Sombrero Resort & Lighthouse Marina

Very low quality hotel in desperate need for renovation. The room door was sticking and it was very hard to close, the balcony door did not seal properly when closed and we had cigarette smoke coming in the room from the one next to us. The bathroom faucet is archaic and very difficult to turn on and off. They gave us a wi-​fi code which was useless because there was no signal in the room. Overall a bad experience.

Definitely no Hyatt or Merriot but the room we got was clean a decent. Bathroom could use an update and they are remodeling the entire resort as both my husband and I took a walk and saw the hotel rooms gutted. Pool and tiki bar was nice. And for the price we pay would definitely come back cause it gave us the budget to spend elsewhere.

First and foremost, I have never wrote a negative review about a hotel or anything for that matter. I never think it is worth my time to do so, but this experience with a «resort» pushed me over the limit. I booked a room a week in advanced for $ 145. You would expect to have somewhere to sleep for that money. My girlfriend, another couple and I spent the whole day on a boat and were excited to get back to shower and get a good night’s sleep. I got a voicemail from an employee named, Marie, telling me that the office closes at 10pm and that I would have to get my key from a lockbox. It’s strange that a «resort» would not have 24 hour staff available, even motel 6 for $ 50 a night has 24 hour staff. I was okay with it at the moment, not thinking anything could go wrong. We arrived at the hotel and obtain the key. At this point, we find the room, I turn the key, open the door and there is a couple sleeping on the pullout couch. They jump out of bed and say, «wrong room!» So I close the door and attempt to call the hotel phone number which I know will not get me anywhere since there is no staff at this time. I left a voicemail explaining the situation. At this point its 1am and no hotel in the area has a vacancy or has a reasonably priced room. So my girlfriend and I had no choice but to drive 3 hours back home to West Palm Beach, on nearly 24 hours of no sleep. We were exhausted and frustrated. I don’t understand how someone can make a mistake as to leave us a room key for a room that is already taken. Especially since you know there isn’t any staff available to solve the problem if it occurs! The next day I get a call from William, the front desk manager. He was very nice and told me the room would be refunded (as it should be of course) and that I would get a call from Ralph, the General Manager, on Tuesday and that Ralph would give us a free room as well for a future time. I thought, great, at least this would make up for this mistake. Well now it is Saturday, 4 days after the Tuesday that Ralph, the General Manager was supposed to call me. I just called and spoke to a nice receptionist and asked for Ralph, but Ralph would not take my call because «he doesn’t deal with customers.» I believe an at least decent «resort”/hotel/motel should have a general manager that understands hospitality and should own up to a mistake of their employee and at least give me the decency of speaking to a customer that did not have a pleasant experience. Also, I should not be told that I would get a free night’s stay as well and to not have that granted, just so that they can make me feel «at ease.» As I said, I do not usually waste my time writing a negative review but please take notice potential customers! Save your money and rent a tent instead! At least this way you will be guaranteed a room.

My family and I recently visited Marathon there were 10 of us. We had a 33 ft boat and 2 wave runners that we wanted docked close to our room. Very hard to find accommodations in this area for a reasonable price. I was a little reluctant after reading some reviews. We decided to book here considering they said no problem with all of our requests and the price was below anyone else in the area. I arrived with bleach wipes and my own sheets expecting not the best from previous reviews. To our surprise we were booked on the 4^th floor directly in front of the boat in rooms that were perfect. Aside from the carpets dirty our rooms were clean and somewhat updated. View was perfect, staff amazing, pool and pool bar clean and relaxing, full kitchenette and very peaceful. We didn’t expect to spend much time in these rooms because we were in the keys and who actually stays indoors but we had some boat trouble so we were there a little longer then expected and it was totally great! The area is the most central located with gas stations and grocery store in walking distance. Doc master very helpful! Great place to stay in the keys! Has the total keys feel. The only negative note to this hotel would be for those looking for luxury Miami style accommodations this is not the place for you. Looking for authentic key style lodging stay here!!!

This place is a crap hole. Do not spend your money here. Everything in the room was old and disgusting. The front desk staff were rude and management hassled us at the pool. We will never return… EVER!

I was very surprised with this resort. If your looking for high class, you wont find it here. However, if your looking for an affordable yet accommodating hotel that gives you that true Florida Keys vibe, this is it!
It doesnt look like much from the outside. There’s a lot of construction and rennovations going on right now. The pool area was closed for deep cleaning on our first day, but the hotel credited the resort fee for us. Parking is covered but it’s first come, first served. There was one elevator working but the hotel gave us a room that was closest to that working elevator.
Upon walking into our room, things perked way up! We booked a King room that is complete with a full kitchen, dining set, love seat with pull-​out couch, PLENTY of walk-​in closet space, and a king bed with balcony in the room. The first thing we noticed was how roomy it was. then we noticed both air conditioners were on and blowing ice cold air, just the way we like it! The floors are tiled, which I love, and everything is in working order in the kitchen! Yay for homemade breakfasts!
Things we would change…
There is Only one tv, its in the living room and there isnt one in the bedroom. The tv works but is outdated (really shouldnt be a complaint, at least it works!), the pillows on the bed are flatter than pancakes (thank goodness I brought my own), and the balcony faces the back of the check-​in building, which again, doesnt look like much. There is also a nickle sized blood stain on our shower curtain that really grossed me out.
Overall, we were impressed with the room for the money we paid. We will definitely keep this place in mind for the future!

Shockingly bad. It may have been quite the thing in its hey day but it is tired, worn out and in need of serious interest by staff. Full kitchen includes three spoons, one working burner, four butter knives, two dinner forks and three salad forks. Pan so warped I had to hold it hovering above one working burner to scramble a couple of eggs. Rusted out, as in, I am a Florida native and I can’t believe they still allow the a/​c units to be plugged into electric because the entire unit is dangling by the cord due to rust, inside and out. TV didn’t work and in four nights stay the staff never did find time to investigate. We slept with all windows and dorrs open since a/​c was useless. Great location, near the beach, the grocery and several enjoyable eateries. It is also very near more decent accomodations. If you birng a pup tent with you to Marathon you will have better amentities.

Recently stayed at the Sombrero Resort & Lighthouse Marina during a road trip through the Florida Keys. It is located on Marathon Island and only about an hours drive from Key West, FL. The resort is in a convenient location, just a corner away from a grocery store and local beach. The rooms are similar to a one bedroom apartment with a living area and kitchenette. However, our room had a strong odor. There was a heavy smoke smell that someone tried to mask with some sort of dollar store clearance scented Febreze. Just writing about it makes my nose itch.

In reality this place does not even deserve one star! It was the most disgusting hotel I have ever visited in my life. First, when checking in there was a little dead bird by the entrance door and no one bothered to pick it up. Second, our room had crumbs on the floor, beds weren’t made, pots and pans were dirty, trash was not taken out, and the elevators did not work. I suggest you sleep in your car if this is your only option.

Stayed there for work booked 3 rooms and service was horrible. I booked it on outside website and they both have different term and try screwing you. Tried charging my card without my authorization and wanted payment in full before I even got there. I find that unacceptable for anyone, our AC was dripping water over a electric cord and they said it wasn’t even though we had it on record. They didn’t even give us a discount. Never again nor do I recommend it to pay that money for shitty service.

Just got home from staying here for 5 days…
Arrived to find out NO elevators worked, which was horrible since we have 3 kids and were on the 4^th floor. We got over it though… On the 3^rd day we found 1 started working && it was scary. If you look at my photos it expired in 2008(the paperwork). Do they know you have to keep up with that???
Other than that the room was great, No bugs, very clean.
Full size kitchen & separate bedroom with 2 queen beds and the living room had a pullout bed that was a twin.
Centrally located in Marathon right next to publix, If you check out all my other posts you will find out about food & the beach in the area.
We stayed in room 416. Has 2 a/​c units and the front balcony has bay & some ocean view. The back balcony has a tennis court and golf course view.
Id definitely stay here again, Id want to stay in the same room ofcourse since I know its a good room, Some ppl that live on the property are long term residents.
Oh & there is a boat ramp there and NO fishing on the property.
The pool is heated and great!!! It also has a tiki bar with food and drinks and live music on the weekends at night. We have small children so we didn’t do any of that.
The office also has pool towels you can borrow. Housekeeping comes once a day, Ours came in the morning which was great, There was NO safe in the room so I don’t know if they have those to offer? I left my laptop at home this trip so I was fine with not having one.
I would stay here again & for the price is wasn’t bad!!!
We paid $ 500 for 5 people for 4 nights. If you compare to other prices this is great!

BEWARE! The photos online seem to be for only the front building. The back building is disgusting and filthy. Stained carpet, dirty walls, mold in bathroom, I can go on and on. We will never again stay here and I will continue to make sure everyone is aware of the untruths they are posting online.

Rooms not bad. OTher than that… did not enjoy at ALLLLL!!! nOT KID FRIENDLY. CANT HAVE YOUR OWN FOOD OR DRINKS BY THE POOL. AND NOTHING ENTERTAINING NEAR BY.

I do not plan on returning to this location. Definitely, do not rely on their website either; the pictures you see on their website are not from this resort. Most of the statements made are also false advertisement.
The room — While I was pleased with the accommodations, my linen smelled horrible. At 8:30 p.m. the front desk was calling stating that the kids where to loud. My water heater had to be reset. Our room was on the 4^th floor — Elevator was not functioning. (Note, we had rented about 10+ rooms, most of them on the 4^th floor)
Parking — Is limited, first come first served.
Pool — Lots of regulations, No radio, No food/​drinks, and etc. Also, there is no beach or picnic area at this location. Only one barbeque to enjoy also first come first served. Since there is no chill spot you must create your own. But, be careful because at 8pm you’re going to get the dock master out there telling you its quit time. (Blah Blah Blah) They even threaten to have us removed from the property all 10+ rooms.
Wi-​fi — is available in limited areas.

We normally end up spending a quick last minute trip in Key West, but I wanted something a little different so we decided on Marathon. After an extensive search online, we decided on Sombrero Resort. I really enjoy having a kitchen when we go away even if it’s for a couple of days so this helped our decision.
We arrived at Sombrero and I admit, it’s not much to look at from the outside. It looks like apartments and townhouses. there’s a large tennis court as well. Across the street is a golf course. We checked in quickly and asked the desk clerk about kayak rentals which, on their website, state that it’s «right next door.» He stated that he didn’t know because he’s not a local. I thought this was odd and perhaps he should have some kind of information about the surroundings. But he was pleasant enough and provided me with some other information that I asked for.
Parking is horrific. If you’re not there before everyone gets in from the day you could be parking quite far away from your condo. They have an elevator which is convenient for taking all your bags up.
When we entered the condo, the first thing I noticed was there was no musty smell which a lot of the Keys condos/​rentals have. I was very pleased. The two wall AC units were on and the place was very cool. The furnishings are plain and nothing to write home about but the sofa bed couch was comfortable, dining table was sufficient and the kitchen was stocked with dishes and utensils. All appliances worked very well.
The bathroom was very clean and the towels were very soft. The shower was a nice size and it had great water pressure. They do provide soap and shampoo in the bathroom if you need it. Oh — and a hair dryer as well.
The bedroom was a nice size, comfortable bed, linens and pillows. They have ample closet space and drawer space. The TV in the bedroom was tiny, but that’s no big loss! The bedroom has a separate wall AC unit which is great if you have someone staying in the living room on the sofa bed!
Off the bedroom was a balcony with two chairs and a table (plastic) with a view of the pool area across the parking lot. Some units have a view of the tennis courts. Even if you don’t sit outside on the balcony, it’s a great place to dry bathing suits and towels.
All the rooms open to the waterway where you can find boats/​yachts parked and a view of the houses across the waterway. We saw a few people had brought small BBQ grills and took them out by the water and had a nice BBQ with friends.
They have coin operated laundry facilities on the first floor. The ice machine is also here. You get pool towels in the main office.
The pool is an adequate size and it’s fun to see the Marathon High School swim team practice there in the mornings. Pool was very clean. They were hosting a fishing tournament the weekend we went to it was very lively, lots of people in the pool, but it was very pleasant. They have a pool side tiki bar where you can order drinks as well as food.
There is a sit down restaurant right off the pool. This is also where they serve continental breakfast (they give you tickets when you check in for the breakfast. We wandered down to check out the breakfast but were not at all impressed so we went off to Publix which is within walking distance to get breakfast stuff and had a nice home cooked breakfast in our room. :) We did not eat at the restaurant at all this trip.
Cleaning personnel were very friendly and kept the condo very clean. I would definitely come back here. I’m more of a do it myself kind of vacationer and like to provide my own meals and straighten my own belongings so the simplicity of this place really pleased me.