ISLAMORADA VACATION RENTALS, FLORIDA

The perfect family destination, Islamorada and Islamorada vacation rentals entice visitors with its aqua blue waters, innumerable recreational activities and excellent lodging facilities. Be it diving, snorkeling, parasailing, wind surfing, kayaking, or boat racing, the four islands of Islamorada surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Florida Bay offer something to do in, under and above the water any time of the day. If you are a sports freak, you can look forward to wide range of fishing tournaments, races and other sporting challenges every month of the year.

Check out a few Islamorada rental homes to ensure they offer quality housekeeping services so that your stay is a comfortable one. The rates of the rentals are subject to an 11.5% state tax. Cancellations must be made well in advance, sometimes as ahead as 60 days to ensure a refund of the security deposit. Not all units are pet friendly and so you must check in advance if you are planning to take your pet along. Rates usually include linens, towels, kitchen gear, washer/dryer and electronics but in most cases you have to pay an additional cleaning fee that depends on the length of your stay. Islamorada vacation rentals can be booked on monthly or weekly basis but there are some rentals that require a minimum number of days stay. Rates tend to be high between the months of December through August, and during Christmas, New Years, Easter, July Fourth, Mini and Open Lobster season. You can get value packages during the period from September through November.

While early in the morning you may want to step out of your cozy Islamorada vacation rental and take a stroll on the beach or snorkel in the blue marine waters, however do take out time from your beach activities to visit some of the interesting sights in and around Islamorada.

• Florida Keys Memorial
• History of Diving Museum
• Theatre of the Sea

• Fishing
• Tarpon Feeding
• Diving and Snorkeling
• Eco-Tours

As such there are no golf courses within the immediate vicinity of Islamorada. However, the golf enthusiasts looking for a challenging round of golf can visit the Cheeca Lodge. The resort offers a 9-hole, par-3 course. You can also check out the golf courses in Marathon, which is about a 45-minute drive south and also the courses in Key West, which is approximately a 90-minute drive south.

The fairs and festivals in Islamorada center on the marine life of the islands and an Islamorada vacation rental gives you just the reason to join in the festivities. Held at parks and waterfront venues, the festivities are accompanied by island specific foods, mostly seafood, music that sings of the local heritage and other community attractions and achievements. The New Years Day is celebrated with the usual zeal and gusto. After the hard partying, dance and music of the previous night the habitants of the Islamorada start their new year with good old-fashioned simple activities like racing, walking, and crawling. The fun filled activities commence at about 8 AM in the Founders Park.

• Islamorada Women's Sailfish Tournament
• Upper Keys Nautical Flea Market
• Earth Day
• Annual Islamorada Invitational Fall Fly Bonefish Tournament
• Islamorada Fishing Club Junior Derby

Islamorada is known for some of the best restaurants in Florida Keys so you exactly know where you need to head to when not in a mood to toss up something at your Islamorada vacation rental or Islamorada condo. Every year the competition 'Taste of Islamorada' is held among a variety of restaurant categories to prove their culinary skills. Complimenting the exotic menus is the vibrant nightlife of the islands. Islescapes is a popular restaurant that features excellent gourmet fare including appetizers such as cucumber filled with shrimps, crabmeat stuffed with mushrooms and potato goat cheese tart. The salads consist of rosemary-mango or Caesar salads. Entrees include fresh catch from the local waters which is grilled and served with an assortment of exotic sauces and dressings. Hungry Tarpon Restaurant is a seven-decade conch house and still maintains its original flavor and atmosphere.

Situated close to the world famous Robbie’s Marina, the restaurant provides some of the best cuisines. The breakfast menus features grits and grunts, homemade biscuits and gravy, huge breakfast burritos and a lot of other signature dishes while lunch and dinner consist of only the freshest fish, shrimp and other seafood.   The Lorelei Restaurant and Cabana Bar, known as the pulse of Islamorada features some of the best seafood of the area in a relaxed atmosphere where you can dance, eat and enjoy live entertainment by local bands such as Case & Davidson, Steve Webb or Harry French. Holiday Isle Beach Resorts & Marina is the liveliest spot in the Upper Keys. There's nightly entertainment and over the weekends the halls are flooded by youngsters.  Bands play everything from reggae to heavy metal every night while Saturdays and Sundays also feature Hawaiian dance shows.

 The laid back attitude has made the Keys a great escape from the stress and busy lifestyles of the mainland any time of the year. The tropical weather and the beautiful waters that surround the islands of Islamorada are perfect for enjoying summer activities such as boating, fishing, snorkeling and diving. The peak season is between December to September and it is advisable that you book your Islamorada vacation rental well in advance. The crowds during this period are the maximum and this is the best time to enjoy the glorious scenery and indulge in activities such as wildlife viewing, fishing, boating, snorkeling, scuba diving at some of the planet's most important reef systems.

Land at Miami International Airport and you can be in Islamorada in about an hour and a half by renting a car or climbing aboard a shuttle bus. You can also fly into Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport which adds at most an hour of driving time to the Islamorada trip. If you're driving from Miami International Airport, take LeJeune Road south to 836 West. Take the Florida Turnpike south toward Key West. The Turnpike ends at US 1 in Florida City. Follow U.S. 1 south to the Keys.

From Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, exit the airport and follow the signs for 595 West. Take 595 to the Florida Turnpike and follow the signs for the Florida Keys. From the north, take the Florida Turnpike south and follow the signs for Homestead and Key West. The Florida Turnpike ends at US 1 in Florida City. Follow U.S. 1 south into the Florida Keys. From Florida's west coast, take 1-75 Alligator Alley east to the Miami exit, and south to the Florida Turnpike.