Miami-Florida City-Key Largo

Kudos to Delta for still handing out snacks for free. A few weeks ago when I flew to Phoenix on Northwest, there were no more complimentary snacks. No more peanuts, pretzels, anything. They sold snack boxes for $2 and $5.

On this afternoon’s flight to Miami, Delta had five snack options available at no cost – Sun Chips, Granola Bars, crackers, peanuts and pretzels.

Car Rental

Renting a car at Miami’s airport is not nearly as convenient as Phoenix where a shuttle takes you to a central location for all agencies. At Miami, you hop on a bus for your specific car rental company that takes you offsite to their location. In the handful of times I’ve been to Miami in the past several years, there’s always been construction going on around the airport, and it can be very confusing getting out in the right direction.

I’ve heard from several people that it’s a lot easier to fly into the airport at Ft. Lauderdale. Even though it’s 30-40 minutes north of Miami, it can be quicker to get to your final destination because it’s smaller and renting a car is much less hassle.

Florida City

Florida City is the last stop on the Florida Turnpike before heading into the Keys. There are several hotels and restaurants here, including a Hampton Inn that is undergoing renovation. I love Hamptons for their free internet access, free breakfasts and typically very nice accommodations.

I’ve eaten at Gusto’s before. The lunch menu was fairly diverse and tasty, however I was not nearly impressed with their food at dinner.

Key Largo – The Fish House

One of the best spots to eat around here is about 30 miles south of Florida City in Key Largo. The Fish House and The Encore are at Mile Marker 102.4. The food is excellent. I’ve eaten at both and found the menu is slightly different. I prefer The Encore which is just south of the Fish House. It offers a piano lounge and an outdoor dining option as well – only drawback, no view of the ocean. Personally, I recommend the Grouper Oscar, a large filet of grouper topped with crab meat, asparagus and béarnaise sauce on a bed of rice. Also get a cup of the lobster bisque – outstanding.

The Encore was closed this evening, so a friend and I went to the Fish House. Tonight I had Grouper Baked & Stuffed. A large grouper stuffed with crab meat. It was also served with rice, beans, corn on the cob and cole slaw. Price with tip was about $30.