Advice on a Miami and Florida Keys trip in February half term

[patate10]

Has anyone got any good advice on a holiday in Feb half term to Miami and the Keys please?

Thinking fly to Miami,stay 2 nights, do an Everglades boat trip, drive to Islamorada, stay there for a night or two then do Key West for 3-4 days then home?

Good plan? Is there a better one? Any good location knowledge?

TIA!

13th - 20th Feb - google AI is suggesting mid March for FL spring break.

Stay on south beach and defo take a half day to do the aquarium/science museum. It’s fabulous!

Also; I loved Key West, and took my kids who were about 7/8. They loved it too.

School term dates is pretty good for checking, found it yday school-term-dates.co.uk

For somewhere to stay centrally in the keys, have a look at Tranquillity Bay on Marathon. You can get a house for all 5 of you, large pool, a sea pool, restaurant on site if you don’t want to cater, or if you do, there’s a Publix supermarket 10 minutes up the road.

We went on a day trip to Key West. A walk around in the day time and the obligatory photo at the southern tip of the USA was enough for us. It looked very much geared up for adults and drinking in the evening.

Is everyone missing that you’ve planned 5 accommodations over 8 nights? This is one sure fire way to ruin the trip. It’ll become all about check in times, packing and unpacking.

Key West is a slog for 1 measly night and why break up Miami into 2 one night stays? Presumably you’ll collect and return your hire car to the airport too so you’ve the traffic and drives in and out of Miami doubled if you do 2 stays.

Flamingo to Key West is a 4 hour drive without stopping!

A week is so short, especially with a long haul flight either side, but since you’ve booked it now I’d say,

2 nights Miami Beach. There are lots of tours that will take you around the sights (little Havana, wynwood walls, celebrity mansions). An evening boat trip will be cool too. The art deco hotels are all very instagrammable for the teens.

Leave Miami early on the last day and head to Flamingo (if you’re not bothered about the non-resident premiums!) Then drive to Islamorada or Key Largo for 2 nights. Accepting this will be a long day but committing to that will save you a lot of hassle.

You can enjoy the upper keys, snorkel at John Pennekamp state park and relax after the first busy few days.

Then head down to Key West for 4 nights. You won’t regret having longer there I’m sure!

You could break up the drive back to the airport somewhere if you really wanted but personally I don’t see why you would want to. It just eats into your time with such a short break.

Can't do much about it just being a week between time off work and school!

We are planning Miami either end to make sure last day isn't an horrendous travel slog but can have relaxed time in the am/lunch until time for airport. That last day before flying back can be so weird and doing shopping/downtime/kids getting their fast food fix seems a good a fill of that as anything. Thinking get car on the first am after first night in Miami and drive to Flamingo and on way back dump car at airport and do uber to accommodation and back to airport next day.

I think organising cases UK side can minimise unpacking and packing.

I had found Tranquility Bay! On the list for the 4-5 night part of the trip (I also really love the look of the Islander Resort in Islamorada!).

My teens loved Miami. Watched Messi and Suarez play at Inter Miami, Tidal Coves water park, Joe's crab shack, Coconut Grove, Biscayne bay, Little Havana and bowling in Little Veneuela. Plus all the cool shops, cars, street art and style.

Agree that a week is a very short time and Miami itself gets very gridlocked so getting from place to place isn't quick or cheap. I would do a week in Miami with a base near the beach (ideally one of the art deco hotels) and then a couple of nights in Homestead to do Everglades. You don't have to go to Flamingo to get an airboat. We got one from near Homestead. One minute you're in the Miami burbs - the next you are alone in this beautiful prehistoric landscape (OK apart from the boat and guide).

Key West is lovely but it's a four hour schlep each way. You could do a day trip to Key Largo from Homestead.

I mean, if you are a family that need “downtime” before sitting still for 9 hours then this is an even crazier trip than it first appeared 😂.

I know you can’t extend February half term! What most people do is choose Easter or Summer to visit the US. Or if they must go in February then stick to 1 accommodation in a place like NYC.

That last night in Miami is such a waste. So on your penultimate day you plan to check out and drive to Miami airport (3.5 hours from key west). Deal with the rental return and walk to a part of the airport with all your bags so an uber can collect you. All so that the next morning you can have downtime and a McDonald’s before schlepping back in an uber to the airport? Surely not?

The drive back to the airport will have a million places to stop and get your fast food and leg stretch. You don’t need to be at the airport until late afternoon by the sounds of it so if you checked out of a hotel in key west/Marathon in the morning you’d have that beautiful drive as your last day. Stop at Islamorada for food, stop again at Robert’s in Homestead for a fruit smoothie and then on to the airport. A much nicer end to the holiday.

Sorry - meant downTOWN not downtime.

Islamorada is 1hr 32 mins to Miami airport according to google?!

Right?

Also florida in the summer reads as shit weather so, no.

Plan is check out as late as possible, find somewhere nice for lunch, drop car at airport mid afternoon, late afternoon, evening and morning in downTOWN Miami. Great lunch somewhere, collect cases, head to airport. Doesn't sound horrible with 3 teens to me but there we are.

So we wont be driving 3.5 hours from key west...

Ok. Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out 👍

One night in Key West from Flamingo is a beauty idea, go for it 😂

I'll tell you how nice it is after. I feel you have got weirdly invested and so will leave now.

A week is fine in the Keys. We went for two weeks but only spent one in the Keys and then the other up at Sanibel.

Ive given good advice, which you’ve rudely responded to. Bit weird but ok, your plan for the teens first time in the USA is bonkers and wastes a lot of time you haven’t got on such a short trip. That’s your choice but you did ask for advice!

Having spent plenty of time down there you don’t need you to tell me how nice it is. Thanks for the offer though 🤪