We’re participating in one of the signature events, “Duval Uncorked”, of the Key West Food & Wine Festival, coming up the last weekend in January. And I’ve been asked to be the guest writer for the December issue of the Festival’s newsletter. Following is a sneak preview of the article.

Be sure to reserve your room and buy event tickets early!  Last year was the Festival’s inaugural event and it sold out.  This year looks even more promising.   Click here to check it out: Key West Food & Wine Festival.

As the owner of a Key West bed and breakfast, I’m occasionally asked what to expect of a stay at The Tropical Inn.  Those new to the B&B experience sometimes think it means questionable standards, lack of privacy, and forced mingling with other guests.  Not so!  Each establishment is regularly inspected and must adhere to the same health and safety standards as hotels and resorts.  And how much you choose to interact with the hosts and fellow guests is exactly that:  your choice.  Your privacy will always be respected.

When visiting Key West, not to stay at an inn (here, we interchangeably call them “bed and breakfasts”, “B&Bs”, or  “guesthouses”) is to miss an integral part of the history, culture, and character of the island.  Offering most, and often, more, of the amenities expected in a traditional hotel, the typical Key West bed and breakfast exudes island style.  It is smaller  — and therefore, far more intimate — than larger accommodation choices.  A B&B stay is a distinctive brand of hospitality; not just a pretty room, but a comprehensive travel experience.

Inns range from simple and economical to sophisticated and lavishly indulgent.  Each is a highly individual lodging establishment, offering guests unique accommodations in a variety of sizes and styles — an enjoyable alternative to the “one size fits all” hotel.

The ambience of each reflects the personality of the owners who, as often as not, are also the hosts.  Architecture and decor is indicative of the innkeepers’ personal taste rather than the standards of a remote corporate office.  Some are gated compounds, further contributing to a sense of comfort, security and serene privacy.  No chain hotel can rival the character of a gracious old home, drawing its personality from its history, unique appointments, lovely gardens with pools and hot tubs, and individually designed accommodations, many of which have private outdoor areas that allow interior and exterior spaces to seamlessly blend.

At a B&B, expect a more casual, relaxed and friendly attitude than is usually found in institutional hotels. You won’t find elevators, room service, or a porter to carry your luggage.  Instead, you’ll be shown about the property and invited to make yourself at home, partaking at your leisure of all the amenities provided to enhance your stay.  Breakfast is included in your room rate. Enjoy it on your private patio, in the shade of a wide veranda, or in a secret garden nook tucked away amidst riotous tropical foliage.

Key West Innkeepers love what they do and are genuinely eager to make your stay the best it can possibly be.  They’ll gladly attend to your requests and share with you all the island’s  “best kept secrets”.

Most inns are located in Old Town, within easy walking distance of all you have come to see and do.  Sightsee, shop, enjoy water sports, or party, assured in the knowledge that the quiet relaxation of your beautiful home-style accommodation is conveniently located just a short distance away.

When attending the Key West Food and Wine Festival, make the event all the more memorable by enjoying the hospitality of “that great little B&B” that perfectly suits your own personal style.

OK, you’ve read my last blog and now it’s got you in a Key West frame of mind. Good.

What a great time it is for a glimpse of Key West at its laid-back best. Subtle hints that Fall is approaching are unmistakable. “Island time” prevails. Businesses are puttering about, leisurely sprucing up for “Season”. The laughter of locals catching up with friends and neighbors spills from open-air bars. Streets are less crowded. How cool is it to sneak away during this annual window of opportunity, when you can catch a glimpse of what it means to actually live in Key West?

Never is there a better time of year to be out on the water. Seas are crystal clear and the temperature so refreshing you’ll want to get out early and stay all day long. September and October are arguably the best months for backcountry angling, and we’re hearing exciting stories about night tarpon fishing. As for diving, a report this morning described the ocean’s surface as glass-slick, with visibility to 100 feet!

If you are a photographer or nature lover, you will revel in the extraordinary atmospheric displays that reliably occur. Most days, cumulus clouds build during the warm hours of sunlight, growing by late afternoon into cumulonimbus formations that seemingly reach so high as to look up God’s tunic. When conditions are right for rain (never lasts long — then the sun returns), it’s not unusual for them to spawn waterspouts, which occur more frequently in the Florida Keys than anywhere in the world.  (More about that in a blog entry that’s still in draft form – check back again soon.)  On calm days, which are more the “standard”, they play host to spectacular sunsets, occasionally featuring double rainbows.

Airlines are offering unheard-of bargains, and gas prices have returned to earth. Room choices are plentiful. Prime tables at the most popular restaurants are easy to get, no reservations required. Shopping bargains abound. The night life is vibrant.

So you’ve taken all of this into account and decided to test your skills at traveling wisely, if not indulgently. Now lets look at the most basic necessity: where will you call “home” while you’re here?

You want to experience the “real Key West”. So the obvious answer is one of its charming bed and breakfasts. You’ll sometimes hear them called “guesthouses” – a nod to the embracing quality of hospitality for which they have become famous.

Many a died-in-the-wool hotel patron is delighted to discover the casual, “come on in, make yourself at home” ambience that is a defining characteristic of our island’s inns. When prospective guests, new to the B&B experience, inquire about The Tropical Inn, we always tell them, “no matter whether you stay with us or one of our fellow Innkeepers, you owe it to yourself to choose a Key West bed and breakfast instead of a hotel.” That’s because guesthouses are so much a part of the culture here. Not to stay in one is to miss a significant dynamic of what Key West is all about.

The Gecko's Garden, with its own patio garden and spa, is the ultimate in luxurious indulgence.

Back when the island was just beginning to generate interest as a vacation destination – and long before the big hotel chains discovered the island’s charms — local residents opened their homes to travelers, as a lodging option. Key West hospitality quickly became legendary. From these humble roots, the Key West bed and breakfast market niche has grown, prospered, and diversified to embrace a range of accommodations from basic to bodacious. All of them offer that special, easy-going, “we’re not-taking-ourselves-too-seriously” style of welcome for which Key West is famous.

The guesthouse experience is the antithesis of the commoditized product that has been cultivated by the American hotel industry in recent years. Instead of a safely bland and predictably forgettable roof over your head, your guesthouse stay becomes an integral part of your Key West experience. Testament to this is the astonishing level of guest loyalty and referral business that many inns enjoy.

The Coconut Cabana is an affordable standard queen room.

Diverse as their owners’ personalities, the inns vary in style and rate range from decidedly economical to luxuriously indulgent. And there’s not a cookie-cutter room to be found among them. With dozens to choose from, one is sure to match your own personality and budget.

Oh. And speaking of budget … while you’ll see that rates at pretty much all of the guesthouses have dropped during these economically challenging times, don’t count on getting the ridiculously low prices occasionally found at chain motels “out on the Boulevard” — as we call the commercial strip at the far end of the island. That great rate you stumbled upon online may just be offset by the hassle and expense of taxis or parking fees, when you arrive to discover that your hotel is located on a busy traffic artery far from the tourist district and has all the charm of a generic hotel in Anywhere, USA. (And about that “ocean view”. Did they mention that the ocean is on the other side of the 4-lane highway?)

Almost all of the guesthouses are located in Old town.  Many are architecturally significant historic structures, retaining the feel of the original home that they once were.

Tropical Inn's central Old Town location: walk to everything!

Most of the smaller inns are owner-operated. So you will be welcomed by friendly hosts and staff that are genuinely appreciative that you have chosen their place for your holiday. They will be happy to share insider knowledge of the best “authentic Key West” activities and favorite locals’ hangouts. They’ll recommend not-to-be-missed outings to make your stay memorable, even seeing to all the arrangements, just as they would for friends or family visiting their own homes. And there’s never a concierge fee!

There are plenty of travel deals around and, no doubt, you can find lower rates than at many of our guesthouses. And what you will get is exactly what you should expect: a generic and sterile (and possibly a little scary!) product lacking the unique features to be found only in a Key West bed and breakfast. Especially at the more upscale inns that provide a higher than average level of quality, services, and amenities, room rates simply can’t be lowered drastically without compromising the level of accommodation and service that has become their signature.

Trite as it may sound, the old adage holds true: you get what you pay for … even in an economic downturn. So make sure you are not just shopping rate! Real value is found when you compare not only location, quality of accommodation, and amenities (even what’s for breakfast!), but the nature of the overall travel experience being offered.

So do your research. Sure, check out the bargains. But be certain you are comparing “apples to apples”! If you’re willing to spend a little time in researching your options, you will surely discover the perfect guesthouse to make your Fall escape to the End of the Road all the more rewarding … and at a surprisingly affordable cost.

Get here any way you can, and come see us in Paradise this Fall!  The great opportunities to be found right now won’t last forever!