7 Best Hotels in The Everglades, Florida

What was once a boardinghouse built for crews working on the Tamiami Trail in 1928 is now the top spot to stay in town for adventurers on assorted budgets. The hotel has 18 rooms with private baths (plush by Everglades City standards!). Most rooms face the screen-enclosed pool and courtyard, which promotes camaraderie, but there are also secluded patios with chairs and tables for private moments. Decor features photography of the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands. Free Wi-Fi is in the dining area, pool courtyard, and lodge area. Ecotours provided by Ivey House's sister company, Everglades Adventures, are easy to book and incredible to experience.

For easy access to Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, as well as the Keys, you'll be well situated at this relatively modern, two-story motel close to Florida's Turnpike. Standard rooms have flat-screen TVs and either a king- or two queen-size beds. Rooms around the lushly landscaped pool (where there's also a hot tub) command higher rates. Besides complimentary breakfast, there's free high-speed Internet access in rooms and Wi-Fi.

This two-story motel, with a waterfall pool and some of the area's lowest rates, is close to the Tropical Everglades Visitor Association. In addition to laundry facilities, amenities include an in-room safe, refrigerator, and microwave for rooms with either a king-size bed or two doubles. Free Wi-Fi runs throughout the property. Continental breakfast includes fresh fruit and make-your-own waffles.

Of downtown Homestead's smattering of mom-and-pop lodges, this historic inn is by far the most desirable. With its Victorian-style rooms done up in pastels and reproduction antique furniture, there's a fantastic restaurant and bar inside as well. Opened in 1904, this was the town's first hotel, which later became its first mercantile store, first post office, first library, and first boardinghouse. It's now recognized as the oldest building in the city. Each of the 13 charming rooms feature unique layouts and furnishings, and some provide access to a shared balcony. Owners have transformed the hotel's restaurant on the first floor into City Hall Bistro-Martini Bar, a foodie haven for Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine with guitar music on weekends. There's free Wi-Fi throughout the property.

Like an oasis on the horizon of endless sawgrass, this nine-story resort on the edge of the Everglades can't help attracting attention—even if you're not a fan of 24-hour gaming action. The casino is positioned within the lobby (making for a cigarette-smoky welcome at the front desk) and features more than 1,700 gaming machines, 32 high-stakes poker tables, a 1,050-seat bingo hall, and a separate gaming area that's comparatively smoke free. If you get beyond the lobby, you'll find that most rooms and suites have a view of the area's sawgrass and wildlife. Amenities include an indoor heated pool, fitness center, a minibar, coffeemaker, and 24-hour room service. Children 12 and under are invited to hang out at Club Egret, where 8,500 square feet of activities await.

Nestled in a complex of hotels, gas stations, and eateries just off U.S. 1, this two-story Quality Inn has a friendly front-desk staff offering tips on Everglades and Keys adventures or race action at the nearby track. Large rooms with contemporary furnishings have a decent lineup of amenities, from irons and hair dryers to coffeemakers, microwaves, refrigerators, free Wi-Fi , and cable/satellite television. Early birds can access free weekday newspapers in the lobby before the supply runs out.

This affordable hotel is close to Florida's Turnpike, Everglades and Biscayne national parks, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. In fact, many racer enthusiasts stay here, making it difficult to book a room during track events. You'll find a heated pool with nearby tiki huts for picnics, plus a guest laundry facility. Clean and comfortable (all ground-floor) rooms have pillow-top mattresses and more amenities than usual for this price range, including a TV, a "microfridge," coffeemaker, hair dryer, and free Wi-Fi. The Bear Bites breakfasts include sausage, eggs, and waffles. Assorted eateries, gas stations, and a visitor's bureau are within walking distance.