Back in October, Kyle and I celebrated our 10-year dating anniversary by sneaking away to the Florida Keys for a few days. It’s pretty well known that I am a BIG believer in celebrating the little moments right alongside the big milestones in life, and 10 years of dating seemed like a perfectly good reason to take a little vacation and knock out two of my hints for a happy marriage: keep dating your spouse + get away.
We hopped a plane to Miami, rented a car and started driving south! I am a big fan of road trips (perfect time to complete the V7 Table Topics, Page 291) and when you toss in a beautiful view out both sides of the cars, I was in hog heaven. After a quick stop for breakfast at a roadside diner, we quickly made our way to Islamorda, and Cheeca Lodge, our home for the next few days.
We arrived at Cheeca Lodge a little before check-in, so we were able to store our bags, grab a glass of complimentary bubbly and get a tour of the property from sweet Charlene, the Director of Catering! We learned that Cheeca has the largest private beach in the Keys and is famous for their 525-foot wooden fishing pier. The thing that both KPW and I noticed right away was how lush and green the property was and how it felt as if we were in some glorious tropical oasis!
After our tour, we headed to the oceanfront Tiki Hut for lunch – the fish tacos were amazing! We have a personal rule to try to eat seafood at every meal when on vacation near an ocean. (I think it’s because we live in the mountains where good seafood is a little harder to come by.)
After our delicious little lunch, we were able to check into our room (more on that in a bit) and we decided to explore the pools (yes, plurual!) and go for a swim. The spa lap pool quickly became our favorite because of the darling personal cabañas complete with individual televisions! Kyle could catch the afternoon World Series game while I lounged in the sun and dug into another e-book.
We couldn’t get over the fact that only a few hours before we had been back home in the chilly fall weather and now we had our toes in the pool, soaking up a few rays and were sipping flavored water. (Note: this was easily the highlight of our stay at Cheeca. I was amazed at all the different options of infused water. A few of my favorites included pineapple and basil, strawberry and orange, and grapefruit and mint)
After an afternoon at the pool it was time to make plans for supper. While we decided to try a restaurant off property, we could have easily dined at Atlantic’s Edge, Limoncello and Nikai Sushi – all three had amazing menus and were right downstairs from our room!
Speaking of our room, gracious me, I think I could have moved in (our room was 840 square feet – the largest rooms in the Florida Keys)! We had a great view of the golf-course and I fell in love with the bathroom sinks. The décor was luxurious and the beds were oh-so-comfy.
The next morning after an amazing breakfast at the French bakery right up the road (email me and I will share more details) we rented bikes and explored the property. I spent the whole time giggling because I don’t think I’ve ridden a non-stationary bike since high school!
Remember that 525-pier I mentioned earlier? Well I somehow convinced KPW it would be fun to jump off the end and go swimming in the ocean for the afternoon!
Because this trip happened in the middle of our busy season, we were perfectly content going to explore the pool again after our ocean adventure. For those who are looking for a bit more entertainment, there was plenty to do at Cheeca. They offered a ton of water sports, fishing charters, and boat cruises! I wish I had taken advantage of their fitness offerings or the spa – the yoga on the beach, 9-hole golf course or tennis – but didn’t get the chance.
We spent the rest of time at Cheeca floating between the beachfront and the pools, eating as much seafood as we could manage before loading up the car and heading further south to Key West. I have to say that the drive (including the famous 7-mile bridge) was a highpoint of our trip.
My other favorite part was that we experienced such a tropical vacation without having to leave the US. It felt as if we were in another country, and all we did was take a quick plane trip without having to hustle through customs! I would definitely recommend the Florida Keys for anyone looking for a tropic getaway without the hassle (or expense) of international travel. Of course, it would also be quite a lovely backdrop for a destination wedding. I can only imagine how beautiful it would be to have a reception on the 525-foot pier or in the sand along the beachfront!
And clearly, I loved spending time with KPW, reminiscing on the last 10 years and all the things that we had experienced together. It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the day to day, and lose track of time, so I was very grateful for the chance to get away for a few days.
I would love to hear how you celebrate anniversary or special occasions! Any tips or favorite places in the South where you have gone on a getaway recently?
PS: Cheeca Lodge has a sister hotel – The Marker – opening in December in Key West! KPW and I walked by while we were exploring the greater Key West area. It looked amazing and oh-so-Southern – I am already trying to convince him that we need to check it out soon, especially since they are calling for snow here this weekend!!
ah! these pictures have me itching for a tropical vacation now!