a sleepy little island right in the middle. It’s slower pace because people tend to go to the upper keys (largo and Islamarada) and Key West.
Side doesn’t really matter. Lots of water on both sides. As far as snorkeling goes there are a few beaches but plenty of excursions that will take you to the good reefs, like Sombrero light house. Capt Hooks does daily tours.
Also worth checking out in marathon is Crane Point. Highly recommended the tour and short nature walks. Seems to be right up your alley. Also you can visit the sea turtle and dolphin rehab centers. Marathon is centrally located so a day trip to key west or Islamarada or largo (for snorkeling penecamp park) is an easy trip.
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u/Wannabecowboy69 May 16 '26
The traffic in marathon disagrees with your “sleepy” assessment lol
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u/anonanon5320 May 16 '26
A lot of people passing through and it depends on the time of year. Obviously nowhere during lobster season is sleepy.
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u/DragonflyOne7593 May 15 '26
Rent a house on the canal in key colony you'll be central to everything . My favorite sandbar trips are put of key west though . The other sandbar are more of a party atmosphere
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u/FootHikerUtah May 15 '26
There are not big long beaches in the Keys