Hey friend!
You might have seen over on Instagram that Pierce, my parents and I just got back from the Florida Keys! We were in Key Largo which is one of the first of the Florida Keys! I wanted to share a little recap from our incredible trip!
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First, can I just say that traveling with your parents as an adult is just the absolute BEST!! My parents and I have always been close and they gave my younger siblings and I the travel bug a long time ago! This was the first family vacation Pierce got to go on with us which is insane to me because my parents love to travel! But with 2020 being a no travel year and with all the travel Pierce and I have been doing on our own, we just really haven’t had the time!
We planned this trip earlier this year when Pierce and I couldn’t go on spring break with my sister because the dates didn’t line up. We still wanted to get away and for my birthday, my parents invited Pierce on this trip with us which ended up being the absolute best. It was nice to have that same one on one time with just my parents and Pierce and it gave my sister that same one on one time with my parents on her trip!
Being the oldest of four kids, I hardly, if ever, get my parents full undivided attention. I love my siblings and didn’t even realize I was missing this special one on one time until I got it! It was really special but we defitnely missed my brothers and sister.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Play Largo resort which is a Mariott Autograph Collection property and located in Key Largo.
We stayed in one of these little villas I am standing in front of in this above photo. It was so nice because it had a little kitchen and living area we used to make drinks and apps to bring to the pool.
We knew this trip we wanted to just relax and lay low. My dad chose this resort because of all the amenities we could do and just really hang out here. The rooms were amazing and it was nice having the little secluceded villa. It was off the beaten path and a very quick walk to the beach and main resort area.
Where We Played
We knew we still wanted to do a few activities (more on that later) while we were here! The resort was great because we were able to do lots of things without having to leave and had great amenities right onsite.
PICKLEBALL
My family is addicted to pickleball. They have been playing in our backyard for ten years! Now that its taken off, we have been finding it more at hotels! My dad said his new requirement for booking a stay at a hotel is a pickleball court haha.
It was nice to be able to play and Pierce and I have been playing a lot in Texas! We played almost every day we were there and usually played a full set, so three games. My parents were all in on it they even said they wished they brought their own paddles haha. It was a really fun way to break up the afternoons and get some exercise in between all the eating and drinking.
SAILING
The hotel beach had a lot of rentals you could do which was nice! Everything from paddleboarding, kayaking, parasailing and sail rentals. My dad loves to sail and we were able to rent this little Hoobie sailboat for the four of us to take out for a few hours and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip!
We had great wind and were just flying across the water. Sailing is one of my favorite things and I just love being out on the water like this!
SNORKELING
My parents are big snorkelers and always love to get out and have a little day trip. We rented a boat for the day and took that out for snorkeling. We went through a private charter, but if we were to do it again, we would do it through the hotel and just take the small group charter on the sailboat! It was more covienent. We had a great time though and the coral reefs in the keys are incredible! They do a great job of preserving them.
POOLSIDE
This pool!!! We spent hours and hours lounging in and beside this pool. The tempeture was I am not kidding 92 degrees. It was like a mini hot tub and was incredible! My mom is so picky about pool tempeture and we all never left the pool. It was also a zero entry pool so you could just walk right into the pool and lounge!
Flordia Keys Traditions
The Flordia Keys are a unique place! They have all these little traditions and cute things that they do! It’s just a quirky place!
The Key’s love to celebrate the sunset everynight. The celebration varries depending on where you are but at Playa Largo, it’s called Evantide! There’s always a special drink (and they give you a few free drink tickets) and you can write your wishes on paper and toss it in the fire they set out to sea.
It’s really fun they have live music and its always really cute! We went everynight and it was nice to sit on the beach and watch the sunset before dinner!
Where We Ate
Each night, we ate at the Play Largo resturant Sol by the Sea. I always got some sort of fish I love fresh fish on vacation! We got a waterfront table and were able to continue watching the sunset after it went down! It was so beautiful everynight.
The Florida Keys isn’t super fancy in fact, they are much more dive bar shack type of vibes. One day for lunch, we ate at a little shack and all got baskets of fish or sandwhiches and it was outstanding! Definitely check out the local flare!
Traveling with Dave
I said we chose this trip because we wanted to relax, but my dad can’t sit still. He is the literal enegizeer bunny and his famous phrase is “what’s our next activity?”
I absolutely love it because as much as I love good pool time, it’s nice to be able to go out and do things! I had to share my dad’s best travel tips though because he really is the travel master!
These are his travel must haves!
Always bring an inflatable pool floatie: This is so funny but the best $4 you’ll ever spend. He’s been doing htis my whole life. Don’t underestimate the fun had with a cheap inflatable innertube in the pool and ocean! We all always wanted to lounge around in the tube and had to take turns. Next time, I’d bring two haha. We always give it away to another traveling family usually with young kids to enjoy when we leave!
Always bring a ball: My dads silicone ball that skips across the water just lives in his travel bag permantley. He always has it! Pierce and my dad spent so much time in the ocean and pool tossing the ball back and forth and skipping it across the water!
Always have a collapsible cooler: My mom got this cooler recently and it was so helpful! It packs super small and we brought our own drinks to the pool everyday vs having to run back to the room or go to the pool bar. It saved so much money and was such a lightweight space saver! My mom also brought a little no space beach bag and that was such a game changer for us too because it took up no space in her bag!
I just loved this trip! It was so needed we all came back so refreshed and recharged and I was seriously sad to leave! I love traveling with my parents and bringing Pierce along was just the best thing ever. I love the relationship he is building more and more with my parents and it just makes me so excited for our lives together and future family vacations to come!
xoxo,
Zoe