MARINA DEL MAR RESORT

All things considered; this was a very underwhelming experience. Do not let the name "Resort" fool you. This is an ordinary hotel, with a pool, a nice location by the marina, but with no special features at all. The worst thing was the price paid - $350 a night for the experiences listed below is WAY TOO MUCH! It would be worth $150 in my view.

1) The room is small. Very small. Two small (queen?) beds, that is it. It is also old, with outdated windows, tub, shower, broken blinds, everything. It needs a remodel, pronto. The blinds are cheap Home Depot things, and the room gets really bright really early so you can't really sleep in at all if you want to.

2) The WiFi did not work at all in our 3 nights there. When I called the first time, they said it was the AT&T outage that day. The next time I called, the lady told me that their infrastructure (routers, modems) is too old and that it doesn't work well EVER, and they are supposedly replacing it... I would be able to do no work at all, if I didn't have my T-Mobile hotspot. If you don't have a hot spot, or if you bring your cell phone from other countries, and can't use a ton of data, you are screwed.

3) The breakfast is a little better than at a Hampton Inn or La Quinta - meaning, not great at all... The same yogurt/pre-packaged sandwiches/cereal combination, but without the hot DIY pancakes, or fresh fruit. NOT AT ALL a "resort" breakfast.

4) The second night, my mattress collapsed and had to be replaced - which they did, quickly.

5) Parking - you do not have a reserved spot. You park wherever you can find a spot, and compete with people parking for the restaurant next door. If there is no space available near your room, you go park at the "sister property" which is a Holiday Inn next door, and walk back with whatever you are carrying.

6) You can use the facilities at said "sister property" which include a better pool and jacuzzi, better gym, and a poolside bar. The catch - every time you want to get in the pool, you have to stop by the front desk at the Holiday Inn and ask for a card, which you then have to return to the front desk IN PERSON to the attendant - no drop off box, nothing. It made me feel like I was sneaking in, not that I was welcome. Why couldn't they make your Marina Del Mar keychain work in the Holiday Inn locks, if they are sister properties???

7) Did I say I paid THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS A NIGHT for this crap????

Stayed a night on our way to Key West - great little stay: convenient location, with friendly staff at the front desk. Room itself wasn’t spectacular, breakfast wasn’t either, and the hot tub didn’t seem to have a way to turn on the jets (though it was hot and that was nice on a cool, windy February evening).

Wifi didn't work. Lamps were broken.

The room was great. No complaints on service either. But if you are looking for a quiet and relaxed evening on a balcony with a nice view, think twice. The view of the waterway was nice, with some stunning boats parked along it. The morning brought a bit of traffic and wildlife, which was fine. But there was a lot of noise from we think a diving outfitter compressing and filling tanks both in the morning and very late in the evening.. 10pm. The bar next door also had very loud live music playing. So if you're into that atmosphere, it's great. If you want to sleep and recharge, think twice. We did not make use of the pool, hot tub, or other amenities. The breakfast was average at best. Not a lot of choice, especially if you look for low carb options.