can anyone recommend Crystal Bay Resort? It seems to be what I am looking for for a central place to stay in the Keys. Would appreciate a personal recommedation or for any moderately priced Keys motels other than Key West. Thanks.

Some suggestions: Parmers Place at Grassy Key, Banana Bay Resort or CocoPlum at Marathon, Hampton Inn, Islamaroda.

I had looked at Banana Bay and Cocoplum and neither are what I consider moderate rates. Lots of recommendations for Parmers but it is a little too rustic looking to me but thanks for the response. Have you heard anything about Crystal Bay or Gulf View? There are just two people so a motel type room will do.

Tammy-Never heard of Crystal Bay. I would be very leery of staying in something that is not recommended down there. A lot of motels are right next to the Overseas Highway and you can hear traffic all night or else they are real roach traps. Parmers Place gets good reviews here for a reason. It is clean, well-maintained and the owner's are friendly. Which would you rather stay in a recommended place or a place no one has ever heard before???

Hi,
I have stayed at the Gulfview twice in the last year. It is a nice place, very clean. The pool is great. There is a small dock and boat ramp. The pedal boats and canoes are a lot of fun. You can actually canoe around to the Dolphin Research Center. The owner/managers are super nice and accomodating. I would definitely stay there again.
Kristi

Thanks very much Kristi. That is the kind of response I was hoping for. Can you wade in the ocean there or is it too rocky? Were there enough people around that it felt safe there?

Tammy,
You cannot wade in the water there due to the numerous upside down jelly fish and other strange things in the water. It is very mushy.
It is very safe there. We never locked our room door while we were around the motel, in the pool, at the dock, in the hammocks. We were desperate one day for some Key Lime Pie and couldn't find any GOOD Key Lime pie locally (within a few miles) so the owner made us two Key Lime Pies. She is so nice. We thoroughly enjoyed our stays there. But we were mostly fishing, not going there for beach swimming, of course. We had a boat and found several small swimming areas close by on little mangrove islands. That was a lot of fun. If you are wanting a beach then this is not the place for you.
Kristi

Upside down jellyfish? Are we talking about the stinging kind? Are jellies a problem when you go snorkeling? Do you go in the ocean at all in this area? I appreciate your response very much. Would you know of a place in the same price range and similar to Gulf View where you can go into the ocean to at least wade?

Tammy,
Yes, the jelly fish sting. They are very bazaar-looking.Don't know of a place in that price range that has an area where you can wade. We usually go to Bahia Honda State Park to swim when we are down there. There is also a small beach called Anne's Beach in Islamorada that you can wade at but it is not a spectacular Florida beach. The beaches are not why most people go to the Keys. There is a small place on Grassy Key called the Bonefish that it is possible to wade in the ocean at but it is a little mucky but there are no jelly fish. We snorkeled a little off-shore there around some old concrete pilings and saw lobsters. The only drawback to the Bonefish is that they do not have a pool. Their rates are very reasonable.
Kristi