I am glad Don feels that way... Florida will be better off....

There are some small beachs in KW but they are not within walking
distance from the dive boats or the night time action.   I prefer to be
within walking distance of Duval and Front street (Ground zero for
partying)  and a short walk to mallory square for the craziest sunset
festival (occurs nightly)

Galleon Beach Resort and the Hyatt both have dive operations at the
hotel so you can walk out of your room to a dive boat AND they are both
less than a block from Duval/Front.    BUT... don't let the "Beach
resort" title fool you... you probably have more sand in your kid's sand
box.   the beach is tiny but the pool and patio areas are great.

If you want more of a real beach check out sheraton suites on A1A or any
of the hotels on the South side.   You have to cross A1A but the beach
is much larger.

The diving in KW varies.  The vis is not as consistant as KeyLargo due
to the close proximity of the shallow water on the backside.  To me, the
KL area has the best diving in the Keys.  They have 3 major wrecks and
many minor ones, the reefs are healthier and the vis is always better.

In LK, For a walk to the diveboat experience, the Marina Del Mar
OCEANSIDE, or the Holiday Inn MM 100 give you the best assortment of
dive boats (Sharkeys and Ocean divers share their dock along with some 6
packs as well) KL is a 2 hour drive from Miami or a 2.6 hour drive from
Fort Lauderdale (Southwest Airlines) Penecamp and the amazing Speigel
Grove are a short boat ride from there.

Rumor has it that a substantial portion of the people in Key West do, in
fact, suck.  Don seems to be fully in touch with that aspect of the local.
Not surprising since almost none of those who have chosen that particular
alternate lifestyle actually come from Florida.  Perhaps Don can provide
contact information for those in the area that he thinks are particularly
skilled.

Don didn't so so well on this one.  There are some very nice beaches in the
Keys.  The best are not in Key West, but there certainly are some there.
I'm not sure which of the hotels/motels are on beaches.  We work through
travel agents to find bed and breakfast establishments that meet our tastes
which, apparently, are significantly more heterosexual in nature than Don's.
Key West is not known for its beaches.

Key West is also not known for great diving.  Diving in the area is
sometimes OK, but, compared to what is available in other parts of the Keys.
If you're set on visiting Key West for the culture or nightlife, a decision
I would not fault, I suggest you consider driving about 30 miles north, to
Florida Keys Reef Divers.  They're at 477 Drost Drive, Cudjoe Key,
305-745-2357, 1-877-886-6621.  This is Jim Wyatt's old shot and, at last
report, was owned and operated by Rachael, a lady that several long time
scuba members think highly of, both as a person and as a diver.  It's been a
while since I was last in touch with the shop.  Hopefully, they're still in
business.  A lot of Keys dive shops aren't.

Personally, I prefer to stay in Key West and travel north for my diving
rather than stay north and travel into Key West to party.  I've done it both
ways and, let me tell you, the 30 mile trip north, after drinking, in the
dark, is not a lot of fun.  The same trip, to and from the dive shop, is not
a big deal.

Lee