Two and a half years ago our family went on an epic 12-day family vacation that our 6 year old still refers to as his “favorite” vacation ever (Miami ➡️ Florida Keys ➡️ Hollywood Beach). At the time our now middle son was only 5 months old and we were looking for a tropical island feel somewhere in the United States. So… we landed on the Florida Keys! If you’re dreaming of palm trees and beach drinks and a family resort that’s perfect for kids and big families, you’re going to want to read this one! As always, we also found some great adventures to go along with our relaxing oceanfront getaway.
To get the best ticket and car rental prices at the time and to ensure a direct flight (we always choose direct when flying with kids when it’s possible!), we opted to fly into Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami or Key West. We rented a minivan and spent the first 2 days around the Miami area.
Despite so much planning and anticipation, our trip did NOT start out well. After an early flight which meant pulling kids out of bed to catch our plane, we arrived in Florida with a tired toddler and infant to find that the owner of our HomeAway for the first 2 nights had double booked his rental and never canceled our reservation. Our first response was panic as we had no idea how to navigate this issue. Our family solution to cranky kids is finding something fun to do, so we found a local playground while I frantically called HomeAway trying to find a place to stay.
Definitely not a great first experience with the HomeAway concept, and not a good sign to how our vacation was going to go…but we ended up at the Candlewood Suites by the Miami Executive Airport (TMB) which put us in close proximity to a Costco so that turned things around (who doesn’t love a trip to Costco, especially to stock up with vacation essentials?!).
On our first full day, we woke up and headed to Zoo Miami. I had been there earlier that year with my sister-in-law and loved it, so we specifically planned this trip to come back with the whole family. The zoo itself is huge, has a great variety of animals, and some great activities for the entire family. Highlights include a cute boat ride through some animal exhibits (spoiler alert: you WILL get wet if it’s warm out!), a splash park area, playground, carousel, interactive exhibits (a clear slide that goes through the otter exhibit, a clear tunnel where you can climb underwater with the crocodiles, a rope enclosure you can walk across the alligators, etc.), there are also animal feedings (we fed a giraffe and a rhino), animal shows (at the end we got to touch a snake), and a monorail that goes around the whole zoo. If you love zoos, this is definitely one to see! I will say that at the times we went (January and November) it seemed to be more “off-season” and not very crowded, so I can’t vouch for crowds during more “peak” Florida travel dates.
The next day we started the trek to the Florida Keys! On the way, we stopped at an alligator farm (Everglades Alligator Farm). They have airboat rides into the Everglades which we didn’t do since our youngest was only 5 months (they don’t have a minimum age but the boats are very loud and we didn’t feel comfortable bringing him on). We did enjoy seeing a bunch of tiny alligator babies and the big alligators in the park, as well as some other animals. The park itself isn’t too big so we got through it pretty quickly without the airboat ride. Other than walking around and seeing the animals on our own they also had alligator feedings and shows.
After we left the alligator farm we headed to our next destination in the keys. After a lot of research into family-friendly spots, we decided on Hawks Cay Resort. We traveled in 2018 and at this time the Keys were recovering from Hurricane Irma (2017) and many places were just starting to reopen. Duck Key, which is where Hawks Cay is, was hit pretty hard from Irma and the resort was still partially closed during our visit, but I have to say that even during partial closure, we had an absolutely amazing time. One thing we really loved about the property is that it has the main hotel area, but also has homes to rent within the property as well. We traveled with both sets of grandparents, so we opted for a 4 bedroom home with its own pool. (Sharing the home was actually cheaper than a hotel room for the week!).
We rented a golf cart from the resort which was perfect for getting around the property (it’s totally walkable but some of our family has mobility challenges, so having easy transport was a great option). Having our own pool was perfect for early morning and evening swims and there were also 2 other shared resort pools that we visited: the main pool by the hotel and lagoon area, and the kid’s recreation area. There is also another pool in the “Sunset Village” which we didn’t visit, and another adults-only pool by the hotel, but we obviously didn’t spend time there with our little ones.
The Coral Cay kids club is a separate area from the main hotel pool and definitely felt entirely family-focused. Sometimes I feel anxious at “regular” resort pool areas because I’m hoping my kids’ good time isn’t spoiling anyone else’s relaxation. While we didn’t feel like that even at the main pool at Hawks Cay, having the dedicated kids area was really nice. To enter the kid’s area you walk through an activity building and are welcomed by all sorts of outdoor kids activities. There is a basketball court, volleyball court, playground, ping pong, corn hole, mini-golf course, pool, and a pirate ship splash area which was probably the highlight of our son’s trip (he still talks about this specific feature almost 3 years later!). In addition to all of the features mentioned, there are also other scheduled activities/crafts, and we also enjoyed an interactive “pirate show” in the pirate splash area one evening.
The main resort pool and lagoon area are also excellent. There are outdoor bars and dining here, and the saltwater lagoon offered complimentary paddle boarding and kayaking. We also brought our own snorkels but didn’t find much. Near the lagoon and the main resort pool is the dolphin lagoon where you can watch the dolphins, and also sign up for more up-close encounters.
We spent most of our days at the resort but did venture out for some activities and meals (see below for restaurant recommendations). One day we drove to Key West. Parking there was tricky because we unknowingly visited on a day where there was a big event happening, but we ended up finding street parking off of Duval Street. Toddler highlights of Key West include the wild chickens, and we happened to visit on the day of Offshore Racing so that was pretty fascinating to watch (think extremely loud boat racing). Other must-dos for our quick Key West trip were a stop at Mattheesson’s for ice cream (they also have delicious cookies and fudge!). My husband and father also enjoyed our lunch at Hog‘s Breath Saloon (interesting fact, they have a live broadcast of the bar areas…so watch what you do 😜). They also typically have live music and it’s a fun vacation-vibe destination.
One thing I think is important to know about the Florida Keys is that there aren’t gorgeous beaches as compared to other tropical islands. I am a sucker for a beautiful white sand beach. When we visit the Keys in the future we will definitely rent a boat to explore the water on our own and also be able to experience more of that “white sand beach” feel that you can get by accessing sand bars offshore.
Great Restaurants:
- If you’re visiting the keys you MUST visit Robbie’s of Islamorada. They’re famous for their tarpon feeding experience, but they also have a restaurant, bar, souvenir shops, and water sport rentals and excursions (snorkeling, fishing, etc), so they have a lot to offer. For the tarpon, guests can buy baitfish and then lay on the dock and dangle the bait and the giant tarpon will jump out of the water to grab the fish. It’s terrifying and thrilling. You can also just toss the fish in the water from standing and watch the feeding frenzy without the terror of waiting for a giant to grab it from your hand. When we were there in the evening they warned us to watch out for sharks, and we did have to cut off our feeding because the sharks started to come in, which was pretty fun to see (our 3 year old loved it). When you’re on the dock feeding be careful with the pelicans- we were warned that they can be aggressive, so we made sure our toddler didn’t go near them. We actually visited twice to eat- once for dinner and another for breakfast on our way out of the keys. Both times we enjoyed the outside deck dining overlooking the water. The food was good and for breakfast, if you’re into Bloody Mary’s, don’t forget to order the Trailer Trash Bloody Mary.
- Lorelei’s Restaurant and Cabana Bar is a definite dinner stop with gorgeous sunsets. We went because we had read reviews that there is dining on the sand by the water and that kids can look for hermit crabs and play by the edge of the water. This sounded great because if you have kids you know meals, especially dinner when they’re getting tired, can be challenging. However, when we arrived and brought our son down to the water to explore we were quickly approached by staff saying we should not go near the water with him because there had been crocodiles in the area (I didn’t even know crocodiles lived in the United States- I thought we only had alligators!). So despite our good intention for some fun sand play, we still enjoyed the beautiful sunset, some good live music, and yummy food and drinks. While I cannot recommend it as a place for sand play, I can say we were still not disappointed.
- We all enjoyed breakfast at The Stuffed Pig. We liked the outside patio and tiki dining and we all had great meals (the portions were huge!). I’m a breakfast lover and critique my breakfast meals with high standards, and I will say that I enjoyed everything I tasted on my plate and everyone else’s. We all definitely left as “stuffed pigs”.
- Another breakfast place that we didn’t visit as a family but I visited later that year on a trip with my sister in law, was Blue Heaven in Key West. It is popular with long wait times, so consider going early (if I was there with kids that would not have been an issue 🤣). The atmosphere was exactly what you’d expect in Key West and you’re in an outdoor oasis surrounded by tropical foliage. The atmosphere and the food were great and should be on your list if you’re in the area!
Other Activities:
Sunset cruise: One night the grandparents watched the boys and we sailed the Sailing Catamaran “Sirius” with Captain Dale at sunset. Captain Dale was energetic, friendly, and informative. We even learned about the “Green Flash” that happens at sunset and were lucky enough to witness it during our sail. The atmosphere was relaxing, the sights were beautiful, and it was a nice “parent’s night out”.
Snorkeling: On another morning my inlaws watched the boys and we did a snorkeling cruise to Sombrero Reef Marine Sanctuary and Lighthouse with Captain Pip’s Spirit.
When we left, we decided to spend a night at the Marriott at Hollywood Beach to avoid an early morning drive from the Keys to catch our plane. The area here is another fun place to explore with a boardwalk and beautiful stretches of beach. There are a lot of great restaurants as well! The Taco Spot is an adorable thatched roof destination right on the boardwalk with great tacos and drinks (definitely splurge for your drink in the coconut!). It’s also in a great spot for people watching being right on the boardwalk. Another fun location to check out is Le Tub on the intercoastal side of the Hollywood Beach area which features old tubs and toilets as part of the outdoor decor – I got their Key Lime Pie to go which was delicious! The boardwalk has a concert bandshell (Hollywood Beach Theatre) with lots of nightly entertainment provided by Margaritaville Beach Resort (another great resort and/or dinner/entertainment location in itself -they also have a FlowRider to test out your surfing skills!). There are some playgrounds and a splash pad (Charnow Park) along the boardwalk as well.
All in all, this trip goes down in our family memory as one of our best family vacations. The weather, the resort, the food, and the company made it a trip that will be hard to beat!
