Florida Favorites | Fort Lauderdale to Key West

Spend a day soaking up Fort Lauderdale’s vibrant atmosphere ashore before embarking on your luxury yacht charter through the easy paced Florida Keys. The city’s 23 miles of coastline plays host to some of the best beaches in Florida, while the city itself boasts a wealth of galleries and museums to discover by day, and chic bars and restaurants for an early evening aperitif or dinner ashore.

Cruise on to the cosmopolitan city of Miami and step ashore to discover the fast-paced, high-energy, high-fashion city that parties hard and lives life to the fullest. More than half the locals boast a Latin American heritage, ensuring that here you will find the best Cuban coffee and Latin food in the US.

Early morning head to South Beach, famous for its pastel-painted Art Deco hotels, neon signs and pavement cafes on Ocean Drive then on to the ritzy Bal Harbour Shops, just north of Miami Beach, for a little upscale retail therapy. Cruise past the Art-Deco beachfront properties to Biscayne Bay and the quiet anchorage of Elliott Key. Slowly acclimatize to Keys time, keeping your eyes peeled for dolphins along the way.

Surrounded by perfect waters for diving and fishing, Key Largo is bustling with bars and restaurants. Step ashore to The Fish House, recommended as one of the best seafood restaurants in the Keys. Relive the memory of Bogart and Bacall 1948 film noir “Key Largo.”

Drop anchor in the waters surrounding the Islamorada archipelago. The self-proclaimed Sportfishing Capital of the World, troll for sailfish offshore or cast a line for bonefish along the Atlantic shallows. Even if you are not an avid angler, it’s worth stepping ashore to check out the replica of Ernest Hemingway’s sportfishing boat and the huge selection of fishing gear and apparel on Islamorada.

As you cruise south through the Keys the water gets bluer and the views across coral reefs and white sand ever more spectacular. Step ashore at Duck Key to stroll through the canals and over pretty Venetian-style bridges before heading to anchor off Hawk’s Cay for lunch. Early afternoon cruise through Newfound Harbor and anchor off Grass Key. Spend the afternoon snorkeling, fishing or tendering to one of the sandbars.

Snorkel through the Looe Key Marine Sanctuary before heading to the end of the peninsula and Key West. Here you are closer to Cuba than the mainland USA. Get the full flavor of what the locals call the Conch Republic. Spend a few hours wandering around Ernest Hemingway’s home, sipping a cold beer at his old hangout, Sloppy Joe’s (now called Captain Tony’s Saloon), and watching the sun set from Mallory Square.