Cheeca Lodge, Our 42nd Anniversary



Beyond this entry lies another Magical Florida Key Spot




At check in you are greeted with a Glass of Champagne, instead of going right away to put our things away we went straight to the beach to see where we were.



I do not think they planted any of the flora here, I think they just keep it trimmed back.

This is a Saltwater pool complete with fish who seem to gather about your legs.



Adult only area at the Spa



We took our after dinner drinks on the roof top.

We got up early to see the sunrise and hope to catch the Green Flash but there was a low lying cloud bank, so no flash this time.

With Help yourself Starbucks we enjoyed the sunrise and the birds.



A wonderful Pier invites you to the water.



About 75 degrees, Perfect weather for the anniversary.

Lots of Banyan Trees



I loved this sister Ship to Hemingway's "Pilar" a Sports Fisher/ Cruiser, this vessel is 42' , Hemingway's was almost Identical at 38'.




The Helm, it also had a helm on the Fly bridge




The fishing chair in the foreground



The Admiral and I were not so sure he actually had a typewriter on board?



The Saloon leading to the V-Berth



Perfect, a Live aboard with his sailing vessel moored alongside, No taxes, no rent, no mortgage. Killer Florida Bay side views.

The view from the patio at Zane Gray's, Mangrove Islands in Florida Bay

A great stop and view of Florida Bay, The food is Excellent!



Ahi Tuna at Zane Gray's Lounge, a perfect snack.



The Admiral returns to the Green Turtle Inn to relive old childhood memories



A well planned second snack, Crab Salad at the Green Turtle Inn




This is a pic of the Green Turtle Inn when the Admiral and her Parents visited in the 50's


Cheeca Lodge and Some Old Memories

Our Daughter presents us with a great 42nd Anniversary gift with a stay at Cheeka Lodge in Islamadora. She is a member of Jetsetter.com http://www.jetsetter.com that has deals on 5 star resorts and such. She wanted to give us two nights but leaving a boat on a Mooring Ball for three days without attention makes this Captain nervous. The Admiral has been reminiscing with her parents about their trip through the Keys back in the 50's, so having a second opportunity to visit Islamadora gave us time to see one of the spots they remembered as well. We had a marvelous Anniversary and the pics tell the story better than I. It was not quiet full season here yet so we had a lot of the place to ourselves at times. We will remember always our 42nd because of this very special place.
We heard that the Bass Pro Shop in Islamadora had a the sister ship to Hemingway's "pilar in their store. We walked about 1/2 mile from the Lodge and really enjoyed this store located with a beautiful view of Florida Bay and a quaint little marina. The sister ship is right in the middle of this huge store and you can actually go up some steps and board the vessel. Pretty Cool. the Zane Gray Lounge is also located upstairs in the store and we had a great Ahi Tuna Snack with an awesome view. We then walked about another 1/2 mile to the Green Turtle Inn where Lynn had eaten with her parents back in the Day. The waitress was very nice and gave us a recent history of the Inn. Some Florida Billionaire restaurant dude bought it 5 years ago and remodeled it. A lot of the old memorabilia was hanging on the walls or maintained as part of the remodel. Had to get their Crab Salad that some other locals told us about. Each of the Key Communities have distinctive Aura's. Islamadora and the Cheeka Lodge go together.