Mrs. rw55 and I like to spend 3-4 nights in Key West itself as part of Keys trips. We've mostly stayed at the Casa Marina, and we've been pretty satisfied, but would like to find something better, if it exists. We want something with a beach, so that we can lay around and swim a little during the day; and something that's quiet enough at night to allow sleep after an evening at Mallory Square and Duval Street.

We're not looking for the cheapest deal: based on recommendations on FT, we stayed at the Halekulani when we went to Hawaii, and it was perfect. We're willing to pay for a really good hotel: we figure that a $100-200/night difference for 3-4 nights isn't going to be a big change in our overall vacation tab. If we're really happy with our hotel, it's money well spent. Part of our slight dissatisfaction with the Casa is that they're priced pretty high for a 3-star hotel, and they don't deliver a strong 3-star performance.

We'd appreciate any recommendations, especially whether any of the nicer places down around Mallory Square, like Pier House, are too noisy to survive at night. Being closer to that end of things would be a plus.