Beautiful views, awesome adventures, and a Foodies dream location!

 

10 years…10 YEARS! Where does the time go?! I venture to say that most couples story is the same. The first 10 years of marriage are filled with the newly wed phase followed shortly by the newborn phase. Newborn phase is exciting and exhausting all in one quick poof and then it’s on to toddler phase...shew can you keep up?! Afterwards, In our case rinse and repeat. Before you know it 10 YEARS have come and gone. Sayonara my friend!

 

NEWS: Did you know I'm starting a blog so I can share more adventures and “stuff” with you?! I'm excited because I will have many more appealing ways to share pictures and content with you! In the meantime though we are going to have to hang together here in email :) So a few things to know…

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A couple of reasons…

 

 

 

Was it the trip you had hoped for? Will you be going back?

 

1,000% YES!!! Josh and I had a blast. It honestly blew our Dominican Republic honeymoon out of the water. It had all the great views of the Caribbean Islands, every adventure that we did was phenomenal, and then the food was just BEYOND! We joke that this is the trip we gained 10 lbs on! No regrets here ;p

 

 

We stayed at The Postcard Inn Resort which is 1 of 4 resorts in the Islamorada Resort Collection. My favorite aspect of this is that they have a free shuttle service that will take you between the 4 resorts and to local restaurants and attractions. While we didn’t take advantage of exploring the other resorts, why leave our own paradise, we did use the shuttle every afternoon to try the local eateries. The FOOD oh my! Ok wait…I’m getting ahead of myself back to the resort, for now ;p

 

I do recommend The Postcard Inn for the following reasons…

 

While having the food on site is very nice especially for day light fare options. I recommend planning your dinners at some of the local restaurants. Take in some more sights and see the beautiful sunsets over the bay! Especially since you have the free shuttle and don’t have to worry about transportation. Enjoy a few or many tropical drinks ;) No judgement here!

 

 

 

This adventure was my husband’s one and only planning task!  He is on ALL OF THE fishing threads, and I knew this was his THING. Josh did a spectacular job…Captain Rich of R-U-Fishing Yet was our back country fishing guide. Capt. Rich was born and raised in the Keys and was very knowledgeable and put us on the fish.

 

Our goal was to catch the prized Florida tarpon. Sadly, we did come short on this goal. If you are a fisher, you know sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate. A shift and increase in the wind through the fish for a loop. The good news was we were not skunked, yay! We caught a grouper, 2 snappers, many jack crevalle, and a nurse shark. We had fun chasing a few tarpons, but alas we couldn’t bring one into the boat. As the saying goes…that’s why they call it fishing and not catching, right?!

 

It was a beautiful day on the water, we had fun, and we learned a ton from Capt. Rich on fishing in the Florida Keys.

 

Now there is an overwhelming amount of fish charters in Islamorada. If you are wanting to experience fishing or a boat ride into the crystal blue waters, here are my Tips…

 

 

 

 

Another great aspect of our resort was that Theatre of the Sea was our neighbor, walking distance! Theatre of the Sea is a marine mammal park with dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, fish, sharks, stingrays, alligators, and parrots. The park showcases the animals’ special talents and gives informational dialogs about each set of animals’ special care.

 

My Tips for getting the most out of this adventure…

 

 

 

 

 

We chose to drive north 25 mins to Key Largo to go out on this expedition.  John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is home to the only living coral barrier reef in the North America. The crystal blue water, the brightly colored coral reef, and the many varieties of exotic fish made this trip unforgettable! I have snorkeled in Cozumel, Cancun, and the Dominican Republic prior to this trip and I think this might be my favorite snorkeling trip thus far. I would say the biggest difference was the coral reef colors and how close you are to the reef and fish.

 

We got caught swimming a few times surrounded in schools of fish. The different varieties of parrot fish and blue tangs. That’s right all of Dory’s people were there. That honestly is the best way I could describe it…it was like watching Nemo and Marlin at home on their reef in person! How cool is that?!  We even saw that pesky ole barracuda that got his mom and siblings, sad :(

 

Needless to say, the 2 ½ hour trip (1- 1 ½ hr water time) was NOT long enough!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ate some SERIOUSLY amazing food while in town! We left wishing we had more nights to try out other restaurants.

 

 

Our favorite SEAFOOD option.

 

ENVIRONMENT…From the moment we got there I just loved the atmosphere. It felt like a local’s spot but not a spot where tourist weren’t welcomed. You know those moments when you open the door and everyone turns around and looks at you..oops! No, this place was very welcoming with its open air seating, with spectacular views of the bay. Insider Tip…If you want a good sunset, you have to find a location on the bay! Thankfully Islamorada has plenty of food establishments waiting for that perfect sunset view!

 

DRINKS…Ok so view check, music playing in the background check, drink in my hand checkity check! I got a fresh margarita here and it was so refreshing. See don’t I just looked refreshed!

 

FOOD…To get the food train rolling we got the peppercorn crusted tuna for an appetizer. It was lightly seared and drizzled with a soy reduction, wasabi cream, and sriracha sauce. BASICALLY, It was a spicy fiesta in my mouth… SOOO good!

 

For our main course welllll we cheated a little bit ;) We caught some fresh grouper and snapper on our fishing expedition earlier in the day and brought it for the chef to fix up for us. Man did he deliver! We requested it to be blackened and grilled. It was the perfect blend of spices and cooked to the perfect tenderness. Your fresh catch comes with fries and a heaping helping of slaw. We eat a lot of fish and honestly this is some of the best fish we ever had. Seriously 5 out of 5!

 

 

Our favorite ALL the MEATS location!

 

We ended up here by chance. Our shuttles track didn’t reach out to our chosen destination. So on the whim we decided to go with Hog Heaven. It ended up being one of our favorite restaurants, no joke!

 

ENVIRONMENT… A biker bar type but very welcoming to all. This was an ocean front place so not expectations of that majestic sunset however they have an outside bar and covered dock looking out of a small passage of water that gives off a great vibe.

 

DRINKS…Local beer felt right at this location. Islamorada has two local breweries: Islamorada Beer Co and Florida Keys Brewing Co. Both have good options for all. We actually kept with the theme and went to Islamorada Beer Co after leaving Hog Heaven. If you are looking for a good light beer, ya know maybe what some would call a more girly beer ;), try Coconut Key Lime Beer…sooo good! Ok…back to the food!

 

FOOD…The first thing that caught our eyes were the brisket deviled eggs. Ummm wow! All the great flavor of traditional southern deviled eggs and then topped with spot on’ smoked brisket. Wow my husband and I were savoring EVERY last bite!

 

With the first app being a home run we went for a second app. Pig candy. Pork belly flash fried and tossed in a sweet molasses sauce. I know I have lost some of you, I get it, but it really was an interesting mix and I would get it again. It was rich and heavy though. I had planned to get wings afterwards but felt like I needed something a bit lighter for my main course.

 

I went with the shrimp and blue crab bisque. WOW…I was not expecting this level of bisque in Florida. On a trip to Martha’s Vineyard a few years back I got the best lobster bisque in the world, IMO. Hog Heaven is trying to vie for this award! I was so full and I couldn’t stop! Can’t stop, won’t stop…eh eh! 

 

Josh got the blackened mahi tacos…I think? I’m going to be honest I was so into my bisque I didn’t even try his tacos…if that was in fact what he had ;)

 

We left this place saying we could easily come back another night and try many of their other tasty dishes. Sadly, there were no more nights for stuffing our bellies!

 

 

I could go on and go on about the different places we ate. If you are interested in more food suggestions let me know I will be happy to create an Islamorada FOODIE edition!

 

 

I think our biggest takeaway was that we don’t have to go out of the country to have a Caribbean like adventure! A short flight to a tropical destination, no customs, who could ask for more! We hope to go back soon AND take the kids!

 

 

I’m a middle of the road type of traveler. I’m willing to pay for accommodations in a good location with a good view as long as it doesn’t break the bank.

 

Transportation- We got a good deal on our flight and car rental. As we booked before the end of the pandemic and before gas prices skyrocketed.

 

The adventures were not overpriced, though keep in mind to go on a fishing charter anywhere will typically cost you hundreds of dollars. It’s a full day’s work for the captain and gas and boat maintenance doesn’t come cheap.

 

Food & Beverages- we probably splurged a bit here. That is the difference in this US location vs a Caribbean island…no all-inclusive. Food prices were elevated as you would expect in any tourist location, but we felt satisfied in the fact that the food was worth the price! As far as beverages, what can I say it was a special occasion, we didn’t have our kiddos, and we had free safe transportation…can you blame us?!

 

It is hard to put a price tag on a trip because there are so many factors and we all choose to spend and save differently. I WILL SAY this can be a cheap trip for you if you need it to be even with the awesome resort option. Click the links, make your budget, and plan ahead! Don't wait for tomorrow…

 

I have enjoyed going through this trips details with you. If you would like to get to know one another better and hear about more adventures in the future please click ‘Join in the Party’ below. I would love to have you traveling this path with me!

 

Until the next adventure,