1) Key Largo: Ocean Reef Club

The Ocean Reef Club ranges out to over 2,500 acres of outstandingly done landscapes that includes the luxury of three golf courses, thirteen eateries, a tennis club, a cultural center and so much more. The area is gated and is extremely private and enclosed, making it one of the most exclusive retreats in this country.

However, due to this exclusiveness, it is not open to the public, no matter how rich you are, unless you have friends or family who is a member of the reef club, you would be able to stay over at one of the four inns owned by the club with over 150 rooms.

This enclosed community is home to big names, CEOs and celebrities.

Booking one of their special programs and packages like camps for kids or programs for adults is another way of getting access into the Reef Club.

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The East Martello Art Gallery has rotating and permanent exhibit of local art including bold primitives by Mario Sanchez, and th bizarre ‘junk art’ of Stanley Papio. Despised by his neighbors dur ing his lifetime, Papio was a junk dealer who lived in Key Largo and maintained a “junkyard museum” at is own home.

His crude but charming abstract sculptures – made of used car parts, bedsprings, toilet fixtures, and vacuum clean- ers gained status in the Keys after his death in 1982, and are now highly regarded for their clever mockery of modern life.

About 2 miles to the west of the East Martello Tower, facing the ocean near the White Street Pier, is the West Martello Tower. Far less impressive than the eastern one, the western tower was built in 1861 and used as a lookout post during the Spanish-America War of 1898.

Looking weathered and worn, it is close to the heart ol the city, and for decades has been the victim of vandals and thieve who steal the valuable red bricks for their patios and gardens. It was also once used as a target for gunnery practice, which explains its pock-marked facade. Within the walls of the tower is the Key West Garden Club (Wednesday to Sunday 10 -11- 30am and 1-3.30pm, tel: 294 3210).

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A morning exploring the East Martello Tower and Museum, followed by an afternoon at the beach and a visit to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. Bring a picnic, or buy a snack lunch at a beach stall. Don’t forget swimming gear and sunbiock.

Built in the mid-1800s to protect Key West from enemy attack, the city’s two historic towers are located on the southeast side of the island, both facing the Atlantic Ocean. The East Martello Tower (daily 9.3Oam-5pm) is on South Roosevelt Boulevard next to the entrance to the Key West International Airport.

Looking like an upside down flower pot, this cylindrical, Civil War brick fort was never fully completed or ever used in the defense of the island.

Designed to ward off coastal attacks, the tower was modeled after an ancient Corsican design.

A small part of the tower now serves as a museum for military uniforms and artifacts from the US battleship Maine, which was blown up in Havana Harbor in 1898, during the Spanish-American War. A circular staircase in the fort’s main tower leads to a citadel which provides a wonderful, sweeping view of the island and ocean. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the fort itself is a well respected attraction.

But the main draw of the tower is the East Martello Historical Museum and Art Gallery.

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This is a leisurely itinerary, designed to follow a busy day in the Old Town, and your walk will be broken by a slow and pleasant lunch. Head toward the southern end of Old Town, near the middle of Whitehead Street, where you will find Key West’s Bahama Village.

Bordered by Angela, Petronia, and Olivia streets, Bahama Village is an old Key West neighborhood where many descendants of the city’s earliest Bahamian settlers and West Indian slaves still live. During the 18th century the Bahamian incomers utilized their knowledge of tropical architecture and plants to help make Key West what it is today.

From the outside, the neighborhood appears weather-beaten and run-down, full of small wooden homes that look as if a strong wind could blow them away. But underneath those tin roofs are walls and floors made of Dade County pine, a sturdy, almost invincible Florida hardwood.

Some of the homes are painted bright Caribbean colors of pink, blue, and green, with purple bougainvillea vines adding a further splash of color. Taking a slow morning walk through the streets, you feel as if you’ve been transported to the islands – the ones on the other side of the Gulf Stream, that is.

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As the topographical tail of the United States, Key West dangles off the end of the Florida Keys chain, an island of unfettered freedoms and capricious charms.

It is a nonchalant, end-of-the-road kind of place where people who never want to grow up feel right at home. It is crazy, indulgent, uninhibited and hip, full of small town gossip and big city panache.

The city’s architecture a blend of Spanish, Bahamian, New England and Southern is world famous, with grand tropical mansions adorned with gingerbread railings dotting even the most ordinary of streets.

The resident population a combination of old Conchs, rich yuppies, middle-class families, Cuban immigrants, Bahamians, military employees and gays totals about 25,000, but when you add the million tourists who visit each year, the island can feel very crowded.

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A stop at the Caribbean Club for an early morning Bloody Mary, followed by a visit to the African Queen, lunch at Mrs Mac’s Kitchen, and a late afternoon stroll through the Florida Keys Wild Bird Sanctuary.

The Upper Keys are about a one and half hour drive south of Miami Beach, which makes them far enough from civilization to be a haven for escapees from Miami and Fort Lauderdale, but close enough to the mainland to still feel connected.

They are a weekend warrior’s paradise, a place to run away to even just for the day.

Critics of the Upper Keys say they are nothing more than a Miami Beach playground, but if so, they are a playground or unparalleled beauty.

Just south of Florida City, the Overseas Highway begins and the first mile marker appears MM126, which means you’re 126 miles north of Key West and heading straight for Key Largo. Continue reading »

South of Miami Beach, follow Highway 1 to reach the inimitable Florida Keys, America’s near-tropical islands. As they trickle farther from the mainland, the Keys become noticeably more removed from mainstream tempos and rules.

A laid-back, quasi-renegade attitude takes hold.

Dress is fishing-boat casual. Life revolves around the water. Time is told more by tides and sun than by clocks. Much of the waters around the Keys are designated marine wildlife refuges, providing the state’s most popular destination for diving.

Kayaking, fishing, and lobstering also draw water enthusiasts.

The Keys stretch for more than 100 miles, starting with Key Largo of film fame. This is the site of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, which lies at the town’s north end, about 40 miles from South Miami Beach.

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