Well, here goes... Sorry, I have to speak my mind as an owner in the Keys & I have to defend my backyard......... Its pretty impossible to set a concrete opinion on less than 10 hours of driving around the Keys. In fact, you were haulin @ss Jamie! You didn't give the Keys a chance, there are so many places to appreciate down there & you only saw the negative crap about it, it pissed you off & that was your mindset through the entire trip! YES the Keys received a HUGE impact by our country's economic struggle & YES it is a bit expensive but take it from me, I've been all over Florida, Panama City, Daytona, Palm Beach, Tampa, Jupiter, Naples, Cape Coral, Saint Augustine, Everglades City, Vero Beach, Sanibel, etc... They are all amazing places & The Keys is are one of my favorite. The Keys are beautiful, you simply have to know where you are going & trust me, you won't find waters like those in the Keys, elsewhere in the Eastern U.S. If you go to the Keys just to go to the Keys, then you my friend WONT have any fun. You have to plan ahead, call ahead, find out about activities, places to go, etc...
Yes, you are right, chances are the houses in the Keys can't compare... The Keys are more rustic. You are supposed to get more of a Caribbean island feeling in the Keys than that of a high end house on the bay or a beach front condo feeling. The Keys are for the following:
*T!tt!es
*beer
*fishing
*snorkling
*jet sking
*boating
*More t!tt!es
*More beer
& Jamie?... You should've listened to me & stayed at Islamorada. Your opinion would've been COMPLETELY different. My family's opinion of the Keys was IDENTICAL to yours back in the 80's but in the 90's we gave the Keys another chance with a different approach & thank God we did because we love it. We get to leave the loud @ss Cubans (YES, I'm Cuban but sometimes we need to rest from other Cubans as well, lol) in Miami & join a more relaxed, layed back atmosphere. I hope you change your mind man & give the Keys another try in the future with a different mindset.
The Keys rock but you have to find the great spots, Islamorada is one of them! If you don't think any of the below shown isn't fun then I don't know what is...