Colorful, quirky, and stocked full of key lime everything, Key West is as close to the Caribbean as you can get without a passport if you live in the United States. If you’re planning a vacation to the Florida Keys, you’ll want to read below to see where to stay in Key West.The small island at the end of the Florida Keys was discovered by Ponce de Leon around about 1513. It gained prominence (or would it be notoriety?) when it declared secession from the rest of the U.S. in 1982 and took on the aptly-chosen moniker of Conch Republic.