Florida Keys

[TXRVCouple]

Hey there. We are headed to the Keys in July. Any suggestions on where a good full hook up site is? I'm looking for opinions on those who have stayed there. Any must do's while we are there?

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

TXRVCouple wrote:
We love staying there on base at the RV park but want to go on down and see more of Florida.

Are you military/ retired military? Or staying as his guest at the RV park?

If you are military - Naval Air Station Key West has a campground at Sigsbee - a housing area just off Roosevelt Ave in Key West.

They have 90 FHU sites. During the winter, the place is very busy and they have close to 400 dry campsites in use. They do not reserve the FHU sites except for incoming PCS personnel station in Key West.

During the winter there is a strict rotation system - 14 days in FHU, and then move to a dry camping site and go on the waiting list until the next FHU site opens up. We spent a week in dry camping earlier this month and it was great.

If you are eligible, give them a call and talk about their average usage in the months you plan to visit.

As far as the pictures of the sites.

Very few sites in the Keys are going to have much shade. Most of the trees will be palms, and a few others. Just not much shade.

Also concrete is very expensive to get down far into the keys - so most sites are going to be level sand/ grass.

[johnnyrv]

we stayed at point of view rv resort in key largo march 2015 in our mh. very clean with friendly employees. waterfront sites available. we drove the mh to key west and parked at fort zachary taylor for the day. a must see is hemmingways house. also theater of the sea in islamorada is amazing.

[Klueck]

Congrats to your son. You must be very proud.

We own an Rv lot at Venture Out Resort in Cudjoe Key (lower Keys, near Key West)

We rent it out very inexpensively in the summer months. Let me know if you're interested.. There are lots of amenities and it's nice and clean.

HERE

Just be AWARE that mini lobster season is July 29th and 30th. It gets CRAZY DOWN HERE and I would recommend you go before the last week of the month. Also, we charge more then. The first week of regular lobster season is Aug 1 and it's also pretty crazy then.

As far as things to do. Don't miss the nightly sunset celebration in Key West on Mallory Square.

[TXRVCouple]

We made a reservation at Jolly Roger and then cancelled it the next day. Here is what bothered me about the place. 1. It would appear in pictures that there is little to no trees or shade per site of any kind and the sites were basically dirt. 2. The unhelpful, "don't give a darn" attitude of the lady who answered the phone. Customer service is a big thing to me. LOL when I cancelled the next day she literally said to me "let me guess, your going to Bluewater instead".......that really told me all I needed to know. The Bluewater park had nice concrete slabs, and each came with a covered lanai of sorts with picnic table. Just seemed more of what we personally were looking for.

[dieharder]

Add another for Jolly Roger. They have everything you need, including a pool. Get yourself a PA membership, if you don't have it already, and reap the rewards.

[soos]

X 3 Jolly Roger on Marathon.
Eat at the Sunset Grill 🙂

[fla-gypsy]

I posted the lowest rates possible including discounts for cash and they all have a disclaimer of subject to change. Based on these rates BWK is a bargain at those prices anytime of year.

[wbwood]

fla-gypsy wrote:
Based on the current lowest posted rates for Bluewater Key for non waterfront sites;

.com=$86 +tax

.net=$60

It is enough difference to investigate it further

Funny thing...when I made the reservations back in early January, those were the rates for off season (5/1/15- 10/14/15)...then they reply and said the rates were not confirmed. Then I check back later and the rates were gone, but now back..She told me it would be towrads the end of february before confirmed. So I am wondering if those are correct prices or not.

The .net rates are not current and she said that to expect an increase. She said typical rate is $70 (the $60 is if you pay cash). They also charge the extra feew I mentioned above.

[NCWriter]

X2 forJolly Roger, in fact we are there this week. They honor Passport America for up to five nights,which pays for the membership in one night. Their price is fair even at full rate. There are seasonals but plenty of short stay folks.

Full hookups, cable TV, dog friendly, large laundromat, new pool and restrooms in recent years. Most sites have mature trees and other tropical plantings. Nice Gulf side dock for watching sunset. If they had a little bar and grill on site, I'd love it even more, but Grassy Key is at the north end of Marathon, so plenty of restaurants and grocery stores close by.

The summer rate quoted in their literature is $60 a night.

Love all the state parks in the Keys but so does the rest of North America. Tough to get a reservation from the minute bookings open 11 months out, except during October maybe. Sometimes you can pick up a cancellation or just show up and luck out.

[fla-gypsy]

Based on the current lowest posted rates for Bluewater Key for non waterfront sites;

.com=$86 +tax

.net=$60

It is enough difference to investigate it further

[wbwood]

Executive wrote:
John Pennekamp State Park, Key Largo, is one of the few that have full hookups.
Bluewater Key is the best park close to Key West. That said, they have two DIFFERENT web sites... ".com" amd ".net". They have different pricing on the same type lots. Bluewaterkey.com offers rates at $130/night while Bluewaterkey.net offers them for $60/night. Choose your poison.....

If you want a visual of the keys and campsites, check out my blog below for pictures.....Dennis

Key West - Scroll down for info

South through the Keys

Bluewater Key

Please point me to these sites with such a price difference.... I have been talking with both the .com and the net people. Prices are the same between the two (that I have found) on similar type sites. I will tell you this. They have not set the prices for the off season (July) as that is when we are going. The .com people say it will be end of February before they decide on the 2015 summer rates. Rita at the .net site said it would be march or april before they have the prices. She gave me the rates for last year which appeared to be the same price (or there abouts). She did say that the rates typically increase 10-12% each year. Just know that the nightly rate includes 2 adults and children under 12. Anyone over the age of 12, beyond the first 2, is $10 extra a night. They also charge a nightly storage fee if you happen to have a tow dolly or trailer of any kind as they are not allowed on site.

Just some tidbits I have learned from speaking with both of them in the last couple of weeks.

[TXRVCouple]

Thank you all for the advice. Much appreciated.

[JoeH]

El Mar and Boyd's are on Stock Island and closest to KW. Next is Geiger key Marina at about mm 11. Then comes Bluewater at mm 14 ... those are the closest.. then you have Grassy key, Sugar Loaf,etc. as you head north , all should have sites in July

[agesilaus]

TXRVCouple wrote:
Hey there. We are headed to the Keys in July. Any suggestions on where a good full hook up site is? I'm looking for opinions on those who have stayed there. Any must do's while we are there?

We generally stay at the Jolly Roger RV park in Marathon. It's in the upper Keys but you can easily drive all the way to Key West for day trips, or drive north to the Everglades NP to do day trips there. You can also still get reasonably priced fuel in Marathon.

Jolly Roger has a summer rate which is a lot lower than the in season rate. It is right on the water and has a good beach. It also has an attached marina and boat ramp. You can get a site within 10 feet of the water (their premium sites).

We stayed at the Sugarloaf KOA once and weren't impressed.

I don't know what you plan to do down there but do take a trip out one one of the many boats that offer snorkeling on the reefs. It's fairly cheap and it's a great day trip. They will provide all the equipment you need on the boat.