Voted the Best Vegetarian Breakfast out of approx. 8500 inns worldwide!

Sure our guests told us how much they enjoyed sitting by the pool, surrounded by the tropical garden, eating a delectable breakfast. And of course, Caya and Havana, if given a chance, would be happy to gobble down a cranberry muffin or two;but we had no idea that The Mermaid & The Alligator would be awarded with the LanierBB.com Best Vegetarian Food award. The early mornings of mixing up Banana Pancakes and the late nights of preparing a Spinach Quiche for the next day; it was all worth it!

Thanks goes to all of our terrific guests for voting us in as serving the Best Vegetarian Food. And don’t worry, other than the Banana Pancakes, we have no secrets. Two of our popular recipes are featured in the Florida B&B Cookbook, and for all you chefs out there, we have the Cookbook for sale at the Inn. This is all the more reason to come down and visit. Eat a delicious breakfast, buy a great cook book while enjoying the Keys.

Warm regards from the Mermaid & The Alligator

February is a Fabulous time to visit Key West

Our hammock is calling out to you, our swimming pool is swirling and Caya and Havana are waiting to greet you at the door. February is a fabulous time to visit Key West. February 12th and 13th is the popular Home and Garden Tour, http://www.oirf.org/. Your chance to visit some of our stunning island homes. Tour each home and view the creative renovations, unique interiors and tropical landscaping. Each tour features 5 private homes. It's time to buy your tickets!

For the theatre lovers, Key West has a great theatre community. The Waterfront Playhouse is playing The Full Monty, Thursday February25 - Saturday March 20th. You can buy tickets on-line and consider the "Dinner & a Show" package. It's a great deal. http://www.waterfrontplayhouse.org/.

Speaking of dinner, Key West has a variety of amazing restaurants. Our featured restaurant this week is "Salute on the Beach." http://www.saluteonthebeach.com/. This beach front restaurant lies on Higgs Beach and serves exquisite Italian food in a tropical casual setting. The calamari is a must try and the Linguini with Mussels is truly the best on the island. Feel free to contact your concierge Geri or Rebecca about dinner reservations and any other dining recommendations they may have.

We look forward to your visit, and if you haven't booked your visit yet, the time is now!

Warm regards from The Mermaid & The Alligator!

Key West Gardens around The Mermaid & The Alligator

The garden at The Mermaid & The Alligator is ablaze with the blooming of spring and soon the Royal Poinciana trees will join in. The garden is a wonderful mix of native vegetation to the Florida Keys and tropicals plants that we are fortunate to grow in this subtropic environment. Dean spends hours in the garden with only help from the guy that cuts the grass. It is quite a chore, but something he absolutely loves.

We have discovered our own "seasons" in our gardens. The spring months of April, May are upon us when the desiduous trees such as the mahogany shed it's leaves and immediately blossom out with beautfully fresh green leaves that darken as the summer goes on until we get to next spring again. The Royal Poinciana trees are much the same as the mahogany. The leaves shed in the spring in time for the new flowers to bud on the trees, which happens in May and then the leaves start coming back out as the trees ignite with the beautiful red/orange flower canopy.

For the plant/garden enthusists, there are many beautiful gardens around Key West if you are also an avid gardener and would like to learn about Key West native & tropical plants.

• Nancy's Secret Garden - is hidden away at the end of a small lane in Old Town, called FreeSchool Lane, off Simonton Street. There are lot's of palm species and tropical plants in this beautiful space, not to mention a collection of birds. http://www.nfsgarden.com/
  
• Key West Botanical Garden - is a several acre site on Stock Island the next key off Key West. It was originally started as a WPA project. It has been going through a massive restoration and expansion is going to be an amazing show piece for the Florida Keys. There is a large number of native trees and vegetation, several with Champion desingations. http://www.keywestbotanicalgarden.org/


• Key West Garden Club - is down at Higgs Beach and partially enclosed by remnants of a Civil War fort. This volunteer run garden is a beautiful setting and has a large orchid collection. http://www.keywestgardenclub.com/

Just one more thing to enjoy in the beautiful Florida Keys!

The Innkeepers