Our Friends over at Homeaway.com have published an enticing guide for winter travel in Key West called “Thirteen Appropriately Uncommon Ways to Enjoy a Crazy Winter Vacation in Key West.” Here’s what they had to say!

“Key West is Florida’s oddball stepchild whose charm and energy easily justify – in fact demand – at least one indulgent, fantasy-fulfilling trip that snubs what’s normal and walks on the wilder side. Break up a long, dull winter with a Key West vacation and unleash the nonconformist inside of you…  

 
1. Check out the polydactyl cats at the Hemingway House (there are dozens of extra-toed kitties roaming around) and search for other ways the incendiary author left his mark here.

2. Find a local and ask him where he was when Key West declared its independence (if but briefly) from the mainland in 1982.

3. Tip your hat to the La Concha Hotel, where Tennessee Williams is said to have written A Streetcar Named Desire.

4. When you watch the sunset at Mallory Square, give the street performers props (and tips, too) for choosing to bring joy to other people’s lives by living theirs a little differently.

5. Put your camera to good use as you tour Old Town, which is filled with candy-colored, uniquely detailed houses that expose suburban developments and high-rise condos for their drabness.

6. Spend an afternoon sipping drinks on a veranda (no, it’s not a patio or a porch) and toast to the fact that there’s not a computer in sight.

 7. Visit the “Southernmost Point Continental USA” marker and offer bystanders this tidbit of knowledge: it’s actually 94 miles to Cuba, not 90 as the buoy states.

 8. If bragging is your thing, call home and tell the ones you left behind that your trip is guaranteed to be frost-free; this tropical region has never been struck by freezing temperatures.

 9. If you’re here in January and happen to love books, get ready to be star struck as you share the same air as a few famous writers who’ll be in town for the annual Key West Literary Seminar.

10. Stop by the harbor at bustling Key West Bight, where you can set your sights on the horizon and make plans for a fishing trip…or undertake a shopping and dining expedition instead.

11. Its motto is “One Human Family,” so don’t censor the impulse to start a conversation with a fellow conch (that’s what residents call themselves). It’s Key West, and pretty much anything goes. 

12. Toss the car keys aside and see the sites via public transportation, walking and pedi-cabs. The view will be much nicer this way and you’ll also be doing the environment a favor.

13. Traditional accommodations won’t be part of this equation. Choose from among the available winter rentals in Key West and enjoy living a laid-back life when you unpack your bags in a comfortable oceanfront cottage.“

So Key West, the ultimate summer getaway can be enjoyed year round. Don’t forget to check out our accommodations in Key West before you go!

From Homeaway.com