Going to Florida Keys
Discussion
As per thread title, my wife and I are off to the Florida keys (Islamorada) at the end of the month. We are flying into Miami International and picking up a rental to drive down to the hotel.
I have seen on another thread that there are toll roads around Miami. Is there a 'best way' to pay for these. Cash? Card at the toll booth? Special deal with the car hirer (Budget Car Hire)? The thread I saw was a bit confusing so some measure of clarity would be great! We plan to drive to the Everglades and right down to the bottom of the keys and I have no idea where toll roads might be, or even how much they cost.
If anyone has been recently, how the infrastructure looking after Hurricane Ian? I hear the Keys seem to have missed the worst of the devastation.
Any pointers would be welcomed. Cheers!
I have seen on another thread that there are toll roads around Miami. Is there a 'best way' to pay for these. Cash? Card at the toll booth? Special deal with the car hirer (Budget Car Hire)? The thread I saw was a bit confusing so some measure of clarity would be great! We plan to drive to the Everglades and right down to the bottom of the keys and I have no idea where toll roads might be, or even how much they cost.
If anyone has been recently, how the infrastructure looking after Hurricane Ian? I hear the Keys seem to have missed the worst of the devastation.
Any pointers would be welcomed. Cheers!
https://www.sunpass.com/en/tolls/tollsSunPass.shtm...
All tollways have license plate recognition - easiest way is to pay the tolls via the rental car company after you've handed it back - and suck-up the $20 admin fee.
All tollways have license plate recognition - easiest way is to pay the tolls via the rental car company after you've handed it back - and suck-up the $20 admin fee.
Forgot to ask about the vaccination and testing for Covid rules. The US site seems to suggest that you are recommended to test after you arrive. Any experience on whether this is ever checked or enforced. Could we take our own testing kit or does one have to buy there? I am fully vaccinated (x4) and wife is vaccinated x 3. I am pretty sure that is what is needed for entry.
Thanks for any info on this.
JM
Thanks for any info on this.
JM
Great place for a holiday - one thing I would say is that in my experience the police like to hide behind bushes and catch you rolling through stop signs even in the most remote of uninhabited lanes.
I would advise that you stop - count to five, then proceed. If you do get pulled - DO NOT go to get out of the car - you will get screamed at and make a policeman with his hand on his holster very anxious.
If you ignore all of the above you may come out of it with a recommendation for a good steak restaurant and have a conversation about his relatives who live in Northampton once he's established you're a Brit on vacation. But you'll be quite anxious for a while...
I would advise that you stop - count to five, then proceed. If you do get pulled - DO NOT go to get out of the car - you will get screamed at and make a policeman with his hand on his holster very anxious.
If you ignore all of the above you may come out of it with a recommendation for a good steak restaurant and have a conversation about his relatives who live in Northampton once he's established you're a Brit on vacation. But you'll be quite anxious for a while...
Johnniem said:
Forgot to ask about the vaccination and testing for Covid rules. The US site seems to suggest that you are recommended to test after you arrive. Any experience on whether this is ever checked or enforced. Could we take our own testing kit or does one have to buy there? I am fully vaccinated (x4) and wife is vaccinated x 3. I am pretty sure that is what is needed for entry.
Thanks for any info on this.
JM
Back from the US yesterday (Colorado/LA), fights were with BA and we had to provide electronic evidence of being vaccinated ahead of our flight out (uploading to BA's site). There were no additional checks for the outbound flight (Heathrow) but we did take printed evidence of vaccinations.Thanks for any info on this.
JM
No testing was required upon arrival, any time during our stay or ahead of travelling back to the UK. No masks on the plane or in Colorado or LA, we also flew from Colorado to LA and again there were no questions/issues with this internal flight.
Other than seeing the odd person in airports or on the plane in a mask you would be hard pushed to think Covid even happened.
NB - Don't forget your ESTA's
First time in the keys? It's not what I imagined down there at the top end in key largo but when you get to about where you are it starts to turn into the True Lies scenes lol.
I'd probably go back and stay a bit further down where you are going, I did some brilliant beaches;
-Sombrero beach nice, I was fishing (Pointless in the middle of the day but nothing better to do) and a big black thing passed by...I shat myself thinking it was a shark but it was a Manatee, absolutely wonderful
-Then later on a waterspout appeared out at sea
-Took a walk onto cocoa plum (near Bonefish Bay motel), easy to see why its named this, I was taking a paddle stroll on the rising tide and a shoal of bonefish were coming towards me, again brown swim short moment...completely harmless but they were faking huge, I thought it was my eyes playing tricks
-Key West is ok for a day out but very Yanky land, you get some nice authentic KW houses in the old parts with nice artists etc.
Food, You will have a lot of decent seafood options but for US comfort food get to Mrs Macks at Key largo, the Key Lime was lovely.
I'd try and get to Biscayne bay (for a round of golf) next time if we went and explore a bit more of the off beaten track.
I've been through tolls a few years ago and paid with money but all change now days it appears.
I think you can buy the sunpasses in supermarkets/chemists?
I'd probably go back and stay a bit further down where you are going, I did some brilliant beaches;
-Sombrero beach nice, I was fishing (Pointless in the middle of the day but nothing better to do) and a big black thing passed by...I shat myself thinking it was a shark but it was a Manatee, absolutely wonderful
-Then later on a waterspout appeared out at sea
-Took a walk onto cocoa plum (near Bonefish Bay motel), easy to see why its named this, I was taking a paddle stroll on the rising tide and a shoal of bonefish were coming towards me, again brown swim short moment...completely harmless but they were faking huge, I thought it was my eyes playing tricks
-Key West is ok for a day out but very Yanky land, you get some nice authentic KW houses in the old parts with nice artists etc.
Food, You will have a lot of decent seafood options but for US comfort food get to Mrs Macks at Key largo, the Key Lime was lovely.
I'd try and get to Biscayne bay (for a round of golf) next time if we went and explore a bit more of the off beaten track.
I've been through tolls a few years ago and paid with money but all change now days it appears.
I think you can buy the sunpasses in supermarkets/chemists?
Schooners bar if Michael Mcleod is playing, and you can get a hold of his album Gretas Tits, but nice to sit and listen to him and enjoy a beer.
Other than that I didn't find the Keys left that much of an impression on me, I enjoyed the Tamiami trail and fanboats etc back on the mainland, quite a nice Cuban restaurant somewhere around the, Smallwoods shop? obviously this isn't the Keys.
Actually I lie, I enjoyed a nice drink at Ziggy and Mad Dogs, but it was very 90's America in there, in everywhere, friendly enough, didn't eat, but food smelt good.
Other than that I didn't find the Keys left that much of an impression on me, I enjoyed the Tamiami trail and fanboats etc back on the mainland, quite a nice Cuban restaurant somewhere around the, Smallwoods shop? obviously this isn't the Keys.
Actually I lie, I enjoyed a nice drink at Ziggy and Mad Dogs, but it was very 90's America in there, in everywhere, friendly enough, didn't eat, but food smelt good.
We are just back from a trip to Marco Island having flown into Miami.
1) We used Alamo, and they just bill your credit card after you return it with any toll charges (plus admin). It means you can use the Sunpass lane without any hassle. I suspect most car rental companies have a similar agreement.
2) In terms of vaccination, you upload your vaccination documents to the BA website prior to departure, but we were asked for a paper copy at check in. The only requirement is for two doses of the primary vaccines, you do not need a booster. No requirement for testing or masks on the flights or when we got there, in fact it was barely mentioned in all the time we were there.
3) Miami immigration was a shambles when we were there, so be prepared for a wait.
4) When you leave the rental car facility it takes a while for your sat nav to catch up as you exit the concrete building. It's helpful to have a rough idea of the turns you need to take as you immediately leave the facility as it can be quite confusing. Waze works really well. Have you sorted roaming for your phone?
5) Driving down to the keys is a sedate affair as the speed limits are low and there are a LOT of police. I smiled when I read the earlier comment about not getting out your car when stopped by the police...I've been going to Florida for 20 years without incident and I'm really comfortable driving there, but when I arrived last month I had been on the go for 24 hours and was so tired on the two hour drive to Marco in the dark and torrential rain. I turned in (on red) to the first McDonalds when we hit Naples, and was pulled by the police as I had missed the no turn on red sign. I was so tired and confused I got out the car, only to be told over a loud hailer in no uncertain terms to get back in the car. The officer was really friendly, welcomed me to America, checked my documents and told me to get some food!
You will love it.
1) We used Alamo, and they just bill your credit card after you return it with any toll charges (plus admin). It means you can use the Sunpass lane without any hassle. I suspect most car rental companies have a similar agreement.
2) In terms of vaccination, you upload your vaccination documents to the BA website prior to departure, but we were asked for a paper copy at check in. The only requirement is for two doses of the primary vaccines, you do not need a booster. No requirement for testing or masks on the flights or when we got there, in fact it was barely mentioned in all the time we were there.
3) Miami immigration was a shambles when we were there, so be prepared for a wait.
4) When you leave the rental car facility it takes a while for your sat nav to catch up as you exit the concrete building. It's helpful to have a rough idea of the turns you need to take as you immediately leave the facility as it can be quite confusing. Waze works really well. Have you sorted roaming for your phone?
5) Driving down to the keys is a sedate affair as the speed limits are low and there are a LOT of police. I smiled when I read the earlier comment about not getting out your car when stopped by the police...I've been going to Florida for 20 years without incident and I'm really comfortable driving there, but when I arrived last month I had been on the go for 24 hours and was so tired on the two hour drive to Marco in the dark and torrential rain. I turned in (on red) to the first McDonalds when we hit Naples, and was pulled by the police as I had missed the no turn on red sign. I was so tired and confused I got out the car, only to be told over a loud hailer in no uncertain terms to get back in the car. The officer was really friendly, welcomed me to America, checked my documents and told me to get some food!
You will love it.
Edited by tim0409 on Tuesday 11th October 21:24
fourstardan said:
Never noticed many coppers before when in the US, is this new?
I don’t think it’s new, they seem to have far more than we do. The level of boredom required for them to enforce something as utterly pointless as 90% of stop signs is presumably a small town thing though. When you pick up your hire car just take the Sunpass option at that point. They'll just add what you use to the bill and it's cheap as chips. My bill is usually around 20 USD per month and most of the main roads around Miami are toll roads.
Most of the police cars you'll see driving down the keys will be parked at the side of the road. Notice the grass under them is a lot longer than around them, they park old cars at the side of the road to slow you down and it works.
As for stop signs, just don't be obviously rolling through them, especially four way stops. If you apply average UK driving standards in Miami and the keys you'll be driving way better than most people over here.
Pierre's restaurant on Islamorada is really good, go for the sunset. It's coming into season so you'll probably need to book.
Definitely try and drive down to Key West and make a few stops on the way. It's a slow drive but well worth it, some of the views are fantastic.
Most of the police cars you'll see driving down the keys will be parked at the side of the road. Notice the grass under them is a lot longer than around them, they park old cars at the side of the road to slow you down and it works.
As for stop signs, just don't be obviously rolling through them, especially four way stops. If you apply average UK driving standards in Miami and the keys you'll be driving way better than most people over here.
Pierre's restaurant on Islamorada is really good, go for the sunset. It's coming into season so you'll probably need to book.
Definitely try and drive down to Key West and make a few stops on the way. It's a slow drive but well worth it, some of the views are fantastic.
Been to the keys a few times this year (fishing freak) and just spoke to a friend there the other day. Only Key West took any significant damage from Ian. The upper keys are fine.
Re tolls - the rental companies have a cap on them for how much they can charge both per day and for the whole period of rental, its sub $20 so just don't worry about tolls (unless of course $20 might be £50 by the time you get there!)
Lots of huge Iguanas everywhere in Islamorada, especially by the road. A fun place to have lunch is the Islamorada fish company which is part of the Bass Pro shop there (now called outdoors world) they have a safe haven for huge tarpon next to the restaurant and you will see folks feeding them, which is pretty cool.
If it's your first time in the keys there are a few things to note -
Everything is a little more "manyana" than the rest of the US, sometimes a little too relaxed for some.
Don't expect posh places to eat anywhere apart from key west. (lots of great food, just don't judge a book by it's cover)
Not sure if you plan on renting a boat or not, but it would be a real shame not to for a day at least.
John pennekamp state park is an amazing facility where you can swim, snorkel, walk or just find a quiet place to chill out with loads of parking, well worth half a day at least.
You will see dozens of police cruisers on the side and middle of the road. None of them will contain police.
Allow a decent amount of time for your return journey because depending on the time of day, it can get very busy on the way out.
If Budget has a "skip the counter" option, use it because it will avoid significant pain at MIA.
Re tolls - the rental companies have a cap on them for how much they can charge both per day and for the whole period of rental, its sub $20 so just don't worry about tolls (unless of course $20 might be £50 by the time you get there!)
Lots of huge Iguanas everywhere in Islamorada, especially by the road. A fun place to have lunch is the Islamorada fish company which is part of the Bass Pro shop there (now called outdoors world) they have a safe haven for huge tarpon next to the restaurant and you will see folks feeding them, which is pretty cool.
If it's your first time in the keys there are a few things to note -
Everything is a little more "manyana" than the rest of the US, sometimes a little too relaxed for some.
Don't expect posh places to eat anywhere apart from key west. (lots of great food, just don't judge a book by it's cover)
Not sure if you plan on renting a boat or not, but it would be a real shame not to for a day at least.
John pennekamp state park is an amazing facility where you can swim, snorkel, walk or just find a quiet place to chill out with loads of parking, well worth half a day at least.
You will see dozens of police cruisers on the side and middle of the road. None of them will contain police.
Allow a decent amount of time for your return journey because depending on the time of day, it can get very busy on the way out.
If Budget has a "skip the counter" option, use it because it will avoid significant pain at MIA.
Well there is a veritable PH mine of information out there! Thank you all so much. I will be able to wow my wife with general knowledge on where to eat, where to see fish feeding, parks to relax in and the empty cop cars by the side of the road. So much appreciated y'all (sorry!).
I knew I could rely on you lot.
I knew I could rely on you lot.
Johnniem said:
As per thread title, my wife and I are off to the Florida keys (Islamorada) at the end of the month. We are flying into Miami International and picking up a rental to drive down to the hotel.
I have seen on another thread that there are toll roads around Miami. Is there a 'best way' to pay for these. Cash? Card at the toll booth? Special deal with the car hirer (Budget Car Hire)? The thread I saw was a bit confusing so some measure of clarity would be great! We plan to drive to the Everglades and right down to the bottom of the keys and I have no idea where toll roads might be, or even how much they cost.
If anyone has been recently, how the infrastructure looking after Hurricane Ian? I hear the Keys seem to have missed the worst of the devastation.
Any pointers would be welcomed. Cheers!
Myself and Mrs Bakerstreet went in 2007 and I loved it there. OUr hotel was at around mile marker 88 and had an in house dive centre. Very relaxed and great weather.....However, we were told we had to leave our hotel room on two hours notice because of Hurricane Dennis. Took about 7 hours to drive back to Miami. I have seen on another thread that there are toll roads around Miami. Is there a 'best way' to pay for these. Cash? Card at the toll booth? Special deal with the car hirer (Budget Car Hire)? The thread I saw was a bit confusing so some measure of clarity would be great! We plan to drive to the Everglades and right down to the bottom of the keys and I have no idea where toll roads might be, or even how much they cost.
If anyone has been recently, how the infrastructure looking after Hurricane Ian? I hear the Keys seem to have missed the worst of the devastation.
Any pointers would be welcomed. Cheers!
Went out with them a few times and did the Coastguard Cutter and an old containership whoes name escapes me. Warmest water I have ever dived in at 29C and it was lovely.
We were booked to dive the Spiegel Grove (USN Medical Ship), but the Hurricane put an end to that and I was annoyed about that as I still consider it a once a lifetime missed opportunity.
Sorry I can't offer more insight, but its one of the few places that I would happily return to.
tim0409 said:
fourstardan said:
Never noticed many coppers before when in the US, is this new?
There have always been a load more than you would expect in the UK in the 20 years I've been going; the road down to the Keys from Miami is particularly well policed.LunarOne said:
I went to visit my aunt in the U.S. in May for two weeks and had a hire car for the duration of my stay, travelling entirely in New Jersey and New York state, with a couple of days spent driving in and around New York City. For some reason my hire car had Tennessee licence plates which I was told by my cousin would almost guarantee I'd get pulled over - possibly multiple times. Yet during the whole trip, I only saw police officers three times - at JFK airport, directing traffic around a closed road in NYC, and outside a local police HQ which is located near my aunt's residence in northern NJ. I briefly spoke to the officer in NYC to ask whether my intended destination was inside the closure zone (it wasn't) but I didn't see police cars patrolling, or parked up to catch people speeding. You might say that most of the time I was in a fairly suburban area, but some bits of NJ that I visited were pretty low rent by my standards, with lots of crappy cars, trucks, broken windows and graffiti everywhere. And I still didn't see any cops there, nor did I feel threatened by any locals. I wouldn't worry at all.
Edited by LunarOne on Wednesday 12th October 11:44
When you first get on to the Keys there's a tourist information place on the right hand side of the road, worth popping in to.
As you arrive on Islamorada, there's a place called Robbies (first right hand turn after you get off the bridge), where you can feed fish (huge Tarpon I think) and Pelicans, hire boats and kayaks etc. Good fun.
As you arrive on Islamorada, there's a place called Robbies (first right hand turn after you get off the bridge), where you can feed fish (huge Tarpon I think) and Pelicans, hire boats and kayaks etc. Good fun.
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