Beautiful setting, but poor communication and unresolved billing issues
Aug 13, 2025 633rachela
The resort is beautiful, clean, airy, modern and tidy. We loved it the moment we stepped in. The gardens are lovely, with outdoor games on the lawn, and the terrace bar has stunning views over the lighthouse, one of the pools, the marina, and out to sea. We spotted plenty of sea life in the marina waters – a real highlight.
Unfortunately, things…
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The resort is beautiful, clean, airy, modern and tidy. We loved it the moment we stepped in. The gardens are lovely, with outdoor games on the lawn, and the terrace bar has stunning views over the lighthouse, one of the pools, the marina, and out to sea. We spotted plenty of sea life in the marina waters – a real highlight.
Unfortunately, things went downhill from the moment we checked in. Our room was meant to be ready at 4 pm, but we didn’t get access until nearly 40 minutes later. The real frustration was the lack of communication — even while standing in reception, I had to approach the desk three times for updates. Eventually, at 4:30 pm, I was told it was “almost ready.” I asked for the key so we could at least walk over and wait, as it was in a separate block across the gardens. When we arrived, housekeeping were just leaving at 4:40 pm. No one — not even the operations director who had personally gone to check — offered an apology. He returned to reception and simply ignored me.
The rest of our 4-day stay was enjoyable. Marathon is a charming town and a great base in the Keys. Sombrero Beach, just a few miles away, is well worth a visit.
That said, there were still small but frustrating quirks — like having breakfast included, yet needing to visit reception every morning for vouchers instead of being given them all at once. We were also given a resort map showing a neighbouring hotel’s facilities, but when we tried to visit, the gates were locked with signs saying “for hotel guests only.” We later found out, after we had already left, that we were actually allowed to use them.
The biggest issue came after checkout. I confirmed with reception that our bill was settled (we had prepaid via our travel agent). A few days later, the entire cost of the stay appeared on our credit card. The hotel ignored all contact from us, so our travel agent stepped in, confirmed it was an error, and said the hotel would refund us. Two days later, only a partial refund appeared — and more than a week later, we are still waiting for the rest. Again, no reply to any of our messages.
It’s such a shame, because the setting is gorgeous and the facilities are great. But the lack of communication, the dismissive attitude to resolving issues, and the ongoing billing problem mean I can only give 3 stars. If you can overlook those problems, you may well have a lovely stay — we just didn’t get that experience.
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