Trying to put together a KW trip. I have read not to leave KW on Sunday afternoon unless you like slow, bumper to bumper traffic. Will we be OK headed south on Sunday?

Looking at some of the chain motels, Hilton, BW, Doubletree and they seem to all be on the East side of the island. If we choose to stay at one of these locations, do you have any recommendations for transportation to the downtown area? Bus, Uber, taxi??

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

I stay at the Blue Marlin on the quiet side of Duval Street----its a nice walk to Mallory square [20 minutes] and 5 minutes to Southern point marker

I would recommend it for price and location to anyone

 

They now have Uber in Key West, and that's the easiest way to get around. When I'm there for pleasure, I bite the bullet and stay near Duvall street. That's where I'm gonna be spending almost all of my time, anyway.

😁

 

 

If you like to have a drink, as close to Duval Street as your wallet can handle. KW is a very hard place to stay sober.

Now if you are not a drinker, riding in and out of town is acceptable and they have dedicated MC parking in town. We have stayed as far away as Mile Marker 25 with no regrets.

All the scooters like to take up the MC parking, takes about ten seconds to get off your bike and "condense" them a little to make yourself a spot.

Good luck.

 

Riding into Key West on a Sunday, it would be best to roll early.
Mainland folks will try to make it to Islamorada area for brunch/lunch about noon or 1pm.
For full enjoyment of the ride on a Sunday going south, it would be best to be at the Welcome to the Keys Sign located near Last Chance Saloon,entrance to Card Sound Road and across from location that Krome/997 spits you out by about 9:30am.
You must arrive to the start of the Keys from either Krome/997 or the Turnpike...DO NOT attempt to take US1 from just about anyplace in Miami as it looks OK on a map but it is loaded with traffic lights, intense traffic and generally a terrible idea .
Arriving at start between 9am and 9:30am will allow you to enjoy a quiet traffic free ride on Card Sound Road , when road throws you back out to US1 it will still be nice and you can make it to Islamorada Seafood Company located next to the really nice Bass Pro shop at about 10:45am..about mile marker 81. Bass Pro store opens about 10am...take a break at the store (nice bathrooms inside in back right corner by aqaurium) they have rocking chairs looking out towards marina and in general a very nice place to stop.
Islamorada Seafood Company next door opens at 11am and makes for a good place to eat with a view of the water before leaving.
When you depart Islamorada seafood , the north bound traffic will be starting to get busy but you will be fine going south...
That stretch from the mainland to Islamorada has the greatest number of day trippers.
At that point you have passed the busiest part going south.
The traffic leaving Key West on Sunday happens because everyone decides to check-out at 10am Sunday .
Everyone gets on the ONE road out by 10:30am and thinks they will gain time on the ONE road and eventually someone has a fender bender causing a shut down.
Consider staying in Key West anyplace within walking distance to any portion of Duval...all activities are along Duval or the marina.
It is more non-chain hotels when you get close to Duval.
It is rather nice to just park your bike once and relax during your stay.
Walking to the different bars, places to eat, sunsets, marina and whatever.
If you are healthy and OK with walking & exploring, staying anyplace within 5 blocks of Duval and then a 0.5 mile walk along Duval with a bottle of water or whatever can really help to better understand how folks live down in the keys.
Anything that is within 5 blocks of Duval would be walkable and many of the smaller places have a simple walk away coffee/bread/roll/juice breakfast included.
Keep in mind that anything near Duval will be old, small, rather used/abused and expensive for what it is.
Something that would be $90-$100 in the mainland is $200 in Key West.
Avoid Key West during a holiday or during any festival days..

 

We will be leaving Tampa that morning sometime. I would not think we would hit the Keys until one o'clock at best. I checked the Blue Marlin and it was booked. The chain motels, Hilton, BW, Doubletree on the East side of the island are around $170-$200. That is a lot cheaper than those near Duvall. I guess we will use Uber to get to town.

We will be drinking some, nothing major. We plan to go out to the fort at Dry Tortuga one day. I think I would like to see Mel Fishers Museum. Two days in KW and then head north.

On the way down, plan to stop at Alabama for a snack and beverage, The Fish House for a late meal, and Robbie's to feed the fish.

 

those people down ther will run over your ***