Photo Courtesy Hyatt/Jordan Singletary
THOUGH ONLY 4 square miles, Key West is renowned—thanks partly to Jimmy Buffett and his Margaritaville—for its laid-back, carefree escapes. The Gulf-front Hyatt Centric Key West Resort & Spa sits just off the famed Duval Street in Old Town, an ideal spot for touring on foot. The resort rents both bikes and golf carts if you want to venture farther than your trotters can carry you. Perhaps Key West’s best-known establishment, Sloppy Joe’s Bar, is a five-minute walk away at Duval and Greene streets. That intersection has transformed since Ernest Hemingway was among its rakish regulars, but much about the establishment would be familiar to him. The ceiling fans still hum knowingly; the bell at the long, curved bar is still rung at a big tip; and the jalousie doors continue to swing open to a lively, offbeat crowd. About 15 minutes farther is Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. The pre–Civil War fort sits alongside a beach popular for swimming and snorkeling. A champagne sunset cruise, jet ski and parasailing tours, and fishing charters leave right from the Hyatt’s dock. Join the latter, and your catch will be prepared at elegant on-site restaurant Four Flamingos. With Richard Blais, the first winner of Bravo’s Top Chef: All-Stars, at the helm, the menu is inventive, from crabmeat White Lasagna to the Island Espresso cocktail with a coconut-bubble dome. After dinner, grab a Centric Aperol Spritz at the Blue Mojito Pool Bar & Grill, newly renovated in Mediterranean chic, and sip it on the swing at the end of the pier as the sun sets.
IF YOU GO
⦁ POSE The buoy at the southernmost point in the continental U.S. (South and Whitehead streets) sits 90 miles from Cuba. The line moves fast as visitors take each other’s photo in turns.
⦁ LEARN Guided tours of the Hemingway Home & Museum include the writing studio of the larger-than-life novelist and the lush grounds, home to dozens of polydactyl cats.
⦁ STROLL Marvel at tropical flowers, waterfalls, rosy flamingos, and 50 species of butterflies at The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory.
