Key West, Florida - I couldn’t help but stand up and join the cluster of dancers in the paved square, many of whom had wandered between our little open bar area and a vibrant Cuban band, hips spontaneously swaying to the intoxicating mix of cigar, margarita and tinny Havana jazz.
A cool breeze coming off the sea beyond Mallory Square signalled the last of the lit-up yachts returning to dock and the promise of night.
Our two daughters, previously enthralled with a mime artist, watched amused as I let the Key West mood take hold.
The island on the other side of the Seven Mile Bridge is a place where chickens are revered, cats have six toes and a slice of lime pie can make or break a restaurant.
Like the prize pendant on a charm bracelet, this paradise is the final islet that dangles on the end of a chain of quays off the sunny US state of Florida, a colourful outpost that swashbucklers, smugglers and tourists have found hard to leave, giving the 200-year-old town an eclectic flavour.
The island’s local paper, not surprisingly called Paradise, was a portal of what was in store. A string of live music acts, all competing for a patch on Duval Street, hinted at the party vibe while we giggled at a theatre company that promised to cater to the easily bored with their piece titled Short attention span show.
In brief: a party place where all roads lead to the Old Town.
The historic district that developed around Mallory Square is now home to a distinct architectural style of horizontal wood siding, gingerbread trim and louvred shutters that has migrated up the Key West coastline.
It is this pale, painted wood village with porches and tropical gardens and palm-fringed beaches that makes everyone who visits think they would be happy living here.
And happy is certainly what we were for five days of island fun.
Our hotel, the Southernmost, was perfectly placed to get downtown on foot, but far enough beyond its relentless party mode.
My tween girls were not so keen on the 10-block walk, but during our mornings spent in the historic district we stumbled upon place after exciting place, like Harry Truman’s “Little White House”.
Though Key West isn’t overtly child-friendly, there are many great children’s excursions.
The Shipwreck Treasures Museum gives visitors a bird’s-eye view from the top of the old wharf tower and the Ripley’s Museum houses a shrunken torso.
And our daughters enjoyed their first parasailing adventure around the dusting of islets offshore, while we relaxed at a harbour café.
Drawn by guaranteed nightlife, an explosion of water sports and quaint, colonial architecture, modern Americans like John Sawaya find it especially difficult to leave Key West.
Sawaya used to run a restaurant in New York state, but when his daughters left for college, he sold his successful business and invested in a local Key West eatery at the popular water sport launch.
“I feel like a kid again,” he admits. “I ride a scooter to work and my family can visit during the summer holidays.”
In earlier times, many who came ashore in Key West did so unwittingly. “Bone Key” (as Key West was first named) began appearing on maps in the 1600s, the reefs along the chain of keys proving a treacherous part of established trade routes.
And though large (mostly Spanish) ships docked at the deep natural harbour on the west side, many foundered on the coral.
The business of salvaging these wrecks proved to be lucrative and at one time Key West was the US’s wealthiest city thanks to the storehouses and chandleries of spoils that attracted rich buyers from all over.
It also lured pirates with the promise of easy treasure and a fragile policing system. The installation of a naval base in 1823 put paid to the bandits when Captain David Porter was appointed commodore.
Key West first fell to the Spanish around 1800, but by the 19th century had become a US naval base and proved to be a loaded time with pirates, desperadoes and renegade leaders taking advantage of its remote position.
The tropical climate is part of the island’s appeal.
Salty hot, humid summers and breezy, balmy winter days greet each sunrise with a day filled with fabulousness.
Nowadays, cruise liners dock at the harbour each morning, spilling out dozens of eager tourists to give downtown a renewed energy.
A string of places that were made famous by songs and stories have pedestrians crisscrossing the brick streets to have a cheeseburger at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, pop in at Sloppy Joe’s and risk the Roof Top Café where “clothing is optional”.
A real must is going to watch the sunset parade of boats on the west side. After a relaxed meal (and wonderful key lime pie) in the garden café of Red Fish Blue Fish, we sauntered to the promenade for the nightly carnival of buskers, circus acts and snack vendors.
The island’s saloons and bars celebrate the great tradition of happy hour – many all day. Oysters are also in huge supply, like party popcorn.
Old town trolley tours, trains, bikes, mopeds, golf carts and pedicycles connect the bustle of Duval Street to singular sights further afield.
Milos Petrowizc is an Albanian who drives one of the village pedicycles to make a living. He says he can earn about $100 (R900) a day, but his wife, of Cuban descent, makes $200 in half the hours at an upmarket resort on the eastern side of the island.
Someone else who stayed was Ernest Hemingway, who made his winter home here in the 1930s.
The famous author of The Old Man and the Sea lived in a green and white double-storey house across the road from the old lighthouse, which apparently helped him to find his way home after a night of heavy drinking.
I stole some time for myself to visit the airy home, which is now a museum – a property with an unusually large garden that is home to 44 cats with a rare genetic condition resulting in six toes.
I wandered throughout the home and cottage where he wrote To Have and Have Not, enjoying the preserved lifestyle, and imagined how a short walk, cigar in mouth, from his typical Key West house would have brought him to the southernmost point in the US.
The tip of the continent is marked by a huge concrete structure representing a buoy that shouts: “90 miles to Cuba.”
The proximity to mainland Cuba attracted numerous illicit trading practices and larger-than-life characters. The Cuban revolution forced many cigar workers to leave the shores and by 1890, there were 129 cigar factories in Key West, which led to it becoming the US’s first major producer of hand-rolled cigars.
Rum-runners also used the Caribbean channel to deliver alcohol to the mainland during Prohibition, and in the 1970s marijuana became a favoured temporary import. Contraband substances have contributed to wealthy homesteads and thriving businesses.
Our hotel was situated on the beach near here, and our afternoons were spent enjoying the sunshine on the white sand, watching guests play cheesy poolside games and relaxing at the Southernmost Beach Café.
On a lazy afternoon, we crossed the road (with the chickens) and enjoyed a delightful interlude at the butterfly conservatory – a dip into a tropical wonderland where we played hide and seek with colourful birds and butterflies.
In spite of the town’s brazen dynamism (or perhaps because of it), we never felt left out of the party and it was hard to get in the car and drive back up US1, leaving Key West to reinvent itself for the coming weekend songwriters’ symposium. I can only imagine.
If You Go:
We flew to Washington, DC on SAA, then connected to Orlando. You can hire a car and drive to the Keys, via Miami, but you will need an international driving licence.
Check in at the information centre at Key Largo (the first island), where the helpful staff can find something in your budget and book ahead for that same night (last-minute specials are offered by the hotels, a big money-saver if you are prepared to chance it). The visitor centre also offers discounts on diving and restaurant vouchers.
US1 has markers along the drive telling you how far you are from Key West and, with a map from the visitor centre, you can plan your leisurely drive.
We stopped at Marathon Key for lunch and found a fabulous restaurant overlooking a small harbour.
The best time to go is between seasons – summer is apparently very hot.
Once in Key West, park your car and use the array of transport. Finding an occasional parking bay is difficult and expensive.
The US is quite strict about children in bar areas. Look out for meal specials and happy hours.
Tipping is expected. - Saturday Star