Hawks Cay Resort Review

This recent road trip was my first time visiting the Florida Keys, and October – despite the threat of hurricanes – was a perfect time to be there. Our resort was lively but not overly packed with people, the weather was pleasantly warm but not too hot (it hovered around the low 80's), and it was easy to score a table & parking space at area hot spots (like Bahia Honda State Park.) Contemplating a trip to the Keys? My review on Hawks Cay Resort after a three-night stay last week... 

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Scenes from Duval Street

While the golden south Florida sunset was spectacular and the old town of Key West completely charming, our visit had a chance overlap with the craziness of Fantasy Fest. Let's just say there were lots of body-painted people and leave it at that. Not my scene at all. But, overall, we had a good time wandering around Key West, enjoying the Mallory Square sunset celebration and chowing down on authentic Cuban food before we called it a night. Thank goodness our hotel was off the beaten path! Nicely done, TripAdvisor reviews. Here's a few daytime scenes along Duval Street...

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Key West Sunset Celebration

Have you ever been to Key West? It was our first time visiting this southernmost spot in the Keys. Every night, there's a sunset celebration at Mallory Square. Last night we went a little early to snag a prime table at a dockside restaurant, and crossed our fingers for the green flash at sundown (no such luck.) Want a see a few shots of the stunning Key West sunset?

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Fresh Catch at Keys Fisheries

A local told me about Keys Fisheries restaurant, market & marina, and we liked it so much we went three times in three days. Seriously! The seafood is that good. Headed to the heart of the Keys? You've got to swing by this Marathon fresh catch favorite...

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Calm Waters Spa Experience

We've experienced some high winds in Duck Key over the last two days, and unfortunately our snorkeling excursion(s) were canceled. So, although we were a little bummed about that, my sister and I were able to squeeze in time for a relaxing morning at Calm Waters Spa here on the Hawks Cay resort property...

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Exploring Bahia Honda State Park

Bahia Honda State Park is just south of Marathon, Florida, and is a good spot to visit if you're looking for a natural sandy beach with deep water close to shore...

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Saltwater Lagoon

We found our favorite spot for relaxation at Hawks Cay Resort – the saltwater lagoon. Isn't it perfection? We spent two hours today lounging under a cabana and swimming in the water. Added bonus to this little beach – resort food & beverage service right at your lounge chair. 

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Tarpon Feeding

 

I'm not an angler of any kind, but before we embarked on this Florida Keys roadtrip, I knew that tarpon are a prized sportfish because they're strong and will "bite and fight." But what I didn't know about was tarpon feeding. Have you heard about it – or tried it? Tarpon are massive, toothless fish – they can grow to eight feet in length and top 200 pounds – and they'll actually leap out of the water to slurp a snack off your fingers. 

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Bottlenose Dolphin Encounter

 

We had a fantastic morning hanging out with the resident bottlenose dolphins at Hawks Cay. These four males – most of them are older than me! – have the sweetest personalities, are incredibly intelligent & love interaction with humans. After the jump, more photos & details on our up-close dolphin encounter...

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Roadtripping in the Keys

Life on the road. Maybe not for everyoe, but loving it is in my blood...

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Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa

view of the hyatt regency from clearwater beach

We stayed for six nights, seven days at the four-star Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa to check out the hotel, write up a review, explore Clearwater Beach and the surrounding area, see several friends and family members, and enjoy our first official family vacation. After the jump, my full, in-depth review of the resort with lots of exterior & interior photographs...

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Clearwater by Instagram

Don't have time to read the ten blog posts on our vacation to Clearwater? Here's our trip summarized in ten Instagram images...

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Goodbye, Clearwater Beach

We've had a wonderful vacation down here in Clearwater Beach. A week's time away from the stresses of work, bustle of the city, and confinement of our shoebox apartment just isn't long enough! Here's a few photos from our leisurely beach days...

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Views from a Run

I'm supposed to be in training (sadly, my training thus far has been a total joke), so tonight I went on a three-mile(ish) run. I snapped the pic above while I was waiting for the elevator to arrive on our floor, and then started at the boardwalk outside our hotel and looped around the shops and marina to finish off at the beach at sunset. Here's a few of the sights around Clearwater Beach...

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Nature Walk at the Park

This afternoon we tried to go to a nature reserve and it was closed. But around the corner was a sweet little last-minute discovery: Cliff Stephens Park. It was really hot out, but still nice to walk around for a bit. There's picnic tables, a pretty impressive frisbee golf course, lakes, paved trails for roller blading/biking/walking/strolling, a small boat launch, and fishing points on it's 44 acres of property...

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Vacation Pool Time

 

During our stay here at the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Resort & Spa, we've spent some time at the pool. Actually, it was my son's first time in a pool ever (he's almost seven months old.) Since baths have been a challenge since he was a newborn, we weren't quite sure how it was going to go...

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Date Night at Island Way

An added bonus to vacationing near your folks: they offer to babysit so you can have a date night! Bless their hearts. So of course we took them up on it, and we scoured the city for a delicious seafood spot. We were craving crab legs! 

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Morning at Clearwater Marine Aquarium

jumping nicholas the dolphin

Did you see the movie Dolphin Tale? It's inspired by (and stars...) Winter the dolphin, the most famous resident of Clearwater Marine Aquarium. We spent the morning today at CMA, and here's a bit about our time there and all the animals we encountered...

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Sunset at Pier 60

Tonight we walked from the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Resort & Spa, down along the boardwalk, and over to Pier 60 around sunset. I'm a sucker for watching fishermen casting lines, pelicans guzzling fish, foamy waves combing at the beach, and the last of the swimmers wading out to sea...

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Dolphin Watching

I've done some work with dolphins in the past (like this story on Nellie, the oldest dolphin in human care, for Nat Geo Wild), but spotting them in the wild never gets old. The dolphin above is spyhopping – occasionally popping her head above the water's surface to check out her surroundings (in this case, our boat.) Yesterday we took a fun little dolphin tour in the Gulf while my parents watched the baby at our resort. Want to see a few pics from our excursion? There were lots of mamas and babies! 

After the jump, more photos, a little video from the boat, and links to two blog posts on dolphins. 

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