We stayed in the Margarita Villas a private owner who rents his condos in the Truman annex, at the entrance to ft Zach. Their web sight is www.vacationrentalsinkeywest.com Mike is a very helpful owner who knows everything about the island. his phone # is 305-304-2694

I'm a little confused (nothing new for me). I assume your parents will have a car or you wouldn't be looking for a place that offers parking. Why, then, do you need it to be within walking distance of Ft. Zachary Taylor? That'd be a very simple drive from anyplace in Key West, and probably much simpler than a walk, even if they stay nearby. Parking will certainly be no problem in Ft. Zachary Taylor.

I'm with Susan. The walk to Fort Zach isn't particularly scenic or pleasant, so I recommend driving there or taking bikes or scooters. (It looks like it's close to wherever on the map, but the walk to the beach itself involves what feels like a long haul along a fenced road surrounded by current and former military buildings.)

Thanks for the advice. From what I've heard, and having never been there myself I'm not sure if this is true, Key West parking is miserable. My parents are happy to drive to Ft. Zachary, but they were concerned about either making sure they had parking at their hotel location that was either guaranteed, or (which is why I was looking for walking distance for them) they could find one spot on the street for their car and just park it and leave it there until they were ready to check out. Maybe I'm wrong - maybe parking isn't such a problem??

Okay, I get it. If I were you, I'd concentrate on finding a hotel or B&B with parking and forget about throwing Ft. Zach into the mix, which only further confuses things. Have you by any chance tried the Best Western Hibiscus? I know lots of housing suggestions have been made - including my own, which I can't remember, lol - but I wonder if you're any closer to finding something that interests you.

Parking IS a problem in Key West, and I'm not sure your idea about finding someplace to park (and leave) a car will work, as

much of the available parking is either metered, in a paying parking lot, or reserved for residents. In short, you should concentrate on a hotel or B&B that provides its own.