I REALLY was terrified as I made my way through Miami Airport to the courtesy bus that would take me to pick up my hire car, having heard so many horror stories about wild gunmen and muggers that loiter, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting tourists. In addition, this was only the second time I’d actually travelled alone and the prospect of driving down to the Keys by myself was pretty scary, especially as I’d never driven on the left hand side and never even so much sat in an automatic.
To make matters worse I was ripped off by the hire car company and ended up paying $400 for a car the size of a bus, instead of the $150 saloon my husband had booked for me. Despite asking for assistance I was left to make my own way to the car and the only person who came to my help as I struggled to even make the car move was one of the car-washers. After several trial-circuits of the car park I braved it on the roads, and was surprised to find I was able to drive it fairly well within minutes and actually succeeded in finding my way all the way down to the Keys.
I hadn’t realised how beautiful they actually were and it is far better in some ways to get there on four wheels than fly down to Key West because there’s so much to see and the whole journey shouldn’t take more than four hours. Unfortunately finding accommodation proved to be difficult as everywhere seemed to be fully booked and by 8 o’clock I started to panic. Fortunately I eventually found a room in the form of a small pink bungalow at Key Largo, although at $85 for one person it wasn’t cheap.
I had just three nights and days to fill before I met up with my husband Philip, and decided to make the most of my time as an independent traveller. I visited national parks, snorkelled, spent afternoons at hotels with pools open to the public, drinking wine with the locals and went for dinner with new friends. One of the most memorable things was the clientele at the local bars – the men had great long beards down to their waists, wore checked shirts and trousers that were too tight for them and they all had weather beaten faces and too many tattoos.
Once my other half had arrived we decided to head straight down to Key West. Driving over the Seven Mile Bridge was spectacular and we stopped at a fantastic Japanese restaurant on the way. If you love sushi you’ll love the Keys, as there are plenty of sushi bars to choose from and generally the meals are half of what they would cost in either Cyprus or the UK.
Key West was noisy, vibrant, colourful and a lot of fun. The accommodation again isn’t cheap – expect to pay a minimum of $80 per room. The main high street that runs through the town is jam-packed with bars, restaurants and fashion and souvenir shops.
Daiquiris are a big favourite in most of the pubs, but they tasted more like an alcoholic slush puppy, especially as they came in half pint glasses and they are very filling, so best not to drink too many of them before dinner.
There are so many good restaurants in Key West it’s difficult to know where to eat and the seafood was truly amazing. Conch fritters, lobster and seafood platters were amongst our favourites. There are a few “eat as much as you can” outlets, but when we tried one we found the food was congealed and not really up to much.
The Keys are excellent if you like scuba diving and there are a few centres to choose from. Most allow you to dive your own dive, rather than follow an instructor. We paid about $80 each for two dives and while the marine life was not up to the Maldives standards there was still quite a bit to see and we encountered an enormous ray.
After the Keys we drove to Naples, which is an immaculate and very attractive city, but unfortunately we went out of season and there wasn’t much of an atmosphere there. However it was close to the Everglades Park, so we booked ourselves on a half-hour airboat crocodile tour, which was fantastic fun. We only got to see one croc, which our guide insisted on teasing and patting on the head, while we all looked on in shock and terror. However we relaxed enough later that day to actually pick up a baby crocodile, which was the size of a seven year old child and double the weight.
Florida is brilliant for shopping and we certainly did our fair share. The clothes are at least half-price on average and we both flew back with about six more kilos than we’d flown out with. It’s a good idea to head not only for the traditional shopping malls, but also those specialising in cut-price designer wear.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
