Is it cold, snowy and miserable where you are and it’s just about driving you bonkers? If so, we have the remedy for you; January in Key West! Below we have listed some of the exciting events scheduled on the island for this month; everything from the Yacht Races and Fight Night in the Keys to Historic House Tours and both the Presidential Inauguration 2009 and SuperBowl XLIII big-screen television viewings. For our gay and lesbian travelers, be sure to check in with the Gay & Lesbian Community Center during your visit for other events and schedules.  So come join us, change your latitude, kick off your shoes and soak in the sunshine before you have to go back to the winter weather.

Is this what it looks like outside your window now?

This is what it will look like poolside when you come stay at our Lighthouse Court in January.

Here are the events listed by date. Just click on any of the titles for other information. We’ll see you soon!

Wild Women of Planet Wongo    January 1-17

This is a B-movie type, ‘galactic’ play about two astronauts and their robot who crash land on the planet ‘Wongo’ only to find that it’s inhabited by wild and zany women. It’s a musical self described as “boldly going where no musical spoof has gone before”. You can call them at 305. 296.9111or visit The Red Barn Theatre Box office from 1-6pm, Monday through Saturday, at 319 Duval Street.

Key West Symphony           January 9 & 10

The Key West Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Conductor Sebrina Maria Alfonso, has some exciting performances lined up for the season. This first one in the Master Concert Series showcases pianist Edward Pitts playing Shostakovich :Piano Concerto No. 1 and Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 This is a program change from what is listed on both the Symphony and Keystix websites. For tickets call 305.292.1774.

Fight Night in the Keys             January 16

Key West has a long boxing tradition beginning in the 1930’s and boasting such fans as Ernest Hemingway. This years’ seven-bout match is set to take place overlooking Key West Harbor at Mallory Square which makes it a unique chance to view big-name boxing in an open-air waterfront setting. The scheduled main event is between Carlos “El Indio” Quintana and Eromosele “Bad Boy” Albert. Quintana, a former WBO world welterweight champion, has a record of 26 wins and two losses. His competitor Albert boasts a record of 21 wins, two losses and one draw. For tickets please visit http://keystix.ticketforce.com/ordertickets.asp?p=373&backurl=default.asp

Sculpture Key West                       January 18 - April 18

Sculpture Key West is our annual juried exhibition of local, national and international contemporary sculpture that takes place every winter in Key West. This year the exhibition will take place at two locations: The West Martello Tower on Atlantic Blvd. near the White Street Pier and at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park at the end of Southard Street. Installation at the West Martello begins January 10, 2008 and will be completed by January 17th.  Installation will take place at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park from February 21-28, 2009. There will be an opening reception from 3-6 pm at the park on March 1, 2009. There are also two artist lectures scheduled; the first on January 16 and the second on February 27th. It’s always interesting to hear artists talk about the inspirations for their work.

Old Island Restoration Foundation Annual House & Garden Tours            January 16 & 17

Five beautiful homes are featured in this months tour. The Foundation was started in the 1960’s to promote the preservation and restoration of historically significant buildings. We adore visiting these lovingly restored homes and always find some fascinating history to boot! You can call 305. 294.9501for tickets and information.

Acura Key West 2009 Sailboat Races                   January 19 - 23

This international regatta presented by Nautica is back for it’s yearly race in our beautiful tropical waters at the Southernmost point of the U.S. Just envision yourself watching as the best crews from around the world sail up to the starting line and maneuver their way around the windward-leeward race routes. Our hotels Albury Court and Budget Key West are official hotel sponsors and are located just one block from the race headquarters and docks at Key West Harbour. You will also find many race teams and officials staying with us here at Albury Court and Budget Key West. So just tack and jibe your way to our hotels for the most convenient harbourside accomodations. We wish you fair winds and following seas and we’ll see you here soon.

Presidential Inauguration 2009             January 20

Come join us for the countdown to the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. It’s true that there are many inaugural events happening in Washington D.C. But why join the crowds in D.C or watch all the events  from home in the cold weather when you could be watching them here in the warm sunshine near our beautiful waters. On January 20th President-elect Obama will be sworn into office on the steps of the Capital and no matter what your political leanings are, this day promises to be an  exciting and inspiring event. You can see it all from the TV’s at any of our Historic Key West Inns and other viewing parties around town. You won’t miss any of the action and you’ll go back to winter weather with a January Key West tan that others will envy.

Super Bowl XLIII           February 1st

Don’t worry about missing the BIG game during your Key West vacation because not only will it be playing from all of our guest room TV’s, but there are several sports bars where you can enjoy the game on extra-large screens with other fans.

January is going to be packed with fun and there’s really no reason not to come and enjoy it with us; beautiful rooms, great locations, amazing prices. Hope to see you soon!

Sunset on the beach in Key West

Today the founder of Historic Key West Inns, Julia Fondriest, congratulated Barbara Graziano as our employee of the year. Barbara is a Guest Service Agent for both Albury Court and Budget Key West. She was named employee of the month earlier this year and just yesterday she was selected by the management team for the 2008 honor. Barbara has provided excellent service to our guests over the year and has often gone above-and-beyond to make sure that all who stay with us have a wonderful experience in our hotels. Thank you so much to her and congratulations! Barbara and her husband Rich lived in Bermuda for many years and relocated to Key West in 2003. They have both been working for us since 2004 and doing a great job!

Albury Court and Budget Key West are two of the six beautiful properties included in the Historic Key West Inns hotel group. All of our boutique hotels are renovated historic buildings which are well-located in the historic Old Town section of the island. We have made sure that they provide comfortable and elegant accomodations, as well as, the real flavor of Key West.

Julia Fondriest waiting near the Albury Court waterfall to congratulate Barbara

Barbara is happy about the news

Here is one of the front gardens of Albury Court

Barbara and Anna at the Albury Court reservation desk

Come enjoy the pool at Chelsea House

With the news on the economy these days we know that everyone is reassessing whether they can still take their hard-earned vacations this year. We think they can. We’re not waiting for the government to step in, there aren’t any bailouts coming for us so instead we’ve initiated our own stimulus package to make your trip to Key West affordable and just what the doctor ordered! At all of the hotels we have reduced or eliminated minimum stays and rolled-back rates up to 35%. And at Budget Key West we’ve taken them back even lower. We want to make sure that money is not the reason why you would forgo your Key West vacation this year. We hope you’ll come down to see us and relax in our rooms, swim in our sparkling pools, rejuvenate in the nightlife and just celebrate the American way in our beautiful island city. Key West has never been a better value and we’re here to play our part in your personal economic recovery plan!

Our beautiful tree at Chelsea House

Some of the gardens at Chelsea House

Our Key Lime Inn recently received both a lobby remodel and new exterior window shutters. The Key Lime Inn is a collection of 12 cottages and a historic mansion all on one property connected on an acre of tropical landscaping. We’re one of the few historic hotels in Key West that has a center parking area near the cottages for guests, but it was not always that way. Here is some interesting history. The Maloney House, which is part of this historic Inn, is one of the oldest houses in Key West, built in 1854 by Walter Maloney. He was a Mayor of Key West and he, his family and descendants lived here on the property until they sold it to a former circus performer, Joe Zorsky, who built some cottages on the property in the 1930’s and 40’s, making it into a place for guest accommodations for the first time.  He called it the Cactus Terrace Motor Court and it was innovative because you could pull your car right up next to your cottage. In the early 1970’s he added a “pool cabana” which now has 12 guestrooms in it. In 1998 we bought the property, then known as Key Lime Village, and made extensive upgrades and renovations while making sure that the property remained structurally the same since the 1930’s. We added the Reception Building in 1998 but budgets were tight and we had to keep the architecture simple in order to reopen the hotel as quickly as possible. This year we enlarged the lobby and added the characteristic Key West green shutters to the exterior of the building. We’ll see you here when you arrive!

Here is an old postcard from the 1960's of the Cactus Terrace Motor Court now our Key Lime Inn.

This is our new reception building at Key Lime Inn sporting it's new green shutters.

Our new lobby at Key Lime Inn with plenty of space to welcome guests.

Here we are on Truman Avenue. Look for us across the street from St. Mary's Church.