“The future is ours to see, When you hold on to me”
So prior to our Vegas trip we had a Florida trip planned. This was going to be the opposite of Vegas, this was all about relaxing. Started the trip off as usual. Bus to the airport and crash for the night at the Hilton because the flight was at 6am. Which given the option, we are bigger fans of traveling early in the morning and having a most of the day wherever we land. The plan was 4 days in Key Largo at Baker’s Cay Resort and 4 days in Miami with family.
Got to the airport before the sun was up, checked our bags and jumped on Jet Blue with no snafus this time, see the Vegas trip report. Seamless flight to Miami. Got the luggage and headed to the Hertz counter. That was a bit of a snafu, should have remembered that it was last time in Miami getting a car. But they took care of us. I had originally reserved a subaru EV, we really wanted to mess around with it. (We are a subaru family, a few years back I was rear ended by a ¾ ton pickup towing landscaping equipment. I was a stand still in my outback when they hit me going 40mph. Demolished my car. I walked away with only a broken vertebrae in my neck.) Hertz ended up giving us a Volvo suv EV. No complaints there. It is a slick ride. And it was my first time driving an EV. Once I got used to the initial acceleration I was all over that car. It’s fun to drive, don’t think I’d be purchasing one anytime soon, but for a rental I can appreciate it. Made our way down to Route 1, saw the signs to the Keys and any stress from back home was immediately gone. Windows down, sunroof open and music blaring. Nothing on the agenda for the next couple days other than decompression.
First stop was a Thai/sushi place we saw on a YouTube review of Baker’s Cay. It was a must stop due to the fact they have robot servers with cat faces. The Irish Yeti loves cats and loves sushi, so it was a no brainer. We pulled in, grabbed a table, a cocktail and started vacation. Steamed dumplings to start, we each got a couple rolls, thai tea for the yeti and the missus. I saw they had conch as a nigiri option, yup I’ll take two pieces please. Conch isn’t for everyone, especially in sushi form. I devoured mine, the yeti had the other piece and wasn’t impressed with my tastes. Oh well, can’t win them all and at least he tried it. Grabbed the check and hit Publix for provisions. Couple bottles, beer, seltzer and snacks for the room. 5 min drive to the resort and we were home for the next few days.
Room wasn’t ready on my Hilton app yet but we pulled up to one of the warmest greetings by the attendants. First impressions are everything and he nailed it. I dealt with parking the car while the missus & yeti went in to see about either checking our luggage or a possible room. By the time I made it to the desk she was getting all the details about an available room for us. We aren’t picky and don’t need anything fancy so we took the first available. Turned out to be a great room, first floor close to the middle of the resort. Threw our luggage in the room, poured a drink and changed into our swimwear. Off to the beach and exploring!!
The resort is on 13 acres in Key Largo. It feels very private and secluded for being right off Route 1. We found some empty loungers on the coconut beach, set up camp and went for the ocean. Well the missus and I did at least, the Yeti stayed back and rested while his crazy [censored] parents attempted to enjoy the ocean. It was a bit brisk, but I didn’t give a (bleep), it’s February and I’m not back in New Hampshire working outside. Life is pretty short, enjoy the ride while you can. Eventually we were all in the ocean and laughing our asses off. Plus it’s on the gulf side, not the atlantic. Better water.
Regrouped and made it over to the pool area. It’s separated into adult side and family side. There's a grotto that separates the sides. The adult side looked very nice and relaxing, but we had the Yeti so the family side it was. Hung there for the rest of the afternoon, got some drinks and food. Nothing exciting, decent pool side food. We started to feel the weight of being up so long and traveling all day. Headed back to the room, showered and ordered some pizzas from room service. Hunkered down rested knowing we had plenty of time to enjoy the resort over the next few days.
Day 2:
“It stopped rainin’, everybody’s in the play. And don’t you know, It’s a beautiful new day?”
Woke to the sound of rain. And I wasn’t overly sad. There’s something calming about the rain in the early morning when you’re without an agenda for the day. Having checked the forecast very diligently prior to arrival we were aware we would have some inclement weather our first full morning. Good reason to be a little lazy and rest. Rolled my bag of bones outta bed and made my way to find some coffees for the Missus and I. Returned to the room, opened the doors and enjoyed the morning on our little patio as the weather started to change. No one was in a hurry this morning. People were out walking their dogs, it’s a dog friendly resort. Something we enjoy being pet owners. Our dog is not the traveling type. He’s a Newfoundland who weighs in at about 170 lbs and he just celebrated his 10th birthday, he kinda just does his own thing and appreciates the winter weather back home. Skies were starting to clear off and show signs of blue as we started pulling our day together.
Made out way over to the main building to see what was going on and to do a little adventuring. Found one of the restaurants up on the 3rd floor. Calusa, that’s the name. Decided to grab some late breakfast. Oh did someone mention they have bottomless mimosas? Don’t mind if we do. Solid breakfast food. Our amazing server, Tashana, brought a couple to-go mimosas over with our check. She obviously caught on as to who we are. Kudos. Made our way back to the room. Changed up and headed to the pool for a bit.
Grabbed the chair set up that the missus had wanted to do. 3 chairs next to the waterfall with prime sun coverage. We had plans of just being in the sun and in the pool for the next few hours. Jermaine the bartender from the previous day remembered us and set us up to start the day. We had the pool to ourselves for about an hour as people started coming in. Before we knew it the place was packed. There were trays of strawberry daiquiris being handed out as samples, cups of water just randomly delivered to everyone. Quality service by the pool staff for sure. We grabbed a bite and decided to head over to the ocean for the rest of the afternoon to see what was going on.
The yeti wanted to rent an ocean trike, so he and I hopped on that for a bit. Not exactly the most stimulating activity but fun nonetheless. Lots of laughs between he and I. Spent the afternoon splashing in the gulf and making memories as family. Bumped into someone wearing a Karabuni shirt, of course I had to make conversation. We chatted a bit about SXM. The winds were kicking up as the sun was setting and we decided we had enough for the day and headed back. Grabbed some pizzas for the room and called it good. Big plans for being in the water and sun for our last full day tomorrow.
Day 3:
“And we danced like a wave on the ocean, romanced”
Woke to a clear blue sky. Sore and sunburnt. Is there a better feeling to wake to? Vacation always reminds me that I don’t use all my muscles everyday, that swimming thing is a good reminder of it. Coffee in hand, got our bodies moving, bag packed and headed to claim stake on the beach and grab some breakfast.
Headed to Dry Docks restaurant. We did take out from there the night before. Walked in and grabbed a table for breakfast. There was only one other table. We may have made the right choice. Hunkered down and ordered. One of the staff members came over because she remembered us from the night prior. The story is as such, I sneeze. And when I sneeze, I SNEEZE, multiple times. Like 26 times in a row. And they are not subtle sneezes. I’m an angry sneezer. She snuck up behind me and made a great joke about my sneezing issue. It was a scene the night before with the staff. Pretty sure I’m one of the 7 dwarves now to the staff down here. They were busting on me that they thought of ringing 911 due to my sneezing. Back to breakfast. Did the mimosa thing again with breakfast. Burritos for the yeti & the missus. I went with Huevos w/ marinated steak. Great breakfast all around. Hit the beach and got prime real estate for chairs.
Did the better part of the day on the beach. The wind was blowing at us. Perfect beach day for February, that’s coming from people who live in New Hampshire. So any beach day that the water is above 50 degrees in February is amazing. Paddleboards for the Yeti and I. Snacks on the beach and just an overall relaxing vibe. Happened to make convo with some other New Englanders. ‘Tis the season for us to head south. Went back to the room to chill and have a snack. The missus went back to the shopping area to see if there was any last minute purchases and we were heading out the following day. I dropped the yeti off at the room and went to catch up with her. She bumped into the lovely server who was making sure I was okay after my sneezing fit. Her name is Althea, the same as my grandmother. Can’t say I’ll forget that.
Regrouped in the room for a bit. Decided to take it over to the the Dry Rocks restaurant for an early dinner. Shared some plates while sitting on porch swings looking at the ocean. The missus and the yeti headed back to the room and I caught one last dip in the ocean knowing we were leaving the next day. Caught the sunset as I was walking back. Something to be said about watching the ocean swallow the sun. Being from New England we only get to see it the other way. Spent the rest of the evening getting our affairs in order as we were ending one half of the trip and starting the other half the following day.
Day 4: “One more night could kill me baby. One is one too many, one more is never enough”
Woke to no clouds again. Could get used to this. New England is just gray this time of year. The older I get the more I understand the “snowbird” term we use for people who disappear for the winter. Getting our gear together and gonna grab breakfast. Calusa, one of the restaurants, has a good breakfast and they sell their pineapple glasses that the missus is on a mission to bring home as our souvenirs.
We head to Miami for the rest of the trip. Gotta drop the car and spend time with family. Our overall experience at Baker’s Cay has been delightful. We have spent many conversations talking about coming back. Or at least putting it on the short list of places to return to. An hour from Miami isn’t overly difficult to get to and JetBlue does direct from Boston, which is nice. Pretty sure we will return. We have some big events coming up next year and Baker’s Cay seems like a possible place to celebrate. Having read some questionable google reviews prior to coming down, I was hesitant about the stay. We had no hiccups during our stay, a lot of sneezes, but no hiccups.
