The Islander Resort in Islamorada

The Islander Resort had been recommended to me by a friend who said his "I do's" on its sandy backyard, as a great place to stay in the Keys.  It's got a laid back, relaxing pool area to hang out in and water sports and other activities out back.  It's pretty cool if that's all you are looking for.  But, if you are looking for a quiet night's sleep, then this "resort" may not be for you.

Tucked back off of US-1 around mile marker 82 in Islamorada is the Islander Resort.  You can't miss the sign along the road.  It's large and looks like it's been there since at least the 1960's.  In fact, the "resort" is so 1960's and retro that it's the first motel I had been to in a very long time where you park your car right outside of your hotel room.  You can literally almost drive right in.  The room was clean and very spacious with a full kitchen, but with the bathroom sink practically in the kitchen, it felt more like a large studio apartment.  And I would keep in mind that "resort" is what they call themselves.  It's not to be confused with a real resort like Cheeca Lodge and Spa down the road.

The view from our room was very nice.  Being on the first floor, I could walk right out the door and to an awaiting hammock.

It took a couple of minutes to find the pool area - this place is a sprawling sea of one-story hotel buildings - but we finally found it.  We had to wind and weave our way past other buildings and lots of parking spaces marked with fish like the one below.

There are two pools and on the day we were there, one closed early due to a wedding reception that was taking place next door.  I have to say, the pools were very, very nice and the landscaping was gorgeous.  I could have stayed out there for hours!

Behind the pools is a small sandy beach and the Atlantic Ocean.  The sand is the typical Keys coral sand.  It's not super soft and isn't that much fun to walk on without shoes.

Laying out on the beach chairs was very nice.  All you could hear were the sound of the palms rustling in the wind, the clanging of the sail boats just offshore and laughs of the sea birds as they scour the water for dinner before the sun goes down.

Out in the water were a couple of boats that were part of the hotel's water sports collection.  The Islander has a little hut out back where they offer snorkeling excursions, kayak and jet ski rentals and a bunch of more fun water things to do.

There is a fishing pier out back too.  I'm not sure if it's part of the resort or if it's just there, but there's a place on it to clean all of the fish caught during the day and a few spots where you can fish from.  It's a nice walking pier and a great place to watch a wedding at sunset.  

As a place for just kickin' it and enjoying the daylight hours, the Islander Resort is a great place to be.  My only real complaint is that the hotel walls were way, WAY too thin.  The night we stayed there, we were unfortunately staying right next door to a group of guys were drank all day and night and then wanted to fight all night, till the early morning.  You could hear EVERYTHING going on which is not okay for the price of a night's stay (it's pricey).  Maybe they'll remodel their rooms soon and we might go back.  Otherwise, just enjoy the place for the outdoor recreation it provides.

Post 4th of July 305 coverage

Forth of July is one of my favorite holidays (behind Halloween of course.) There are so many good things around it - It's a celebration that calls for BBQs, gatherings with friends, fireworks and general summer shenanigans.

This year has been really up and down for both me and El Hombre, so we took the long weekend to enjoy the new kitten, go to a couple BBQs and try to catch fireworks. We also decided to explore a new beach: Bal Harbor Beach. Now, it never occurred to either of us to go to Bal Harbor for the beach. We both really like Hollywood if we feel like going for a drive, or we generally end of on different parts of Miami Beach. But Bal Harbor got the Miami New Times Best Beach recognition, so we figured, "why not?"

Let me tell you, it's definitely the way to go. It's got wide beaches, and surprisingly, it wasn't overcrowded. There were lots of shells and the water was really clean and clear. It also stays shallow so you can go pretty far out into the water if you so desire, and still see your feet.

Here's some shots:




I spotted the crab, upside down in the water, so El Hombre decided to check it out. It had been stepped on or something, so El Hombre decided to have some fun with it.

(ew)

After the beach, we went to a BBQ with friends, set off some fireworks and then headed downtown to catch the City of Miami Fireworks. We decided to avoid the absolutely horrible traffic by parking in Brickell and taking the MetroMover. Let me tell you, we were crammed like cows in a cattle car with a bunch of other people ready to throw down. Despite not being able to move, it was really entertaining to have everyone hoot and holler everytime we turned a corner, and shout like we were on a roller coaster when we went up the big hill. Unfortunately the City of Miami fireworks show was a massive fail because it apparently was only 15-20 minutes long, so we completely missed it. We ended up walking around the park to Bayside, watching families chill out in the grass, kids rolling down the hills and everyone milling around.


After I almost got beat down for wanting to use the bathroom sink to wash my face at Bayside, we elected to get back on the MetroMover and go home, where we observed the terrible terrible traffic.


IF we decide to go next year, we definitely will do the metromover thing again. We didn't sit in a lick of traffic the entire way home. But from what I heard, all the other areas that did fireworks were able to put more money into it, so I don't know that I would do the whole downtown thing again.

Guest photos

Dear friends,

I just wanted to let you know that my roommate, the ragin' cajun, spent Valentine's Day on Key Biscayne. It was a great date idea (not that I coached him at all, you know I would never do that.) He pulled off a unique day by making a picnic lunch and chillin' on the beach. And he took some photos.

Why do I tell you this? Afterall, you guys don't even know the ragin' cajun. Well. I like to share. And I thought of you. So, this is for you, my friends who give me hell during hurricane season:









So tell me, how's your winter? It's 70 degrees at night, and 80 during the day.

Loves ya,

Christina

p.s. I'm mad his camera takes better pics than mine at night.

St. Thomas

So I mentioned that I was in St. Thomas for Nerd in Chicago's wedding (btw, she was a beautiful, fantastic and awesome bride... the only one I would run up a steep hill with high heels in 90 degree weather for)

Here's a pic or two for you to enjoy the island.







As long as you stay on the beach and away from driving, St. Thomas is amazing

A Day at the Beach

These were taken a couple of weekends ago as a storm rolled in on South Beach. The crazy kiteboarders were out in full force up and down the beach:

Scenes from South Beach

It was such a nice day yesterday that it was a perfect evening to go to the beach. Here are some photos from the area:

Hurricane Ike

So you may have heard that we are having some stormy weather down here in South Florida. We have been super fortunate down here in Miami, but the weather has been kind of crazy.
case in point:


The beach yesterday.

Hoo-ray for Hollywood - Florida - not the other one

Yesterday, in an attempt to escape the craziness of Miami, I thought it would be a good idea to head north. I was going to trek further but instead thought - hey, I haven't been to Hollywood in like a year, so it's time to see what's going on there. I was mighty surprised in a good way to see that there are way more restaurants and bars and other establishments than I remember, and the beach front was all fixed up with the new Broadwalk and looked all purdy. Hollywood has a smalltown feel yet it has such a mix of ethnicities and randoms that you feel like you are in some small European town/yet know in the back of your mind that you're still in South Fla. I ate at this really good restaurant that was super cheap - I think it's called Chocolada or something - and they feature live music every night which is a plus in my book. And everyone who ran the joint was Eastern European (Romanian I believe). But I did know that they are not from South Fla.

Another thing that is really cool is that Hollywood's really fixed up their small downtown. Upon arrival, you go by the usual boarded up, empty store fronts that are more reminicent of a northern town, but once you enter their strip, it's really nice. Someone in Hollywood is paying attention and is incorporating small parks and gardens for the community, and there are lots of plantings and arty things around. I know they have their own version of the art walk like we have in Midtown, so I may try to go sometime.

My favorite additions are the "tree people" as I call them. These topiary wonders are neat - I didn't see them the first drive down the street, but saw them the second time around. They add some uniqueness to the strip, remind me of Edward Scissorhands, and could cause young children to have nightmares about tree people who might come to life and eat them (I have an overactive imagination). But I liked them in all their untree-like poses. Here are the pics:

The Ballerina:

The Waiter (I thought this was an appropriate tree person to have in South Fla. since there are SO MANY ;):

The sax (saxamaphone) player :

Kudos, Hollywood. Keep it up! I will be visiting again hopefully sometime soon!

The Beach

Sprinkled throughout the beach, and right next door to the swankiest places there are abandoned (or sort of abandoned - there's no rent to pay) hotels. This is one of my favorites and at sunset you can see the sun shine through all the open windows.