My boyfriend and I are planning on attending an art festival at Pigeon Key. Any suggestions on motels to stay nearby would be appreciated. We have heard some horror stories about motels in the keys. Our budget is $100 per night. Thank you!

What horror stories did you hear?

I was told that most of the motels are very old and very expensive for what you get. That the web page of some of motels do not paint an accurate picture of the place. If anyone has any suggestions on where do stay in Marathon I would appreciate it.

We stayed at the Marathon key beach Club thru a timeshare exchange and enjoyed it. There were people there not with a timeshare exchange, and I think they paid $135/n. This was about 5 yrs. ago in March.

Some of the motels in the keys do not have phones in the rooms, especially the ones around $100.00 per night. So if a phone is important to you bring your cell and be prepared to go outside to talk.

Many are older and expensive. But a Keys vacation is not really a budget vacation. Try Banana Bay Resort. In addition to some places at 100 a night not having phones, they also may not have televisions.

Hey, guys, let's slow down. Go to photos.yahoo.com/scullyyank . Then click on the album that starts out Hidden Harbor. I've posted three pix I took of the room we stayed in last week. Don't know whether it had a phone or not--we don't go to the Keys to stay in touch.

We paid the Visitor Center rate of $55/night. And, as there's a turtle hospital at the motel---open ONLY to guests, at the 5PM feeding time--it's worth a stop.

I even gave them $10 extra for the turtles. And they didn't even ask for it.

I'll have turtle pictures up later. But the main point is that there's lodging value in the Keys. You just gotta look for it.

George, I loved your pictures! I sent for info on the place you mentioned. Have you heard of the Contiental Motel? It looks real decent on the internet but I would feel better with a personal recommendation.

Linda: Not familiar with the Continental. However, i've found Marathon to be the easiest place in the Keys to find lodgings.

Go to the Visitor's Center when you get there. See what's on sale. If it looks good, go to the motel and personally check it out. Don't like the looks of it, go see another.

We'd stayed at Hidden Harbor once before, so I knew the place.

Incidentally, I've got some turtle pictures up now. Same location: photos.yahoo.com/scullyyank . Look for the turtles album. Will clean it up a bit tomorrow, but if you need a turtle fix overnight....

Thanks George. I will check out the turtle pics tomorrow. So is it safe to assume I don't need reservations in June? I just found a link to the Bonefish resort. It looks like a neat place. ever heard of it?

Linda: Bonefish looks nice. I've heard of it, but personally know nothing about it. We're just Pennsylvanians who pass that (Keys) way annually, and leave reluctantly.

By June, half the motels/resorts in the middle Keys will be paying you. Don't even think about making a reservation.

While trip-planning this year, I had my eye on a certain motel/resort in Marathon, and was toying with the idea to take a look. Their web site indicated they had a sliding price range for their rooms/dates. The price would start out at $100+, and as the date got nearer, the price would drop until someone reserved it on the web, or it got to about 5 days prior to the date. Bottom price that way was $89.

When I got to the Marathon Visitors/Welcome Center, there was a posting there that rooms (in that resort) in two different classes (and one was a houseboat) were available for $75 for that night. This was midweek, in high season, though.

I was tempted, but in the end I decided to go for the turtles.

George, you are awesome! Finally some info that is what I was looking for. I would love to stay a couple nights on a boat. That sounds so cool. I live in WV so we are neighbors, lol. Do you care if I email you?

Linda: Go right ahead and email. Use [email protected] . It's still working, though they're supposed to change over to comcast.net this month.

I lived in Chambersburg PA for most of my life, and worked in Hagerstown MD for a decade or so. Used to sell bread and advertising in WV, but those are other stories for other venues....

That's [email protected] ...

Watch out for any fishing tournaments during June. If you are coming down during that time you might have a hard time finding lodging on the spot.

we stay at banana bay....decent rooms/prices....great pool/tiki bar.......although some of the front desk people can be quite surly. as i've posted many times before....the older motels in the keys can be scary...try to stay someplace that is recommended by someone who has stayed there recently.

Personally, I dislike Marathon. To commercialized with too many strip centers. I suggest you try Islamaroda. More laid back, better restaurants and a real feel for the keys.

Linda-If I remember correctly, you asked the same question on another thread and received some good recommendations. I agree with Rob, unless I had personal recommendations for a place down there I would be very hesistant to stay there. The web can make even the most atrocious roach trap look pretty good....

A great little place is the Gulfview Motel on Grassy Key, MM58. We have stayed there twice. It is an older place but well-maintained. During the summer I think you can get a regular motel room for about $75 a night there. The owners, Chuck and Susan, are very friendly and helpful. There is a pool, gas grills, small dock, boat ramp, hammocks, etc. There are only 11 units so it is never crowded.
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