June Keith's Key West & The Florida Keys (June Keith's Key West and the Florida Keys)

Go enjoy the Keys - and don't leave without this book.


A Witty Guide Book   January 24, 2001
Florida Keys devotee (Micigan, USA)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

I like using guide books and have used others when visiting Key West. But this one is the ultimate. I felt like the author was sitting in the back seat of our rental car, providing a narration as we wandered around looking for sights and scenes that we had never seen before. The restaurant reviews were right on, and funny even. My husband and I liked the discussion of Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and, believe it or not, we'd never heard of a wonderful movie, "The Rose Tattoo," filmed in Key West - which we never, ever miss when they show it late at night. We read about it in this book. Also, she recommends lots of books about Key West which we will read in preparation for our next trip. There are free sights to see on the road between Key West and Miami, the Overseas Highway, and we'd never known about them, either. There are some terrific beaches, libraries, a Pioneers Cemetery - on a beach! - a Hurricane Monument. Also, some interesting restaurants off the main highway that you don't know about unless you read about them in this book. Anytime someone we know is headed for the Keys, we give them this book. It's a winner.


A travel writer's review   May 12, 1998
Frequent Flyers to the Keys (Northern Virginia)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

This spring, planning to head down to the Florida Keys for the very first time, I picked up a copy of June Keith's Key West and the Florida Keys at a bookstore in Toronto. I found it a great fun read, and on your recommendation, we rented a house in Big Pine Key for a week. My husband, sister and our two little kids spent glorious days roasting on the beach at Bahia Honda, feasted on burgers and ice cream at the Dip 'n Deli, and cooked fresh fish in the evenings that we picked up at the E Fish Company. We also tried out the Charles Kuralt cottage at Travelers Palm in Key West for a couple of nights on a splurge and particularly loved the funky old aquarium and lunching at Dennis' Pharmacy. As a fellow travel writer I wanted to let you know that traveling with your book gives your reader's access to the kind of soulful insider tips visitors really need.


Made our Key West vacation nearly perfect   September 29, 2004
Michael Madole (Brooklyn, NY)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

We bought this book in the early stages of planning a Labor Day weekend trip to Key West. It was sheer luck that we chose this book, and now we can't imagine our first visit without it.

I am impressed with the book's balance of suggestions for traditional tourist destinations and quirky attractions. (I would have never thought to visit the Key West cemetery without her guidance.) Best of all were the dining suggestions. Louie's Backyard, Banana Cafe, Camille's and Mangoes were wonderful. At the top of the list was Blue Heaven! My memory of Blue Heaven's gumbo soup and yellowtail snapper will linger with me always.

June Keith's book made our Key West vacation nearly perfect. I will recommend it to anyone planning to go to the Keys.