Islamorada Family Vacation | Memories on Film | Travel Photography on Film

We recently took a trip down south to Islamorada! I decided to take only my 35mm and medium format film cameras and I’m excited to share some with you! There is something about film photography that really forces you to slow down and it’s something special. This Islamorada family vacation was one for the books – let’s recap what we did and where you should go! If you’re looking to go to Islamorada for a family vacation, do it!

The Food was amazing!

We went somewhere for most meals because after all, who wants to cook on vacation? I tried having some sort of seafood each meal from calamari to swordfish, you name it, we probably tried it!

Hungry Tarpon Restaurant was a crowd favorite! Not only for the delicious food but the overall hospitality. It’s a locals and a vacationers hot spot! One day, we went twice! It’s actually a part of Robbies of Islamorada – which I’ll share more later but it is basically a one stop shop for all things delicious and fun!

A few of us went for a bike ride one morning which led us to a quaint breakfast spot called Midway Cafe; it’s midway from the beginning of the island to the end! I had a yummy omelet with avocado! We ate outside but they also have a diner like experience inside! Everything about Islamorada is easy, breezy, beautiful!

We went to dinner at a true authentic Italian restaurant, Italian Food Company one evening and my goodness was is good! I actually had calamari that evening but I sampled their Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe and it was so rich + creamy! They actually prepared it right in front of us – a huge bowl of cheese and then they tossed in the noodles, such a fun experience!

You can’t go wrong with any of the local spots, truthfully! I suggest going to a different spot for different parts of your meal – it’s like bar hopping but with food!

Every corner had something beautiful!

Like I said in the beginning, I captured the trip on film so you better believe I was looking for all the nooks and crannies! I did do a little pre-planning so I knew where certain spots were but other than that, everything came naturally to me.

Our Airbnb was located off the main road and we had a little private marina to enjoy. Each morning I’d go out for sunrise and each evening for sunset. It was so peaceful, the way the water settled, the palm trees blew, and stray cats wandered – it was lovely!

One of my favorite adventures we took was the sunset cruise with Islamorada Private Charters on the last night! We booked a private boat ride with a local company, it was absolutely beautiful. A perfect way to end the trip. Our guide, Carly, took us along million dollar row where we saw Dr. Phils home and a few other homes that were stunning! Carly knew so much about the history of Islamorada and even showed us a secret “hideaway” for the birds of the island.

Another special adventure was the snorkeling trip to Alligator Reef Lighthouse! Tyler and I took a boat out to the reef and got to snorkel with families of fish underneath a lighthouse! The water is so clear – you can see for miles! We signed up and left out of Robbies. They provided all the gear and the boat ride out. It was a fun time!

Of course we went down to Key West one day …

You can’t go all the way down to one key and not go to the main key! Key West is about to hours south of Islamorada. We woke up early one morning and drove down; you have to go early or else finding parking is a pain! Once we got to the mainland and took care of parking, we started out on our adventuring!

Coffee and breakfast was a must – we went to a fun place called Cuban Coffee Queen – a must go to!!! Being that I am a coffee snob, I knew we had to find somewhere that had great coffee and boy did they! It was so good – I had a Cuban Caramel Coffee which is con leche with caramel syrup and Tyler had Cuban Mocha Coffee with is con leche with mocha syrup! They were so flavorful we had them twice! In addition to our coffees, we had a Key Wester which is a egg, cheese, and meat on pressed cuban bread and a breakfast burrito – absolutely delicious!

After breakfast we walked around to all the shops, toured The Hemingway House, and toured the tallest lighthouse in Key West! If you’re not familiar with The Hemingway House, you should be! Not only does it house a lot of Ernest Hemingways history but it also houses over 60 polydactyl cats! Hemingway was six-toed cat by a ship’s captain which then led to more. They all live throughout the house – it’s pretty cute if you are a cat lover! The lighthouse was breathtaking – literally and figuratively. After a 80 step climb, the view from the balcony was worth it! We got a 360 view of Key West! Super cool especially on a clear day – you could see just about everything!

Thats a wrap!

If you want to know more about our trip down south, leave a comment and I’d love to answer or help you plan your trip! Thanks for reading about our Islamorada Family Vacation! Til next time, xoxo!