Has anyone stayed here recently? Any input greatly appreciated.

Stayed there about a year ago. It's one of our favourite hotels. Excellant pool-side service, great terrace breakfasts, good quality restaurant (if a bit pricey) and one of the few beaches in Key West. We upgraded to a suite for only $20 a night extra - well worth the mass of extra room. Some of the 'cheap' doubles are small and dark and overlook the carpark. We liked the fact that you're away from Duval Street so not so noisy, although we'd go there every night for food and drinks. I'd definitely stay there again - in fact you've got me thinking!

This hotel gets wildly mixed reviews. Some people love it; others hate it. The location seems a blessing for some but a major inconvenience for others. The last complaint I read about it came a couple of weeks ago from someone who'd gone to Key West for rest and was disappointed in the number of squealing children at the Casa Marina. My personal preference is to be closer to the Gulf.

Yeah, I've seen the mixed reviews too. We've stayed here several times, always outside school vacations, and have never had the slightest bother from any kids at all. It depends what you want - we're in our early 30's, no kids, want some sophistication, some character, good service etc. You can't get all these at any other hotel in Key West - period.

I have to say that I also feel a bit mixed about the Casa Marina. We stayed there last July ... The rooms were fine, we were concerned about the distance to town, but it was no problem - about a 20 minute walk and lots of interesting stuff en route. I liked the location -- being "away from it all". I agree that the situation with children was out of hand (but if you have kids, it may be fine for you). I found a lot of screaming, yelling, splashing, running and obnoxious behavior. Parents refused to take control. (I'm not usually fussy about this unless it's really bad, which it was.)

The other thing to bear in mind is that Key West has crappy beaches. I know that they promote this resort as having the only private beach on the island -- just expect coral and not white sand. All swimming was done off a pier. However we did go down to the "beach" with chairs to get away from the pool, and there were few kids there (probably because the beach was crappy! So there was an "up" side!)

The ocean was beautiful, and there were very few boats/sea doos/etc. zooming by.

Depending on price, I might stay there again, but if I could get a better deal I'd try one of the small "boutique" hotels in town that are off the beach.

tttttt

I agree with heather. It is an older hotel and they seem to think slapping on a coat of piant makes it new again. The furniture also reminds me of the cheap stuff you kind at K-mart, Walmart etc.