Recently in Key West Category

It doesn't take much time to succumb to the Key West lifestyle. Within minutes of arrival, visitors can find themselves munching on conch fritters and sipping frozen drinks in any of dozens of bars and restaurants along Duval Street. That's all part of why we love island life, of course, but Key West also offers some great active pursuits which often prove to be more rewarding (and memorable) than a pub crawl. Personally, I'm a fan of kayaking, so I'd make a beeline for Lazy Dog Kayak Guides and get myself out on the water as soon as possible. The clear, shallow waters surrounding Key West are perfect for paddling, and Lazy Dog offers boat rentals and guided tours to those who want to see the real "wild side" of the Keys. After a few hours of paddling past beautiful mangrove trees, spotting colorful tropical birds resting in the canopy, and feeling the ocean breezes against your face, you'll appreciate your sunset maragarita all the more. Starwood has three properties in Key West: the Sheraton Suites, Key West, the Westin Key West Resort & Marina, and the Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a Westin Resort.

[image via Key West Attractions]

You were a pirate for Halloween weren't you? Felt brave, brash and bawdy all at the same time underneath that big hat. Well don't stash it back into the closet just yet, because the Pirates in Paradise Festival takes over Key West November 29 to December 2. Why not take a little trip down south, to a swashbuckling old town where the breezes are balmy and the bay so blue.

All sorts of entertainments enliven the island during the four day festival. Join the "Walk the Plank National Championships"; browse the stalls at the Village Thieves' Market; taste some honey mead and sing a sea chantey at the Pirate Tavern, in the fort at Zachary Taylor State Park; or set sail on one of six schooners docked at the historic seaport. While you're in town visit the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum. It's full of precious jewels and treasures from shipwrecks. Pirate booty no doubt!

Three lovely Starwood properties are yours for the taking, for the weekend anyway, Sheraton Suites Key West, The Westin Key West Resort and Marina, and Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a perfect spot to watch the sun sink beneath the horizon. Doesn't the saying go "red sky at night, pirates delight"?

Key West is a hotel hotspot. The three Starwood properties there, the Sheraton Suites Key West, the Westin Key West Resort & Marina and the Sunset Key Guest Cottages, A Westin Resort (pictured) all offer waterfront lodging and plenty of amenities. The New York Times' popular 36 Hour column just covered the best of Key West and it's worth sharing. There's the turtle races at Turtle Kraals, popular bike tours of Key West, the touristy Chicken Store and, of course, Mallory Square.

There's so much to do in Florida one can hardly know where to begin. That's why this list of 100 things to do in Florida before you die from the Miami Herald is so helpful. You'll have to read the list for all of them, but a few random entries are enticing all the same. Like the nightly sunset celebration in Mallory Square, Key West (pictured), which is as good a way to usher in the evening as any. Or, for those active types, a 203-stair climb to the top of Florida's tallest lighthouse, Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station. Sample the sizzling nightlife in Miami's South Beach, and then take in the blooming camellias and azaleas in Tallahassee, or walk the Canopy Walkway at Myakka River State Park in Sarasota. No matter what you do in Florida, it's bound to be an enjoyable experience. It's pretty safe to say that Starwood has Florida covered, from the Sheraton Suites Key West to the Four Points by Sheraton Destin-Fort Walton Beach and everywhere in between.

[image via the Miami Herald]

There's something about Key West that's magical. The unique combination of its great beaches, historical downtown area, and amazing sunsets always places it high on the list of dream destinations, and deservedly so. The Baltimore Sun has an article that makes me want to drive from Key Largo to Key West right now. It highlights several of Key West's attractions that contribute to its allure. Harry Truman's Little White House, for example, is the place where the former president spent 175 days while he was in office, doing some of his best work in an atmosphere where he was free to relax and think about the issues facing the country. Today, visitors can tour the Little White House, as well as the former home of writer Ernest Hemingway. The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum features the Spanish Colonial house in which Hemingway and his second wife, Pauline, lived during the 1930's, as well as his writing studio and swimming pool, the first residential pool on the island. Of course, most visitors to Key West also drop by Sloppy Joe's (pictured), the drinking institution where Papa Hemingway drank more than a couple of daiquiris. Guests at the Sheraton Suites Key West can wander in any direction on this charming island and enjoy the best the Florida Keys have to offer.

[image via the Baltimore Sun]

One of the least-visited national parks in the country is also one of the most beautiful. An interesting item in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that Florida's Dry Tortugas National Park, located on a string of islands 70 miles beyond Key West, gets only about 61,000 visitors a year. Accessible only by boat or plane, the park gets fewer visitors than all but a couple of parks in Alaska, but those who make the trip are rewarded for their efforts. The centerpiece of the park is a civil war prison named Fort Jefferson, which is one of the Western Hemisphere's largest brick structures. The fort is located on Garden Key, which is served by two ferries and a seaplane from Key West. Most visitors come for the day, touring the fort, watching the many migrating birds, snorkeling in the clear blue waters, or just relaxing on the beach. First discovered by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513, the U.S. Army began building the fort in 1846 to protect the shipping lanes of the Florida Straits and defend the Gulf Coast. During the Civil War, it was used as a staging area for Union warships, as well as a prison that housed, among others, one Dr. Samuel Mudd, who famously set Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth's leg after he fractured it during his getaway. (Mudd said he was unaware of Booth's crime and was later pardoned.) Guests at The Westin Key West Resort & Marina can take either the Yankee Freedom II or the Sunny Days Catamaran ferry or fly with Seaplanes of Key West to get to this remote but fascinating park.

[image via AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution]