Posted on Wednesday, 8 February 2017

Elspeth Rose and her partner eschew the bright lights of Miami's gaudy nightlife and head down to The Everglades and the Florida Keys – in search of alligators, dolphins and ‘polydactyl felines'.

When my partner and I told our friends we were visiting Florida for three weeks, they assumed we were going for the colourful, dazzling nightlife. That's despite the fact we've both recently turned 60.

Well, we certainly appreciate the fact that young people are able to express themselves in such a forthright, fun way – but the delights we were seeking were less neon, more natural.

Starlight Suites at River Oaks

After picking up our hire car from Miami International, we drove east towards our hotel apartment, Starlight Suites at River Oaks. Unlike many city airports around the world, Miami's is actually worthy of the name; it took us less than 15 minutes to reach our accommodation, taking care to stay on the right side of the road!

We were given a ninth-floor apartment at Starlight Suites, which we chose on a friend's recommendation. We weren't disappointed; the large room had everything we could want: A fantastic view of the pool, a complete kitchen (including a great coffee machine), a washing machine and a huge TV with cable. We were only staying one night, but a two-week stay here would have been wonderful.

Ocean Drive

That evening we ventured towards the seaside skyscrapers, then crossed over to Miami Beach. We couldn't help smiling as we cruised up Ocean Drive at sunset, as the many clubs and bars geared up for a long night of jollity.

This glorious eyeful was enough for us and we looped back over to the mainland and headed down to Michael's Genuine Food & Drink – an establishment focussed on high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients. We both opted for 32 ounce porterhouse steaks, which were just as delicious and just as humungous as we'd imagined!

We rose early and enjoyed breakfast on Miami Beach, before a brisk walk on the soft, golden sand. We then returned to Starlight, packed our things and headed south towards the Everglades.

The Road Trip Begins

There is a particular sense of excitement and freedom that a road trip offers – especially at the beginning. The health-giving Florida sunshine, the palms, the wide open roads – the pit-stops for juicy burgers – it was all so upbeat, so fun, so American!

Alligator Spotting in the Everglades

We'd arranged a two-hour boat trip in the Everglades National Park. A jolly man called Steve met us and guided us to our boat: With just three seats arranged single-file, this really was a private boat tour. Steve strapped us in and soon we were off – at a much faster pace than I'd expected. We didn't see much to begin with, but soon Steve pointed out a small alligator lying on a rock. What a sight! A truly ancient-looking beast – almost grinning at us with its full complement of teeth. Moments like this reinforced the idea that we really were in Florida. Later we saw birds and otters, along with several other alligators.

Giving in to the American Way!

After a night in a motel that didn't quite match up to the Starlight in Miami, we continued our journey down towards the Florida Keys. Although we'd agreed to eat as healthily as possible while in the US we found ourselves unable to resist the mouth-watering array of burger joints found along the highways and byways of Florida: Steak 'n' Shake, Whataburger, Shake Shack, Umami Burger, Fatburger, Bobby's Burger Palace – there were so many to try and, it seemed, so few salads available (not that we looked).

Dolphins. Plus.

Soon we were on The Keys themselves, finally – a long, long road connected this string of famed islands. In Key Largo we checked into our hotel – a step up from the previous night in the motel - and drove over to Dolphin Plus – the company that would, we hoped, be introducing us to some dolphins.

The tour involved getting in the water for a ‘Deepwater encounter' with what is one of my favourite creatures. This was more fun than I could have hoped – seeing those beautiful, intelligent eyes up-close was a wonder to behold. I didn't imagine we would have had so much interaction with the dolphins, but the tour involved all manner of tricks – not least of which was the 'superman', where two dolphins push the backs of your feet and propel you along – much like the comic book hero – marvellous!

Key West

After two nights in Key Largo we continued south, traversing the vast Seven Mile Bridge (famed for the harrier scene in True Lies!) and arrived in Key West at sunset. The Seashell Motel has decent, fairly-priced rooms and a lovely garden. Here we met a lot of backpackers, since the motel offered bunk-bed accommodation too. The Motel, while certainly not a palace, had a great atmosphere and was the ideal place to meet fellow travellers.

Hemmingway's Six-Toed Cat

Now, going by some of the things he wrote, one might imagine that Hemmingway was not fond of the LGBT shenanigans on Miami Beach. Others, however, say his outrage merely masked his true orientation. But either way, Hemmingway loved cats – and so do we.

For $14, entry to Hemmingway's house in Key West was a bargain – especially if you measure the ticket value by the number of cats you get to see. There were lots and lots, many of them said to be descended from Snow White, a cat given to Ernest by a ship's captain. Aside from being Hemmingway's cat, the feline was particularly special because it had six toes on each paw. Many of the cats at the house also boasted this trait.

Apart from the lovely, cuddly cats, the museum itself was fascinating. He certainly had a colourful life, this Hemmingway fellow, I promised myself I would read more of his works when I returned to the UK.

Dry Tortugas National Park

The next morning we set off for the final excursion – to Dry Tortugas National Park. We boarded the gleaming white catamaran at Key West and cruised over to Fort Jefferson, the structure that occupies most of the key. The history of the fort was interesting enough – but we had really come for the snorkelling.

On arrival at Dry Tortugas, we enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch and chatted with fellow guests. After we'd had time to digest our meal, the tour guides provided us with snorkel gear.

Quizzical yet Happy

It was so strange to plunge into the gas-blue waters and find this stunning underwater eco-system – in the shadow of such a huge old fortress. For nearly two hours we explored the corals, spotting incredible fish and glimpsing more dolphins. Just before the tour guides called time, we caught sight of a turtle: a graceful, wise-looking beast that cruised under us with what seemed like a quizzical – yet happy – expression on its face.

And that really summed up our own emotions as we moved south from Miami, through the Everglades and down the Keys – quizzical yet happy. For anyone who loves animals, nature and the outdoors in general, Florida is a dream holiday destination – Hemmingway and all.

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