Our Little Place in the Keys • Recently Renovated • Private Dock

This is our family’s 2-bedroom, 1-bath bayside home in Tavernier, recently renovated and tucked right between Key Largo and Islamorada. It’s our place to get away, slow things down a little, and enjoy the Keys the way we like to enjoy them — mostly outside and usually somewhere near the water.

One of our favorite things about the house is the location. There’s a private deep-water dock right out back, and just steps away is an easy spot to launch the kayaks and paddleboards we keep at the house.

For boaters, Tavernier Creek is only minutes away, so getting over to the ocean side for fishing, snorkeling or a day on the reef is easy. Stay bayside and you can head into the backcountry, explore, fish or just cruise around. Playa Largo and Nest Key are both a short boat ride away and two of our favorite places to anchor up, relax and spend the day.

At one point I started counting all the different ways you could have a “perfect day” here — boating, fishing, diving, snorkeling, sandbars, cruising to waterfront bars and restaurants, rope swings, exploring the backcountry — and I stopped somewhere around 35.

Then again, a book and an acoustic guitar under the pergola isn't a bad day either.

Inside, there are two bedrooms. One has a queen bed, and the second has a full-size bed along with bunk beds. There’s also a sofa bed for additional sleeping space. The house is comfortable, updated and has everything we need when we're here.

Outside is really where we spend most of our time. There’s a pergola with a grilling area, plenty of room to relax and open views toward the bay. There’s an outdoor shower for rinsing off after a day on the water and, for anyone who likes to fish, an outdoor freezer for bait and the day's catch — because some things are better left outside.

It’s a great place to grill some fish and relax as the sun goes down. Every once in a while, a manatee or dolphin even decides to cruise by.

Tavernier itself is one of the things we love about the location. Key Largo is in one direction and Islamorada is in the other, so restaurants, marinas, sandbars, snorkeling, reefs and John Pennekamp are all nearby without being right in the middle of the busier tourist areas.

And when you need regular-life stuff, that’s easy too. Groceries, a hospital, pharmacies, fast food and other everyday necessities are all just a short drive away. There’s even a movie theater nearby for those rare days when you’ve had enough sunshine.

That’s what we like about Tavernier — everyday life is close when you need it, and the Keys are right outside your door. Between everything there is to do by land and by water, there are probably another 30 “perfect days” I haven't even counted yet.

But that's kind of the point of the place.

Bring the boat. Bring a fishing rod. Bring a book. Bring absolutely no plans at all.

Unpack, slow down and enjoy the Keys.

That's what we do.

A few things to know about longer stays:

For winter (January–March), we prefer one extended 90-night stay.

For summer, June and July are also best suited for a longer stay, with preference given to those who would like to enjoy both months.

Small dogs are welcome with an additional pet fee.

We’ve found the Keys are a lot more fun when you have enough time to forget what day it is.