Bayside Inn Key Largo

The sunset was gorgeous, the location made it easy to get to shops and local restaurants, and the beds were comfortable. The pillows, though, were smaller than couch throw pillows. We visited in February to get away from the snow and lucked into beautiful weather. Snooks next door was great, and guests get 10% off the bill. You can also walk or bike to nearby places. We had a rough time with the room and upkeep. Our check-in ran until 4:30, so we couldn’t shower before dinner. They waived the first night’s resort fee for the delay, though I learned at checkout this happens often and they plan to extend check-in to 4 p.m. Our third-floor room had no elevator service. A very kind woman with long braids checked us in and helped carry our bags upstairs, which mattered because my mom had broken her ankle a few months earlier. The shower barely dripped, and although cold air came from the AC, the room still got hot enough to wake us sweating, then cold. Other guests mentioned the same AC problem. Clean towels were hard to find. One morning at 9:30 we got the last two. The pool and beach areas weren’t cleaned and reset until 10:30, if at all, and on Monday they were left that way. Trash cans overflowed. The beach was mostly dirt and needed fresh sand. The cabanas weren’t cleaned during our four-day stay, and I had to step around staff, trash bags, and dirty laundry bags more than once. The dock and beach seats were so hard they made it tough to relax after 20 minutes, and the cornhole set didn’t have enough bags. There’s potential here, but it didn’t feel ready for a full booking and didn’t match what I expected from the website. It felt more like an inn or motel than a resort, and most employees’ attitudes bothered me. I paid top dollar expecting a resort experience, and this wasn’t it. I hope they take the feedback seriously and improve.

We keep coming back and have always had a good stay. The place sits in a perfect spot between the gateway to the Keys and the middle Keys, with lovely facilities, plenty of amenities, and king-bed rooms close to the water. Bayside Inn and the team deliver professional, capable service that comes close to five-star quality without the price. Thanks, TJ and Monet. We’re more than satisfied and highly recommend it.

Tamikia at the front desk was wonderful. She’s clearly underpaid, but did everything she could to sort out our problems, and management should value her much more. The rest of the stay was frustrating. Our room wasn’t what we expected. The beds were very hard, almost like sleeping on box springs, though they were clean, and there were no trash bags. Roosters were loud from 3:30 until 6 in the morning. We were told it was beachfront, but the so-called beach was dirty with cigarette butts and beer cans, and the water had moss and upside-down jellyfish with no warning. The kayaks had holes in them, and one poor woman sank twice in two different kayaks. A sign said the pool was being cleaned, but the men with the equipment were playing ping pong. When the pool opened, the water looked cloudy. My husband and I spent a day picking up cups, cans, and cigarette butts around the dock. The next day three manatees came in. With proper management and groundskeepers stepping up the way Tamikia did, this place could be breathtaking.

We finally left early and found a real hotel. I’ve never had a worse vacation stay. The elevator and WiFi were both out, and the service was practically nonexistent. Our flights were canceled, and we gave 24 hours’ notice that we’d arrive a day late, but they still charged us for the unused night. At check-in, the rooms we’d reserved had been given to someone else. The replacements were dirty, had no sheets, and one mattress was flipped over. After we complained, we got other rooms, one without a coffee maker and the other without a TV. There were dirty towels, too. They wouldn’t refund the original booking or the oceanfront rate, even though our view was of the parking lot, and there was no discussion of a refund. I stepped onto the balcony to smoke, put out the cigarette, and threw it in the trash because I didn’t want to litter over the railing. They charged me $250 for smoking in the room, which I did not do. I’m disputing that charge. Don’t stay here.