Islander Resort

“Gorgeous resort / major renovations in progress - jack hammers in operation by beach / friendly staff / musty room”

The resort was beautiful, and we loved the layout of the resort and laid-back atmosphere. What we did not like is that resort was under major renovation and our room smelled musty. We were very upset that we were not informed of the renovations. We booked early July and booked directly with the … more

The resort was beautiful, and we loved the layout of the resort and laid-back atmosphere. What we did not like is that resort was under major renovation and our room smelled musty. We were very upset that we were not informed of the renovations. We booked early July and booked directly with the resort. No one informed us about the construction. I was almost more upset about the deceit in not being notified than the actual construction. We arrived on Sunday 10/20 but arrived late afternoon. The construction workers were gone for the day so there wasn't any noise at the time........just ugly blue tarps were everywhere. The nicer pool was closed and was one of several areas under construction. We weren’t happy about it but didn’t complain. We also noticed the room had a musty smell. On day two & three, we were dismayed at the jack hammering sound while trying to relax on the beach. It was comical but not in a good way. We actually left the beach (day 3) and went directly to the lobby to complain. I have mixed feelings about our stay. I'm still shocked that a resort where people pay high prices to get away and "relax" would think it's ok to have a jack hammer 50 feet away from lounge chairs on beach. The workers were using the jack hammer to chip away at the pool concrete. When we asked the front desk why we weren't informed of the construction, the front desk initially blamed it on "Expedia" not informing customers of the renovation. However, we did not book on Expedia!! My wife booked directly with the hotel. More than once, we were told "it was posted on our website" as if to insinuate it was the guest's responsibility to check the website for "major construction". We called the resort two weeks prior regarding concern about the hurricane. No one said anything about major construction and the nicer pool being closed! We did get a credit on our bill after complaining, which we appreciate but feel it was very much deserved. If it weren't for the construction and musty smelling room, I would be giving a 5-star review. The staff were friendly, and the food was very good at Tides and Elements. (However, the Elements restaurant and the gym also smelled musty). The pool was heated, and the bar was nice, but the drinks were incredibly weak (except for the Mai tai). My wife stopped ordering alcoholic beverages by the 2nd day because she couldn’t justify a $14 - $16 small drink without tasting any alcohol. I drank beer all week. As far as our room is concerned, we stayed in the Mangrove suite, Rm 512. It cost 2 -3 x the price of other rooms, (such as those in bld 100 – 400), but it was much smaller than expected. Even if there was no musty smell, I did not think the room was worth that much more than other rooms. The best thing about the room was the courtyard in front of it and the water view from the lounge chair (and that it was further away from the jack hammer sound). See attached pic. However, the room itself was not worth the premium price charged, even if there wasn't a musty smell. The shower was tiny. On our 2nd day, 10/21, we realized the musty smell wasn't going away. My wife called the front desk about the mustiness and the fact that the AC made a whistling sound that kept her up the night prior. They said they were sending a de-humidifier and maintenance for the AC. She also asked for screens for the windows because there weren't any and they were needed to keep the windows open for the smell. They sent someone to the room as we were leaving that day. When we returned 4 hours later, both doors to the room were left unlocked! One of the staff had left the double bolt open on both doors, preventing it from closing and locking. (See pic). Luckily all of our valuables were in the safe and nothing was missing. There still was no dehumidifier but the AC was no longer whistling. We called again and that's when they brought some type of ozone machine. It took another 24 hours (10/22) to learn they had no de-humidifier or screens for any windows anywhere on the resort. (I kept our windows open at night due to the musty smell). Due to no window screens, we woke up to mosquito/bug bites. By then the AC was whistling again but we opened the door to the unit and that helped. The resort offered us a different room on day three but at that point we only had one day left and didn't want to pack up and move. The main concern about the musty smell is that it's a sign of mold. My advice to the hotel manager is to put that room out of commission and knock it down to the studs to get rid of what's causing the musty smell. Then get screens for all the windows. The night before we checked out, we discussed the bill and issues again with a female desk attendant, she made a comment that our room would be $1,500 per night in January and said it in a way to insinuate we were getting a great deal. Her comment upset my wife because the room is not worth $1,500 per night even without the musty smell. I feel compelled to submit this review because I would hate for someone to pay that kind of money for the Mangrove. We liked the courtyard in front of the room but that was the only thing we liked about it. it's not worth anywhere close to $1,500 per night, even without a musty smell. The shower was tiny. Travelers need to be aware of the construction. Staff said it would be complete mid-December but I seriously doubt it. Despite these things, we enjoyed ourselves and it's an incredibly beautiful resort with lots of vegetation and palm trees and beautiful layout. Once the construction is complete, I think it would be a wonderful place to stay as long as the rooms do not smell musty. I now see other reviews dating back to August with travelers complaining about the construction. I would like to ask the hotel manager, why you continue to avoid informing travelers about the renovations prior to their check-in? Clearly you are aware your guests are upset. It's not normal practice for a guest to call in advance to confirm the place they are staying is not undergoing major renovation.

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“Great value in Islamorada”

The rooms are updated tastefully. The bathroom is small, and could use more counter space, very hard to share for 2 people. Also, my only complaint of the rooms is that they DO NOT have a full length mirror! The only mirror is in the bathroom above the vanity. Crazy! The entire place is under const… more

The rooms are updated tastefully. The bathroom is small, and could use more counter space, very hard to share for 2 people. Also, my only complaint of the rooms is that they DO NOT have a full length mirror! The only mirror is in the bathroom above the vanity. Crazy! The entire place is under construction as they are building out a bigger pool area. The construction is ongoing throughout the day so you will hear jackhammers, hammering etc... I like that they have a steamer in the vanity to use instead of an iron. Once finished, the place will be awesome. Also, I would have liked to have a Kuerig coffee maker instead of the espresso machine. Maybe even a microwave.

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