The 5 Hotels in the Florida Keys Where Ernest Hemingway Probably Got Really Drunk At
Like a straw in a daiquiri, Key West and Ernest Hemingway proved to be a beneficial paring. He not only found inspiration on this island, he found love. He also penned intriguing words about Key West in novels, promoting its uniqueness to the world. So it’s no wonder that Key West loved him back, and to this day, celebrates him each summer during Hemingway Days. Although mostly documented, we’ve taken a few creative freedoms in listing properties where you can do more than walk in his shoes, you could experience sights, sounds, and flavors, similar to those that captured his imagination. Enjoy a drink at one of these famous Key West bars. Cheers.
Captain Pip’s Marina & Hideaway
Why it made the list
Less than an hour north of Key West, Captain Pip’s is low key, unpretentious, and the kind of place where you can blend in with the crowd for days, or nights. No wonder it boasts a list of infamous guests, like Hemingway, and even Jimmy Hoffa. We can imagine him at the dockside bar, chatting it up with salty, seafaring captains, and comparing fish tales of yore.
La Concha Hotel & Spa
Why it made the list
Key West’s tallest hotel, and one of the most luxurious of its time, was frequented by Hemingway in the 1930s. He not only wrote about La Concha in his novel, To Have and Have Not, he began writing it here. And he frequently checked in with the woman who’d become his third wife (while married to his second). Some say he still haunts the suite that bears his name. While the rooftop bar is gone, you can still toast him at their lobby bar and restaurant, 430 Duval.
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