We are planning a trip to Marathon in the Fla. Keys and need help finding a place to stay. I know we would need to spend anywhere from $200-300 per night since there are 9 of us planning the vacation..most likely 2 apts. or condos. Any suggestions out there that anyone can recommend. I am going crazy trying to decide on where to stay since there are such pros and cons on places. Some websites are deceiving from what I read. I am interested in CocoPlum Resort and also Gulfview Waterfront Resort BUT am open to any other properties but don't want to overextend ourselves in price either...something reasonable!! We would like to have a swimmable or snorkeling beach as well as fishing, pool and relaxation. Any info I can receive from anyone would be appreciated. Thanks and hope to hear from a lot of you SOON!!

With all due respect, mar9, you may NOT hear from a lot of people. Many will click right past a post called HELP. Isn't that what nearly every post is looking for?

You need to attract readers who KNOW about Marathon and about the Keys, and that destination needs to be in your title, so people seeing that who do know the answers will bother to open your question.

I thought someone was being KIDNAPPED. And at the last moment hit post before the assailants threw their laptop against the wall.

We stayed at Cocoplum many years ago, but I took a look at the website and pictures still look accurate. First impression when we walked in was great - dining room table set up all fancy with fanned napkins in the wine glasses, and everything was spotless. I would not hesitate to stay there again. Handy having W/D on ground floor and pool was great. From what I can remember, the beach had a lot of seaweed, but we were told they couldn't clean it up because it was turtle season. Did see dolphins swimming off shore too. Nice because it is back off of 1, so very quiet.

Thought this was a Beatles fan...

I saw "HELP" an assumed it was another frantic American Airlines ticket holder....

mar9: Welcome to Fodors. As you may have figured out by now, your title is less than HELPful.

Just FYI on how the forum works - there is only one forum, "United States". So your HELP!!! is lumped in w/ threads about San Francisco, Hawaii and Sioux Falls.

Clicking on a state just lets folks find some of the threads about that state. So, you should re-post a new thread w/ a title something like "Marathon FL - CocoPlum or Gulfview Waterfront for a group of 9?"

You might get some good response on this thread - but you'll get lots more w/ a better title.

good luck.

To all who have replied to my post I thank you....I am new at this so I really appreciate all of the imput. Is there a way I can change the title or add to it without having to rewrite the whole thing. Instructions on how to do this would be appreciated. If I can't add to it is there a way to delete it and just post a whole new listing. Thanks again

Sadly, no, you can't change it, and you can never change your title once it's been posted. But you can easily just start a whole new post using the hints you've now been given. Don't worry about deleting the old one. Posts have a habit of sinking to the bottom within a day or so anyway -- never to be seen again.

As NP says - you can't change your title. But you don't have to re-type it either. Just highlight the text, copy it, and then start your new thread and paste it.

"copy/paste" is your friend . . . .

Okay, here is the deal. I have really extensive knowledge about the keys.

Firstly, have you been to the keys before?

All of the keys except for Key West are geared mostly to boating and fishing and unless you are renting a boat or bringing your own, you would be bored stiff. There are not really any beaches in the keys.

Which brings me to the boat issue.

Do you know how to navigate, read charts, and understand markers and bouys? The water around the Florida Keys is very very shallow and the fines for digging up seagrass or running aground are around $50 a square foot.

The waters of the Florida Keys are a National Park and are governed/policed by about nine different agencies. In a nutshell if you screw up, you'll get caught.

Six inches outside a channel and you are in less than a foot of water.

That behind us, Marathon, to me, is horribly boring. Islamorada is a much nicer area to stay in. Check out The Pines and Palms. Also, take a look at www.VRBO.com. Addresses will be listed at milemarkers. I would suggest somewhere around mile marker 80.

Moving forward, are you not boat people? There are few beaches in the keys. Bahia Honda is the nicest and it is closer to Key West.

Is this trip all about R&R, some sun, and some fun? I highly suggest Key West. For such a small town, it has a plethora is excellent restaurants.

If you tell me more about your group, I can give you better advice.