Waiting for the March at the Chelsea House

One of our favorite events of the week of Fantasy Fest is the Masquerade March which happened on Friday. The March is a walking parade for anyone who wants to join, either in costume or not. The parade starts at the cemetery and takes two different routes to Duval Street. Luckily, we have hotels on both routes! The southern route goes past Chelsea House and the northern one goes past the Merlin Guesthouse. At both hotels we set up a bar that served our coveted rum punch. At Chelsea House, Andy made his version with a British twist and at Merlin Guesthouse Abby made hers with Jamaican spices. We tell them both “theirs is best”.   We also hired D.J.’s to get everyone dancing. Our guests joined in the fun too and joined the parade as it continued down to Duval.  Some Chelsea House guests cooled off in the pool after the parade.  We were very impressed with their concern for their costumes….. noting the neat piles of clothing left by the pool steps.

Here comes the March at Chelsea House

Entrance of the Merlin Guesthouse

Fun-loving creature couple at Merlin Guesthouse

Dancing at Merlin Guesthouse at the outdoor bar

Abby's Jamaican rum punch is going fast at Merlin Guesthouse

 

Aggy dancing while serving rum punch at Chelsea House

Amelia the piratetress at Chelsea House

A flamingo and bellydancer at the Merlin Guesthouse

A 'political pair' at Merlin Guesthouse

Having fun posing for pics at the Merlin Guesthouse

Do you have a need for speed? Get ready for the Super Boat International Offshore race. The annual race descends upon Key West with fast and furious racing as the World Championship Race takes the green flag for an exciting week-long event from November 5 - 9, 2008.

The mood that permeates this spectacular Florida destination accelerates into a highly fueled liquid speed zone as the world’s top offshore contenders compete for the ultimate title. From start to finish, it promises to deliver a full throttle schedule of sizzling in-your-face competition and high-octane parties.

Key West is a dynamic magnet that has lured competitors, high performance aficionados and an entourage of party players for a record-breaking 28 years. A super-charged race week kicks-off with a parade of awesome racing machines down Duval Street. The epic event delivers three days of thrilling deck-to-deck competition along a 6.5-mile triangular liquid track that races along the outer mole, past Mallory Square into Key West Harbor and turns back out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Located just one block from famous Duval Street, Lighthouse Court offers instant access to some of our favorite things to do in Key West including the Mallory Square sunset celebration, Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Margaritaville, the Conch Train, the Harry Truman Little Whitehouse, and the Southernmost Point marker.  Lighthouse Court is best suited to couples, and most rooms have one bed. Rooms and suites are available with a range of amenities from budget to luxurious. Amenities at this Key West hotel include great old town location, short walk to Key West beaches, a large heated pool, continental breakfast, pool bar, free WiFi access, and 40 comfortable rooms and suites.

 Lighthouse Court, part of Historic Key West Inns features a daily jam session hosted by   Kelly McGuire.  This unofficial Parrot Head event is free to all guests of Historic Key West Inns. Lighthouse Court is a historic hotel located next door to the Key West Lighthouse Museum and across the street from the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum.  Just one block from famous Duval Street, our location offers instant access to some of the fabulous attractions in Key West, including the Mallory Square sunset celebration, Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Margaritaville, the Conch Train, the Harry Truman Little Whitehouse, and the Southernmost Point marker. The Lighthouse Court hotel is best suited to couples, and most rooms provide one guest bed. Rooms and suites are available with a range of amenities from budget to luxurious.

Fantasy Fest 2008 in Key West starts on Friday, October 17th with the Goombay Celebration and Royal Coronation Ball. 70,000 costumed revelers from all over the world will be treated to ten days of great events, entertainment and food.

Adults and Couples, come stay at one of our Historic Key West Inns, the Key Lime Inn, Budget Key West or Albury Court for Fantasy Fest. This annual event is an outrageous, 10-day celebration featuring costume competitions, promenades, street fairs and a grand parade with marching groups and lavish floats. This year, Fantasy Fest takes aim at America’s upcoming presidential election. The highlight of Fantasy Fest is a parade featuring amusing floats, including one carrying the annually elected Conch King and Queen. In recent years, attendance at Fantasy Fest has surpassed 100,000 people, or more than three times the population of the island itself. Fantasy Fest has grown to rival New Orleans’ Mardi Gras as an event drawing out-of-towners.

Fantasy Fest Events include;
•Goombay - a street party held in Key West’s Bahama Village neighborhood.
•The Royal Coronation Ball - where the Conch King and Queen are crowned.
•The annual Headdress Ball.
•The Pet Masquerade - a costume contest for pets.
•Pretenders in Paradise - an annual costume contest.
•The Masquerade March - a daytime procession through the streets of Key West.
•The Street Fair.
•The Fantasy Fest parade - the culmination of the festival.

Historic Key West Inns is always a good value in Florida Keys area. Rates for Valentine’s Day start at $249 per night for the 14th thru 17th. Our inns are especially romantic because of their historic character, the focus on accommodations for couples, and the prime locations in Key West. Guests can easily walk to restaurants, nightlife, attractions, and shopping. Enjoy gas fireplaces, flat panel televisions, and the waterfall splash pool at Albury Court. Relax under overhanging palms at Key Lime Inn’s large pool. Spend an afternoon sipping key lime margaritas by the pool at Lighthouse Court. Be just steps away from Duval Street at Merlin Guesthouse. Surround yourself in tropical Victorian architecture at Chelsea House Pool & Gardens. Stay chic and cheap at Budget Key West

It is the hope of the community that this festival will become an annual event that visitors can plan their vacations around. The festival also hopes to raise money for the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association. Some of the proceeds from the festival Florida Keys Seafood Festival sponsor scholarships going to children of local fishermen from Key Largo to Key West.

The lack of a seafood festival in the Key West area has been obvious for many years. It took the devastating hurricane season of 2005 that wiped out 75% of the fishing gear to provide the needed motivation for finally making this now successful event possible. It took the combined efforts of the FKCFA and UF/IFAS/Monroe County Extension Services to make the first festival in 2006 possible.

The fishermen and their families work hard at preparing the delicious seafood dishes. Not only will they offer the best prices in town, they will also have the freshest shrimp, lobster, and two kinds of crab. While most people are familiar with stone crab, we will also have a unique treat with a special booth serving deep water golden crab. In addition, visitors to the festival can enjoy conch salad, conch fritters, and conch chowder prepared with local recipes. Let’s not forget the sweets that will be available like Flan and Key Lime Pie. And of course beer and wine will be available as well as sodas and water.

There will be approximately 50 vendors, some selling their wares, some handing out free educational information about their agencies. This is a day of fun, food, and music you do not want to miss!