I am still in vacation mode so it was weird to go back to work today. My husband and I were lucky enough to be able to travel to Key West last week for a wedding. I can truly say that I LOVE Key West and I would go back there times ten!
It is so laid back and relaxing and the hotel we stayed at (the Southernmost) was wonderful and you really felt like you were at a nice resort.
Awesome things about our trip:
- The white sands and blue ocean water
- The incredible food (you MUST eat breakfast/brunch at Blue Heaven and Bagatelle—order the eggs Benedict at both places. You will thank me…also, the blueberry pancakes at Blue Heaven…they taste like heaven)
- Duval St. = great shopping & nightlife
- Live music everywhere—SO fun to hear live music at every bar you go to!
- We rode bikes everywhere…I felt like a kid again…now I want a bicycle
- We went parasailing for the first time…check that one off the bucket list!
- The rain stopped pouring just as the bride was walking down the aisle (thank God!)
- I actually felt really relaxed and got into the laid back vibe of the people there
- Our hotel pool was awesome
- I won a hula-hoop contest (what what!) and I got a free Mimosa for winning- double awesome
- Continental is reimbursing me for the things I had to buy when they lost my luggage
- I carried on all of my valuables which somewhat eased the trauma of the lost luggage
- My hair was not that bad, considering the weather
- I did not get a sunburn anywhere on my body (though, my spray tan faded significantly)
Not so awesome things:
- Continental/United booked us on an “invalid” flight with a 17-minute layover so we had to fly out a day early and stay in a hotel overnight to make our next flight into Key West in the morning
- Continental/United LOST my luggage…you know, the one that had all of my clothes and shoes in it
- I cried because my luggage was lost and I was convinced it was stolen (I got it at about 1 am that night)
- I was SO cold at night. I swear there is something wrong with me. Everyone else was all shorts and dresses and I was all dresses with a sweater and a scarf
- Our flight on the way home was cancelled…but we were able to get on another one that got us back to Tampa in time for our connecting flight back home
- I ate too much candy at the wedding and felt like I was going to die (drank water for the rest of the night to try and clear the sugar out)
- The overall airline experience with Continental/United…everyone just seems not to know what they are doing…hopefully it’s just a result of the merger and things will improve over time
If you haven’t been to Key West, I highly, I highly recommend it. We just had such a wonderful time and it really feels like a real getaway but with all of the comforts of home (Starbucks! Shopping! Nightlife!) It’s also great because unlike some islands you travel to outside of the US, you feel completely safe walking the streets at night and leaving your resort.
Okay, now to the photos. Here are some of my faves!
In front of our hotel:
The bikes I loved so much….
(I wore the Cynthia Vincent Dress I got on MyHabit.com)
The Bride & Groom:
Wedding FUN:
A little too much fun at the candy buffet with Pixie Stix:
Eggs Benedict from Bagatelle (must-order!!!)
It ain’t a vacation without nude statues:
Hubs on the sunset cruise!
Parasailing Awesomeness!
Birdy…
Our first meal—on the beach—in the $11 dress I had to buy because I had no clothes!
Calling Continental/United Airlines (look at that traumatized look on my face):
Congratulations to the happy couple! Isn’t the bride just gorgeous?!
Tomorrow, I am going to post my outfits from the trip…I know you can see some of them here, but I took specific outfit photos to post because I thought a lot of my readers might enjoy getting an idea of what kinds of items I packed and what I wore the most.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week!
xoxo,
Veronika.
Beautygirl24 says
I am so sorry they lost your luggage! What a nightmare! Every single time I fly, that's the one thing I FEAR MOST! Not the plane going down…nope, just my nice things getting shipped to nowheresville.
On another note, the pictures are gorgeous! What a beautiful wedding 🙂
Anh says
I love that striped blk & white dress!!! You look gorgeous, as always! <3
Mary Ann says
Wow that whole luggage sitch sucks – I'm glad you got it straightened out. Looks like you had a blast – I love the black with white stripes dress!
Anonymous says
Hubby and I went to the Keys for our honeymoon, July 2010. I figured it would be tropical while still in the states. We spent a day in Key West and also ate at Blue Heaven. Loved eating with the chickens! Glad you also had a good time.
Lindsay says
Gahhh that must have been so stressful not having your luggage! Thank god you ended up getting it back!
It looks like you guys had a blast on your trip though – Key West is so much fun! Pretty sure I have a picture of my boyfriend in front of those weird naked statues too haha. And I agree that Bagatelle is a must do for some sort of meal while you're there. 🙂
Melissa says
Looks like so much fun! I need a vacation….
Runblondie26 says
Key West is one of our favorite places in the world for all the reasons you mentioned. We always stay at the Southernmost too 🙂 Glad to hear you had a great time (minus the luggage trauma).
Rachel says
Looks like fun! I love the dress you wore to the wedding, you looked great! Sorry to hear about your luggage! I'm glad they were finally able to get it to you!
natasha {schue love} says
Terrible about Continental! But looks like you both had a great time despite that. Can't wait to see outfit photos!!! 🙂
Bri says
We got married in Key West almost two years ago! Looks like your friends wedding location is where we had our rehearsal dinner. I love Key West, can't wait to go back! Sorry about your luggage, that's never fun to deal with.
JCHokie says
Looks like a lot of fun. LOVE your friend's wedding gown, it's gorgeous!
Mary B-hof says
Glad you had such a blast! My husband and I got married down in Key West almost 5 years ago…it really is a special place!
Pauline says
That sucks about the flights/luggage! How annoying! On a side note, I absolutely love your pink striped top, so cute! Love all your outfits!! Your friends wedding looked great as well 🙂
XO
https://instinctofstyle.blogspot.com
https://www.youtube.com/InstinctofStyle
Rubiiee says
You all look amazing. Congrats to your friends =]
I adore your sun glasses!
Whit says
I love the Keys. I'm going back in February and this made me so excited.
I refuse to check luggage because of stories like this. I'm sorry you had to deal with the stress.
A lesson I learned about flying to the Keys is to utilize the Keys Shuttle. They pick you up at the airport (Fort Lauderdale or Miami) and take you directly to where you are staying and vice versa. You can drink/eat on the shuttle and it wasn't that expensive.
Meredith Paige says
How fun!!
Your hate is adorable! So stinkin' cute!!
https://mplusbdiaries.blogspot.com/
M.R. says
Love all the pics!
can't wait to see the outfits in more detail!
mindofmr.blogspot.com
Ally says
Sorry to hear about your travel woes =( But it looks like such a fun trip. I have never even thought about going there, but this post is making me reconsider! XO
Lindsey A. Turner says
Looks like a good time! You looked gorgeous in that Cynthia Vincent dress!
Lindsey Turner
https://thriftandshout.blogspot.com
Anna Saccone says
These pictures are soooo fun! I love every single one! I am so sorry that they lost your luggage, but thank goodness it got to you eventually — that must have been so upsetting 🙁 And the bride really is beautiful, her dress is amazing! <3
Harleysnhorses says
Love the Keys!! We are going again for Thanksgiving! Do you mind if I ask what company you used for the parasailing? Love all the photos!!
Andi says
Congratulations to the beautiful couple!
Sorry you had such a nightmare with Continental, they pissed me off so badly in 2004 that I vowed to never fly them again. So glad you got your luggage at least. And YAY for Key West! It's one of our favorite places–we did our babymoons there and got engaged there as well, it's like no other place in the US.
Schnelle Couture says
Key West looks gorgeous! I want to go parasailing so bad–my H and I tried to go when we were on vaca but we kept running into roadblocks (not enough wind, it was rainy, etc). I love the dress that you wore to the wedding. You're so lucky you got your luggage back- that would've been a total nightmare!
[email protected] says
@harley—we used FURY adventures
Meg O. says
What a fun time! Love the photos… the one of you and the hubs on the bikes is just too cute. And the one with the naked statues is hilarious because I thought that long arm was YOUR arm. Ha
Harleysnhorses says
Thank you! Counting down the days till we get there and thanks for listing the stores where you bought the dresses! I love shopping there!! Also glad you got your luggage back! We always fly Southwest but found better flights direct into Key West this time and now have to figure out how to pack for 10 days in a carry on! I do not like checking my bags either and don't like having to pay for checked bags when SW is free!!
Courtney@SDB says
My husband and I actually flew to Houston this past weekend for a wedding in The Woodlands. We flew Continental/United and the expierence there was awful! The flight attendants were clueless about loading the plane, all the overhead bins were full before we even got on (we sat in the middle of the plane) which meant we had to check our carry-ons (which held all our valuables), and the flight attendants were so rude. We both said we wouldn't fly them again unless we had to.
Looks like you had a fabulous time though and I'm glad you got your bag back! 🙂
Kate says
I'm glad you had fun! We've lived in FL for over a year now and still haven't made it down to Key West. Definitely wanna get down there!
I always overpack my carryon because I have an irrational fear of losing my checked baggage. I've lost my checked bags before but thankfully it's always been on the way home due to delays/cancellations. Glad you got your suitcase back!
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Elena @ The Art of Making a Baby says
I love Key West! Last time I went, i didn't even take any pictures- just enjoyed the island.
You look wonderful as usual. That dress for the wedding is GORGEOUS!
Jessica says
OMG!!! Without being totally creepy – I wish I had known you were going to the Keys! I live in MIA now and am always going to Key West; I totally would have run in to you, lol. The Southernmost is the very first hotel I stayed at down there and it is very cute. They also have the Casa Marina which is with the Waldorf Astoria and it is super posh. They own a portion of the beach, they have outdoor massage/tiki huts (so cute), and the jet ski rentals are right next door. If you go back and are looking for something a little nicer, defintiely check them out! Anyway, glad you had a great time, Key West is definitely such an awesome place.
[email protected] says
jessica—it would have been SO fun to meet you 🙂 I also love Miami and have been there several times!