We have always stayed in the southern most part of FL City (crappy places, but whatever). Always 30-35 min ride early in the am.
With traffic always much longer.
Is Florida Keys so expensive?
- Thread starter LordHavoc
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With traffic always much longer.
The Home 2 down there isn't bad, I just prefer having a place to myself with some place to hang my gear.
Brodydog
Contributor
We haven’t been to the FL Keys in over 10 years. The diving was okay if conditions were good to dive in but our timing always seemed to be off no matter what season we tried to go in and either the seas were rough or we encountered a lot of surge. The food at most of the restaurants was just okay and too expensive for no better than the food was. And if you aren’t diving or fishing there isn’t much to do.
SubseaSports
Contributor
Why?....because they are getting what they are asking.
It is unfortunate as the diving is good. I went to the DR for a week and it was cheaper than KL...that included lodging, food, airfare, dives and booze.
You could stay in FLL, drive down and dive. Dive Broward and Palm Beach while you are there. You will get enjoy the beach too if thats your thing. Beach is not an option in the keys.
Plenty of good diving in SE FL.
It is unfortunate as the diving is good. I went to the DR for a week and it was cheaper than KL...that included lodging, food, airfare, dives and booze.
You could stay in FLL, drive down and dive. Dive Broward and Palm Beach while you are there. You will get enjoy the beach too if thats your thing. Beach is not an option in the keys.
Plenty of good diving in SE FL.
I dived the Keys in 2008 and 2009 and vacationed there in 2004 before I got certified. We always went down the week after Labor Day. It used to be the low season then. We were told that it picked up again around the second week of October.
First time diving was a familiarization trip to Amy Slate's so I got a helluva good rate.
Second trip we also stayed there because Amy and her staff was so great with my wife and her chair.
Vacation trip we stayed at a place that I can't remember the name of but it had floating rooms and one right on a dock. We stayed in the dockside room because my late wife was in a wheelchair.
On the door it had rates for various seasons. The room we had that week for 49.00 a night was 250 a night through the month of August and went back to 250 a night from October to the end of January.
Worst time to go to the Keys we were told was anytime from November 1st through the 1st of Feb.
That seems to have changed over the years as it doesn't seem there is a low season now like when we went.
As for the diving the reefs were not that impressive. I went primarily for the Duane and Spiegel.
We ate out every night at various places and the food everywhere was OK to meh.
Best places were in Key West but more expensive. None were anywhere I'd go out of my way to eat at regularly.
I had planned to try and go back for the Vandenberg but I have no desire to go to Florida or anywhere in the Southern US now for anything.
Rather go to Puerto Rico or the British and US Virgin Islands.
First time diving was a familiarization trip to Amy Slate's so I got a helluva good rate.
Second trip we also stayed there because Amy and her staff was so great with my wife and her chair.
Vacation trip we stayed at a place that I can't remember the name of but it had floating rooms and one right on a dock. We stayed in the dockside room because my late wife was in a wheelchair.
On the door it had rates for various seasons. The room we had that week for 49.00 a night was 250 a night through the month of August and went back to 250 a night from October to the end of January.
Worst time to go to the Keys we were told was anytime from November 1st through the 1st of Feb.
That seems to have changed over the years as it doesn't seem there is a low season now like when we went.
As for the diving the reefs were not that impressive. I went primarily for the Duane and Spiegel.
We ate out every night at various places and the food everywhere was OK to meh.
Best places were in Key West but more expensive. None were anywhere I'd go out of my way to eat at regularly.
I had planned to try and go back for the Vandenberg but I have no desire to go to Florida or anywhere in the Southern US now for anything.
Rather go to Puerto Rico or the British and US Virgin Islands.
I always stay in Florida City/Homestead and drive down (30-40mins depending on the traffic). The savings per night on hotels always beats the convenience of staying in Key Largo. The Florida Keys have always been expensive in my opinion, but I enjoy scuba diving there. Being able to fly into FLL (2hrs and 40mins) in the morning and be diving in the afternoon is pretty nice all while staying in the USA.
theduckguru
Contributor
The state of Florida and Monroe county have a tax bullseye on every tourist. The combined tax for rooms in the keys is 11%.
theduckguru
Contributor
How do you think we can have no income tax? Each and every Florida resident thanks you for visiting!!
I believe it is 12.5% now. But Monroe county is inline with much of Florida, 10-13% combined lodging tax is normal, IIRC Miami-Dade County is 13%. My local county is 11.5% (getting ready to write a check to the DOR for it).
We thank you for paying the lodging taxes so that we can live without a state income tax.
ETA: Also that amount is pretty normal nationwide too. I just looked at my invoice for my recent trip to Dallas, 13%.
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