Last week, my 11-year-old Anton, his friend Nick, and I were very excited to take a little jaunt to the Florida Keys…

A while back, Alex suggested that we each take a boy for February break, so we could enjoy some one-on-one time. He took Toby to visit family, and Anton BEGGED to go to Florida. (Whatever marketing Florida is doing is really working with preteen boys — along with Starbucks and cologne, as a concept.)

We decided on the Florida Keys and, after obsessively researching hotels (would anyone want a post about choosing hotels? I’ve developed a multi-pronged strategy at this point, and I’d love to hear your methods), I landed on Coconut Palm Inn in Key Largo.

The tiny bayside hotel wasn’t too splurgy, even for a one-bedroom suite with a sofa bed, and came with so many free surprises and delights once we arrived: breakfast muffins left outside our door, morning coffee, kayaks, fishing gear, ping pong, giant Jenga, cornhole, pool toys, bikes, hammocks, sunset wine, s’mores… You’re not staying at a super fancy place — there’s no on-site restaurant, for example, or long beach to walk on — but I LOVE a small hotel that feels like home once you arrive, versus a resort that changes a million hidden fees. (Two nearby hotels that seem to have similar vibes are the Atlantic Bay Resort and the Caribbean Resort.)

Kayaks and paddleboats were kept near the water, so we could walk up and jump in anytime. We went on adventures around the bay, and Anton, Nick and I would keep saying, “This is the life, you guys! Can you believe this?”

The hotel scene felt like summer camp, and we befriended another family, who gave us a clever mnemonic device to remember their names. “Peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” the dad told me. “Since we’re Peter, Bonnie, Jacob, and Samuel.” How brilliant is that? Do you have one for your family? Makes me want to figure one out for the boys and me.

Other than swimming, riding bikes, and asking me if they could drink more Coke, the boys spent most of their days fishing. The hotel gave them frozen shrimp, rods, and hooks, and the other hotel guests offered pointers. I didn’t know anything about fishing, so I happily sat in one of the Adirondack chairs on the pier and read my book.

We stayed only two nights, since they were booked up after that, but we loved every minute.

After checking out, we drove an hour south to Marathon, Florida, to our second hotel. En route, we stopped at Aquarium Encounters…

…where we could pet a baby alligator…

…and feed tortoises, stingrays, and tarpon. Don’t you love the patterns on tortoises? They look like works of art (sort of like Serena Mitnik-Miller’s paintings).

Later that afternoon, we checked into Isla Bella for our last two nights. It was fancier — with five pools and daily activities, like bingo and trivia — but I’m not sure I’d recommend it because a) you get charged lots of extras (resort fees, overnight parking fees, etc.) and b) we got a smaller room than the one we’d booked, but whenever I called the front desk or stopped by, they’d tell me the manager was out or on an important phone call.

I felt a little like this guy, haha.

But of course it was fine (I just gave up), and the beach was beautiful…

The boys played football in the pool for HOURS. We met a family from Dublin, and I loved the mom’s phrasing when she told me, “Your lads are good fun.”

Most important, on the drive back to the airport, we went through a drive-thru and found the world’s longest French fry!!! The whole trip was so much fun. I wasn’t sure if traveling solo with two 11-year-olds would be exhausting, but they’re such a great age and often played together in the pool while I read and kept an eye on them. They also still wanted to hang out with me a lot of the time, which I appreciated, and laughed at my dumb jokes (or at least said “lol,” pronounced “lohl”). Thank you, Florida — we were grateful for a blast of sunshine during this long winter!

What about you? Have you been to the Florida Keys? What vacation spots do you like or daydream about? I’d love to hear…

P.S. The weirdest best part of trips, more family vacation ideas, what’s your #1 travel tip?