"Key West beaches . . . oh, well."

Key West beaches are not Florida's finest, and that's a polite understatement. Nobody will ever confuse this place with Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale or even Miami Beach. The closest quality beach is 45 minutes away at Bahia Honda State Park Beach.

The beaches are relatively small, the sand is coarse, the rocks are plentiful, the slope is extremely gradual (I suppose that's an oxymoron), and the waves are non-existent. These beaches were not on the list when sites were being considered for filming Baywatch.

Nevertheless, two of the beaches are adequate and they'll do. After all, they are beaches. You should go to Smathers Beach or Fort Zachary Taylor Beach. They are very different, so you can choose the better for your situation.

Smathers Beach is Key West's biggest beach and where the action is. It has restrooms, some concessions, beach equipment and water sports rentals.

Fort Zachary Taylor Beach is located within a state park. It has less sand and more rocks. What I like are the many pine trees.

There are a few other, smaller, beaches, mostly along the Atlantic side of the island. Rest Beach is by the White Street Pier, which has good fishing. Higgs Beach has a restaurant and also is by the pier.

Dog Beach is rocky and (no surprise) allows dogs, so it's not a place where you'll ever find me. South Beach has no facilities so it is frequented primarily by locals.

Simonton Street Beach is a misnomer. It's more of a sandbox.

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