Eclectic Trips

The scenery at Islamorada

There is not a whole lot to do in Islamorada, which sometimes turns out to be a really good thing.

We came here for the weekend, just to get away and relax. Relax we did -we were in bed by 10 pm every evening. The first day we visited the famous Robbie’s marina, a place hard to categorize or describe. Yes, it is a marina, but it is so much more than that. For instance- you can feed tarpon of the pier here. The tarpon is huge and kinda scary. There are pelicans and other exotic birds flying by and hanging out all around, making all kinds of bird noises. I am such a city dweller, that all of this simple wild life was a huge source of excitement and excessive picture taking. After the trip, I discovered an unreasonable amount of pelican pictures on my camera. At the entrance there is an outdoor market with some very random goodies- of course the kitschy objects made out of shells, old marine ropes and pieces of old boats. Also the various tourist desired loot- sunglasses and hats and  bathing suits. I always find it slightly strange that those things are sold in such abundance. I personally have a habit of packing a bathing suit and some sunglasses with me when I go on vacays that involve sun and swim. Do people simply not posses these items, or do they feel the desire for some new ones the instant they arrive at their getaway destinations… I wonder…

There is small restaurant/shack by the water called The Hungry Tarpon that serves average seafood in styrofoam. We heard rave reviews about this place but weren’t particularly impressed. Very heavy creamy seafood chowder of some sort, felt like it was seriously clogging my arteries as I was eating it, and a mediocre fish sandwich- not bad, but not great either. Eating here however fit very well thematically with the whole Robbie’s marina experience. Sitting outside with really rowdy very sunburned people, drinking Key West ale- it was all kinda perfect.

My favorite and absolutely magical place on Islamorada is Morada Bay cafe. It’s part of the exclusive and gorgeous Moorings village, a large and very beautiful waterfront property with lovely vacation home rentals. They have truly outdone themselves in creating a very unique atmosphere here complete with tiki torches, colorful tables set far apart from each other directly on the beach, live music in the evenings and really incredible island food. It’s pretty pricey, especially for a place with the word “cafe” in the title. The seafood is super fresh- just caught in fact, and the dishes are creative and light. They have great specials with seasonal ingredients, and great desserts. But the real draw here are the absolutely spectacular sunsets that last for hours. Starting with the iridescent golden hour, the shades of the sky change from  peach and pink to crimson red and almost purple. It really is a breathtakingly beautiful view, especially after a few of their house made bloody marys. The crowd here is totally eclectic, from locals and Miami weekend visitors, to low key vacationers, all types and ages.

The second day we went to Founders Park. There was supposed to be a fee at the entrance, but no one was there minding the booth. We drove in and saw a virtually empty parking lot, and wondered if the park was closed. There was also no one on the beach renting chairs and catamarans…they were lonelily stacked by the water. When we walked out on the beach, another couple was  there, but soon they left and we were completely alone on the beach for over an hour… It was very lovely and slightly strange experience to be on a deserted public beach in the Keys on a Sunday, but who were we to argue. Beaches in the keys are nothing to write home about. The water is shallow mostly, and the sand is brought in and is grey and rough. But there are beautiful lush Mangroves all around, and a certain serenity there that is quite lovely. I think we got randomly  lucky that day, and the small beach at Founder’s Park was just perfect for us, serene and very romantic.

The heart bench at Marker 88

In the evening we went to Marker 88  for dinner. The place is a bit out of date with their wicker white chairs that are looking a bit gray nowdays, and the waitresses that have been working here for a very, very long time. Marker 88 is also on the sunset side so you can catch pretty spectacular sunset here. The food was a bit generic, but good. My fish sandwich was perfect for what it was and the mashed potatoes were super fluffy.  I fell so in love with Morada Bay the night before, that I was very hard to impress that night, but all in all Marker 88 is a good place to eat in Islamorada. 

Like I said, there is not much to do in Islamorada, which was exactly what we needed to do that particular weekend.

Sandals on the beach

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