Florida Keys

"Florida has a bad rap right now, but as Floridians, this is where we can travel. Rules also seem different from town to town, and I can see the Keys has it wired. We drove from our home in Tampa, and made Isla Bella Beach Resort our base in Marathon for a few nights, then spent two nights at Ocean's Edge Resort & Marina on Stock Island, near Key West—both hotels were really on it with their COVID-19 precautions, and the latter includes kayaks and SUPs with the room rate. I love the Keys because it's as close as you get to a Caribbean feeling on the U.S. mainland. The water is absolutely gorgeous, as clear as the Bahamas at spots like Alligator Reef and Cheeca Lodge Coral Reef. My nieces and I went diving with Captain Hook's, a great operator that was maintaining social distancing onboard and even in the water (with markers of where to wait on the hang line off the boat). We were also able to catch sunsets, away from the crowds, at Hot Tin Roof restaurant in Key West, where I love the mahi mahi ceviche and anything they're serving with Key West pink shrimp (their Key Lime pie is another winner)."