Beach Front (2.5 Acres) Secluded Cottages on Ocean in Islamorada

** Accommodations are Rough **

Lisa W. ()
Review submitted: March 16, 2013   Date of arrival: February 25, 2013

If you have low expectations when it comes to cleanliness the place may work for you. The cottages were filthy. Not a little dust kind of dirty, but other people's grime dirty.

The owners we not prepared for our arrival yet they told us the cleaning lady had just left. Lawn furniture was scatterd about the property, not all of the beds were made and the bedding that was there was grungy. The small wading pool was dirty and vomit from a wedding the night before was still on the patio.

There is a dock for boats and fishing. If you're a hardcore fisherman and are used to camping, want the convenience of a boat out your door then you may like it here.

Overall, if your planning a nice family vacation, a girls weekend or a spa getaway look somewhere else. I would never consider going back and would not recommend it to anyone. We stayed one night and left.

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Helpful votes: 2 / 3

The Layed Back Keys

scooter (Ocala)
Review submitted: June 25, 2012   Date of arrival: June 16, 2012

We really enjoyed staying here. The set up of the peacock cottages was great. This is what you call the layed back keys not fancy condos. The owners were very freindly and always went out of their way for us. Their maintance person (Mike) gave us coconuts rignt off the palm trees and cut them to where we could drink the juice and if you want an even better taste, add a little rum....We had everything we needed there including kitchen utenciles, towels, extra bedding and lots of chairs for outside use. Don't worry about bringing your own lounge chairs. The beds were very comfortable and the drinking pool was the best..Lay out in the sun with your fruity drinks and listen to the music and take a dip to cool off. We cooked out almost every night there and the backround of the ocean and trees was excellent with tiki torches lit. We even seen some hermit crabs, large lizzards and lots of peacocks walking around the grounds.
Even though we had some rough weather a few days we made the best of it right there. We will be back next year.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 3 / 3

Awesome Setting

Lee (Washington DC)
Review submitted: April 25, 2011   Date of arrival: March 19, 2011

The headline for this property is simple: The setting is simply awesome.

You step out of your cottage in the morning (there are actually two cottages, about 20 yards apart), and there you are, right on the beach, peacocks wandering the grounds -- watch out for the droppings! -- the water sparkling, the dock glistening, the sun shining. There are hammocks strung between the palms . . . a breeze maybe . . pelicans and egrets overhead. It's placid and just gorgeous.

Also, a little funky. Jeorge (yes, he spells it that way), the extremely friendly owner, has his trailer hitched up in a far corner of the property. The lot is large, so you don't feel cramped, and he's not meddlesome at all. But . . . it's there.

Also, the small beach is not immaculate (Jeorge could stand to pick up the flotsam and bits of trash). On the other hand, the water is crystalline and cool, and the swimming is very nice. Lovely, in fact.

The cabins themselves are fine and relatively clean and comfortable but a little spotty on the details. For instance, there are kitchens, or rather kitchenettes, but virtually no pots and pans or other basic things you'd need to make even a simple spaghetti dinner. (To be fair, there is a good variety of terrific restaurants all within an easy drive.)

In the smaller cottage, which contains a large bed, there's no closet or chest of drawers or night table or room to breathe in the tiny bathroom. In other words, it's charming but seriously cramped. (The other, 2-bedroom cottage, where we put the kids, is slightly roomier.)

You do have most of what you need: plenty of towels and toilet paper; lots of pillows; a utility shed with washer and dryer; powerful A/C units; and televisions in every room -- four in all for the two small cottages, which seems like overkill. (Who goes to Florida to watch TV?)

There's also a splash pool in the middle of the grounds that's ideal for younger kids -- it comes up to their waists, more or less, and is perfect for cooling off on a hot day.

I don't want to nitpick. This place is great. To repeat the main thing: The setting is spectacular, the grounds are fairly spacious (more than an acre) and -- best of all, for our family -- you're on the beach in the Keys and not in a big standard-issue resort with hordes of other tourists. In other words, if you value privacy and a beach setting, this place is just great.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet-friendly, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 17 / 17