John's place was Amazing!! The house was spacious, beautifully decorated with "Key West" charm and had every amenity. The grounds were in mint shape and pool and dock appeared brand new. Each night we made our way down to the dock and Corona -Toasted the spectacular Ocean view Sunset then woke up early and greeted the Sunrise with a sip of Joe. I kid you not, Post Card views!

You're far enough from Key West to avoid all the traffic and crowds yet close enough to get there with a 25min drive.

Pretty sure most of the vacation rentals were occupied, as most had cars in the driveway. That said, you''d never know it, was very quiet and most of the time we felt like the only ones there. Their were 2-3 families with little ones and they filled the pool pretty fast, we simply avoided "Pool Prime Time" and keep busy with the Kayaks and Bridge fishing.

We didn't have a boat but saw one family bring one and another rent one from the local Cudjoe Garden Marina. The Docks had everything you need to spend the day on the water. The days we were there (Feb 19-23) the wind and waves were a little out of my comfort zone so rather then rent a boat we spent a ton of time fishing off the local Cudjoe Bridge.

We could've easily prepared and eaten our meals at the house but opted to help the local economy (and avoid vacation dishes). "Mangrove Mama's" Lobster Ruben is a must try! "Coco's Kitchen" makes the most authentic Cuban Sandwich you'll find in the Keys. (and super cheap!). "Slice of Paradise" (Delivery) was blah... Pizzaworks (Delivery) was amazing! If you wanted to drop a few hundred dollars on Fine Dining, "Square Grouper" looked great. They don't take reservations and you'll likely wait for a table. (It was always crowded outside). We didn't eat there and instead doubled downed on Lobster Rubens!

I can't say enough about the locals in the Keys. Despite the devastating smack-down IRMA laid on them only 6 months ago, they always went out of their way to ensure you were making the most out of your time in the Keys. A massive amount of work has gone into restoring the Natural beauty of the Keys and my hat goes off to them for pulling it off so quickly. That said, if you drive over to some of the back-road neighborhoods on Big Pine Key, you'll see the true destruction and chaos IRMA inflicted on local folks. Our hearts go out to the families who lost their homes and we're pulling for you to get back on your feet.