This was published 6 years ago
Travel guide and things to do in Key West, Florida: The three-minute guide
The Marker Hotel, Key West.
WHY
At the end of the long drive down the Florida Keys, Key West revels in being a little bit tapped. It's the sort of place where it's perfectly acceptable to drink all day, and everybody's equal. It doesn't matter if you're a bum or a CEO – you can sit next to each other in garish shirts chatting nonsense over margaritas. It's highly walkable, it has dozens of museums on weird themes, and the sunsets from busker-riddled Mallory Square are magical.
VISIT
Key Lime Pie.Credit: Alamy
Of several moderately interesting museums, the Little White House is arguably the most interesting. It's where President Harry Truman took working holidays every year, and it offers a great insight into the president's idiosyncratic ways of doing things and the sheer logistical effort of shifting everything down from Washington DC on an annual basis. More importantly, though, it acts as a snapshot of that immediate post-war era. See trumanlittlewhitehouse.com
EAT
This is the closest you're going to get to Cuba without actually being there, so it's no surprise that Key West has a few excellent Cuban restaurants. El Siboney is considerably less tarted up than many, and it's far enough from the main drag to be a local haunt. Trad dishes such as the ropa vieja (stewed shredded beef) are served up in gargantuan but phenomenally tasty portions. See elsiboneyrestaurant.com
The Marker Hotel, Key West.
LOOK
Duval Street is a giant human circus, with raucous bars at the northern end, but a fair few galleries and independent shops further south. The Green Pineapple at number 1130 has is all boho fashion and yoga gear, while the Island Arts Co-op next door sells locally made trinkets, whether they're carved wooden pelicans of hand-painted ceramic tiles.
MUST
Key West isn't quite the end of the line. Further out into the Gulf of Mexico are the Dry Tortugas, which offer cracking snorkelling, a desert island vibe and an inexplicably monstrous hexagonal fort that's the largest masonry structure in the Americas. Day trips on the Yankee Freedom III ferry cost $175. See drytortugas.com
SLEEP
In a town full of historic B&Bs, the Marker offers something fresh and modern by the Historic Seaport. There are three pools, the decor straddles that line between contemporary cool and tropical warmth, and there's a concerted effort to use locally made products wherever possible – particularly in the mini bar. Doubles from $337. See themarkerkeywest.com
TIP
You'll not have to walk too far to find some unashamedly sweet but rather delicious key lime pie. It's the local dessert icon, but if you see one that's green, avoid it. Key limes are yellow – any other colour is food dye.
More information: fla-keys.com
David Whitley was a guest of the Marker.
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