Rock Reef Resort

I have nothing but great things to say about this hotel. Starting with the staff, they were extremely nice and super helpful with whatever we needed. It had a really nice swimming pool and a private beach in which you can use their kayaks and paddle boat. The sunset is to die for. I will be definitely staying here again.

Very clean! Friendly staff, fantastic views, especially at sunset. They have a private, sandy beach and covered patio, perfect for relaxing! Get up early to see the iguanas roaming around. Very close to anything you want to do in Key Largo. We will be back!

This place had decent reviews on expedia, not sure why? Decent location– NO pool! They have an above ground hot tub like you would have in a basement. They DO NOT include coffee in the room! It was an extra charge! Absolutely ridiculous. Nobody around speaks English and doesn’t bother getting anyone who can. Do not stay here! Too many good options around.

This hotel is perfect! Its nothing fancy but its very quant and relaxing. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We stayed in the hibiscus suite. It was huge! The cabins look great. There is a small beach and a nice dock. They also have a few kayaks to use. I would stay here again in heartbeat!

KEYS WEDDING – THE VENUE. This was by far the most expensive and time consuming aspect of the entire affair. I had originally selected a sweet little mom n’ pop hotel called «Neptune’s Hideaway.» After paying deposits on rooms and sharing info with friends and family all around the country, the owners of Neptune’s sold the business. And it CLOSED. How do you suppose the owners informed me that I wouldn’t be able to have my wedding at Neptune’s? If you guessed, «They didn’t,» you’re absolutely right! Picture this: I’m at work one day and a girlfriend calls me up and says, «Are you okay? I heard about the wedding. Do you want to talk about it?» She had received a letter from Neptune’s telling her that her reservation was canceled and her credit card would be refunded with no further explanation. I didn’t get that letter until about 8 days later. And that was the only notification I received. Phone shut off. Padlock on the gate. So let this be a lesson to you, little missy! If you think you want to have a wedding in the Keys, I hope you’ve got a rich daddy! Go to one of the big chain hotels, slap down a huge check, and scream, «All I’m gonna do is show up breathless and gorgeous! You guys better do the rest!» And then prepare yourself for the cookie-​cutter, sterile, joyless hibiscus and seashell soirée they’ll choreograph on your behalf. If you don’t have access to that kinda coin, and you think you can plan your own nuptials on a more «modest» budget, you’d better strap on your seat belt. You’re gonna be living in a Carl Hiaasen novel for a while, and it ain’t gonna be no luxury cruise, sister.
So… after crying my eyes out and breathing into a paper bag for about 72 hours, I pulled myself together, rounded up the maid of honor and headed to the Keys to scope out another mom ‘n pop hotel that was clean, cheap, quaint, had space for a tent and 100 people, wasn’t booked on my date… and, yeah, mission impossible! We stopped at every single independent hotel from Key Largo to about Marathon. When we first checked out Rock Reef, the verdict was, «perfect, but too expensive.» By the end of the mission, that was amended to just «perfect.»
The owners are very professional. They’ve been in the business for a long time, and they’ve probably learned the hard way how to protect themselves from the smugglers, gun-​runners, pimps, drug dealers and every other possible flavor of sleeze ball that tends to pass through the Keys by boat, motorcycle, motor home and rental car. They will NOT cut you a break on the cost. Believe me, I tried. The cost of the room is the cost of the room, no matter whether you will reserve just one or 20. They charge per car for parking and by the bag for ice. I definitely felt picked on and nickled and dimed by their payment policies. They knew the position I was in and their attitude was «take it or leave it.»
With that said, the grounds are well-​maintained and very attractive. They have an excellent space for a tent. There’s even a concrete platform that makes an excellent dance floor. They were nice enough to move around some picnic tables to make space for our group and they hung decorative lights in the trees over the dance floor. They gave me the name of a steel drum player and some other helpful advice.
By oldschool Keys standards, the rooms are very nice. They’re clean, but the furniture is a bit shabby. It’s about what you’d expect from one of the older hotels in the Keys except maybe a little cleaner. They made a big deal of gratuities for the cleaning staff. I was given the option of either paying all the tips in advance or they were going to leave an envelope and an extortion message in every room. Nothing like inviting people on a trip that will cost them a lot of money and then slapping them with a guilt trip for a tip. So, yeah, I paid all the gratuity in advance. As I said, their payment policies will leave you feeling squeezed.
All in all, Rock Reef is a great space for a beach wedding with about 100 guests. 120 would probably be the upward maximum. Fewer would be fine.
One other note: The hotel next door has a pool and they charge cheaper nightly rates. I did catch some flack from some of our more frugal guests. They couldn’t fathom why I wouldn’t just choose the cheapest place in town. I guess they wanted to eat dinner in the pool? Anyway, be aware.
These are the rooms we reserved for our wedding party. The rest were reserved individually by our guests.
10-​Caterer. They used the kitchen in this unit. The steel drum player slept in this unit on Friday night.
9-Groom’s room and liquor storage. Men’s bathroom.
8-​Kids Club. I hired a college kid to come with us and babysit. She had videos and toys in here, so when parents wanted to go out on Friday night or take a break, they could drop kids off here. They also used this restroom during the wedding.
22-​Bridal salon. We brought extra mirrors and used this room to get ready.

Had a wonderful stay here over Christmas; lovely, quaint laid back accommodations, a welcome change from the nameless soul-​less resort chains that abound in the keys. The owners manage the property themselves, and were attentive throughout our stay. It’s wonderful to unwind on a deckchair overlooking the harbor, to the sounds of the wind rustling in the palms and the lapping of the waves. The units have kitchenettes, and the nearby Wyn-​Dixie has most everything you’d need to cook up a good seafood dinner which you can then enjoy in the peace of the tranquil surroundings. Only downside — some millipedes shared our room with us, but that’s not much of an issue for someone used to the tropics (millipedes are harmless compared to some of the other tropical denizens I’ve encountered earlier!). Overall, a very restful experience.