Key West Florida Hotel Scene

You've first got to make your choice:  stay in town near all the bars and nightlife, or go for a bigger, more reasonably priced place just outside of town.  Both have their pluses and minuses, detailed below:

Key West Florida Hotel Scene In Town

With most of the bars and other nighttime hot spots located in Old Town, it would seem natural to recommend staying in Old Town. However, there are some drawbacks to staying right in town.

A lack of large, reasonably priced resort-type Key West accommodations in Old Town. Visitors looking to stay in Old Town will find only a few chain hotels, but there is an abundance of “guesthouses” and small Mom & Pop hotels. These places are for the most part very quaint with great service, but don’t expect have fifty of your closest friends over and not have a complaint.  In fact, many of these smaller guesthouses do not take Spring Breakers at all!  Be sure to ask before you roll up with a car full of friends.
 

Also, parking is always scarce and can be a problem for those who drive down to their Key West Florida Hotel.  However, once you park the car, almost everything to see in Key West is within walking distance.

Having stayed at a few of the guesthouses and smaller hotels, I would stay at most again, especially the Lighthouse Court Hotel, located right next to the Hemmingway House. It is a small hotel with 40 rooms, a cute little pool and small bar.

The Key Lime Inn, with its 37 rooms is nice hotel as well and also has a great little pool area.

Beware: the guesthouses, (especially the better ones) tend to be a little pricey. We found that most of the nicer guesthouses were anywhere from $150.00 to $485.00 a night depending on the room selected.

If you choose a guesthouse or small Key West Florida hotel in Old Town, be sure to ask if the pool is onsite, whether there is a private bathroom, the particular room rate, and whether parking is available and at what price.

Larger Hotels in Old Town

The La Concha Crowne Plaza Hotel is one of the largest hotels in the area and has a great art deco feel with a cool bar area on the second floor, but the price to park at the hotel was $19.00 a day when we stayed there.  It did not seem that many Spring Breakers stayed here (but I bet they would if they could afford it!)  Still, the balcony has awesome views as it tops the tallest building in Key West.  It is also nice being right on Duval Street- walk home from the bars every night.

If you want to splurge, you might also try the Hilton Key West Resort.  This place is close to Sunset pier and has a nice set up, with balconies and a nice pool area.  best of all, Duval Street is a short walk away.  This Key West Florida Hotel is definitely more of a resort-type stay.

Key West Florida Hotel Scene Just Out of Town

If you decide to stay in hotel out of the Old Town area, then there are a variety of Key West Florida hotel choices to fit any budget.

The Sheraton Suites

The Sheraton Suites is located two miles from Duval Street, but they have a great lagoon style pool with access to Smather’s Beach across the street. There is a free shuttle to Duval, but be careful as we found out that it stops running at 11pm and that is way to early to go home to your hotel on Spring Break. The shuttle was great for site seeing during the day and getting to places at night, but we had to take a taxi back from town.

It was nice to be so close to one of the better beaches on the island though, and the atmosphere poolside was fun and lively. The Hurricane season, especially Wilma, hurt this Key West Florida hotel, though, so we have heard there is a lot of construction going on right now at the hotel. The construction rates make this hotel a good bargain; but, when booking this Spring Break, be sure the pool and most of the hotel amenities are going to be re-opened by your stay

The Days Inn

Lots of Spring Break tour groups book The Days Inn, which is about three miles from downtown and close to the airport. The price is usually the biggest advantage to the Days Inn, whose amenities are basic, but mediocre.  This is our budget-pick for doing Spring Break in Key West on the cheap.

On the brighter side, there are a lot of inexpensive chain restaurants very close to this Key West Florida hotel, and it is close to the beaches. I am a big fan of pancakes, so the IHOP down the street won my vote.  This Key West Florida Hotel is always packed with Spring Breakers because of the tour group placement, so you can expect to make many new friends out here.

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