Our Story

Our Happy in the Keys story starts with a vacation to the Florida Keys in December of 2009.  Within days, my husband and I simply fell in love with the islands – contracting what the locals call the “Keys Disease.”  We extended our stay, extended our stay again and then decided to look at property.  We bought a sweet older beach house in Key Colony Beach for our family to enjoy.  The more we spent time in the Keys, the more we loved it and felt right at home.  

Colorful logo featuring a smiling face with two palm trees for eyes, a large white smile, a beach scene with blue water, a yellow and orange sunset background, a small house, and the text 'HappyVINthekeys.com' in circular arrangement.
Calm ocean water under a clear blue sky.
A woman and man on a boat celebrating, with the woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and the man opening a bottle of champagne, four green champagne glasses on the table, and a view of water and a distant shoreline in the background.

The More We Spent Time In The Keys, The More We Loved It.

Welcome To The Caribbean

Before that first trip to the Keys, we did not truly understand that this chain of small American islands share the same turquoise blue ocean waters as the Bahamas, Cuba and the other islands of the Caribbean. In fact, Andros Island in the Bahamas is closer (as the crow flies) to Marathon, Florida than it is to North Miami or Fort Lauderdale. And most other people who have never known the joy of being in these magical islands do not realize these geographical facts. By way of island culture and ocean waters, the Florida Keys have more in common with the Bahamas than the mainland of Florida. Think warm tropical waters, shallow reefs, white sandy beaches, sleepy palms, extraordinary fishing, fresh seafood and a laid back, friendly island lifestyle. All with no customs or leaving the country. You can fly or drive to our islands because the Keys are connected by bridges!

A Familiar Story

Excited to share our newly found paradise with all of our family and friends, my husband and I almost always brought along sisters, mothers, children, and our close friends with us on almost every trip we made to our home away from home. When you own a vacation home in the Florida Keys – no one ever turns down an invitation!!! And that made it all the more fun and wonderful. But this evolution is not unique to us, most people who travel to the Florida Keys cannot wait to return and come again year after year with the life goal of buying property here or moving here for good.

A man wearing sunglasses, a cap, and a turquoise shirt sitting on a boat with a poodle dog. He is holding a bottle with a blue koozie that says 'Martie Doll' and an anchor symbol. The background shows water and a partly cloudy sky.
A smiling woman wearing a red shirt, a wide-brimmed hat, and glasses, stands on a boat with a man wearing a yellow shirt and sunglasses, who is opening a bottle of champagne. The table in front of them has four green champagne glasses, a blue cup, a
Five dogs behind a metal gate on a tiled porch.
Group of four friends on a boat celebrating with drinks, with two women and one man sitting on the boat and a woman stretching her legs across them, surrounded by water and trees in the background.
A smiling man and woman pose outdoors near the ocean, with palm trees, lush greenery, and a clear blue sky in the background.
Two people on a boat holding a large sailfish caught while fishing in the ocean.
Group of smiling men on a boat holding a large fish, with a bridge in the background under a bright blue sky.
Three women smiling, embracing, and holding drinks on a balcony overlooking a beach and ocean, with a cloudy sky and palm trees in the background.
Young boy with short hair and swim trunks fishing with a toy fishing pole by a water body, with two other boys in the background, and greenery and a pathway along the water.
Young girl fishing on a boat with an adult in the ocean under a partly cloudy sky.
Sunset over the ocean with a sailboat and a palm tree in the foreground.
Colorful rooster standing on a green floor inside a store, with hats on shelves in the background.
Two boys on a boat holding a large fish, with the ocean in the background during a sunny day.
A young boy with short dark hair, shirtless, holding a fishing rod with a small fish hanging from the line, smiling on a wooden dock near a lake with greenery in the background.
Three people holding a large fish on a boat with water in the background.
Two girls sitting on a boat by the ocean, hugging and smiling at the camera, with a kite surfer and blue sky in the background.