This great home exceeded our expectations in every way during our entire six-week stay. I'm an author and photographer and therefore can do my work anywhere. So, each Winter I relocate my office to a base of operations in Florida, where there is a much more pleasant environment for both working and relaxing. Hemingway liked to work in Key West; I prefer the middle and upper Keys. This canal-front Plantation Key/Islamorada home proved to be the best stay yet for myself and my (retired) spouse. Our cordial hosts checked in from time to time to make sure our every need was fulfilled.

To say the immaculate home was fully-equipped would be an understatement. It was like turning a key and entering our own home, only with a better sound system. The beds were comfortable. I used the second bedroom as my office, and sometimes crashed there at night on one of the twin beds when working late to avoid bothering my wife. The two bathrooms included one with a tub, for those times when a good soak was desirable.

The neighborhood was friendly, and the location perfect for quick visits to John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park, Theatre of the Sea, and other sights. There were plenty of stores and shops, a five-screen movie theater, and diving and fishing, plus good restaurants. Marathon and more state parks were less than an hour away, and we made weekly trips in that direction to photograph deer and wildlife on Big Pine Key. Key West was more of a day trip thing.

If you like to fish, have a boat, want to snorkel, or just like a slower pace of life, you can't beat this home or location. My wife and I have spent previous Winters on the Space Coast, in Naples/Ft. Meyers, Sarasota, and Orlando, and our six weeks here were the best we've had in a long time.