Marrero's Means Rest & Relaxation
by TripAdvisor Member HVNY
I just retuned from yet another trip to Key West, and for the second year in a row, I spent a few days of R & R at Marrero's Guest House.
Marrero's is well situated less than a block off busy Duval Street and within easy walking distance to the many tee shirt shops, bars, and restaurants at the north end of Duval that cater to the tourists, and the art galleries and more polished and sophisticated bars and restaurants to the south on Duval where locals are more likely to gather. John and/or his wife, who own Marrero's, will greet you at the door when you arrive, with a smile and a handshake, and after an efficient check-in, they will escort you on a tour of the facilities, including the clothing optional pool and honor bar, before showing you to your room. Although the thirteen rooms can very in size from postage stamp with a shared bath to king sized with a sitting area, they are spotless, tastefully appointed, and priced very fairly by Key West standards. All of the rooms are clearly and accurately depicted on the website and so there should not be any surprises.
For the breakfast part of the "B & B" Marrero's offers the standard fair of fresh fruits, cereals, pastries, and bagels, which are quite good for the deep south, where tasty bagels are often as rare as a cool day August. Do not expect anything fancy, such as special orders or table service. There is also the afternoon happy hour that John host's on the front porch, where guests have a chance to relax and chat over a beer, glass of wine, or mixed drink.
As noted above and as clearly stated on Marrero's website, the pool area is clothing optional. During my stays, however, many of the guests opted to keep their clothes on, and there is certainly no pressure to go in skin. I often had the pool to myself, and I never saw more than a half dozen people sharing the pool area at the same time. Also, the ages of the other guests ranged from the late 20's to the 60's, with most in the 40's and 50's, and as one would expect with a more mature clientele, the atmosphere is quiet and relaxed. Let's hope it stays that way.
Lastly, in response to the one or two negative comments about the owners, one needs to keep in mind the Marrero's is a husband and wife operation, which means they probably work 12 to 14 hours or more a day, seven days a week trying to provide a homey, relaxing, and laid back atmosphere for their guests. From what I observed, they wear multiple hats and perform numerous tasks, including front desk clerk, bellhop, consierge, doorman, security guard, bartender, hostess, towel boy, gardener, maintenance, supply clerk, bookeeping, and marketing. While I suspect that most guests appreciate, their efforts and understand that cheerful banter is not always easy at the end of a very long day, there are some guests that they will never be able to satisfy.
We Love Marrero's!
by A TripAdvisor Member
For our first trip to Key West, my husband and I, along with another couple chose Marrero's based on location, website description and TripAdvisor reviews ... and we were not disappointed. Marrero's is a beautiful mansion, located close enough to Duvall St to be within easy walking distance, but also far enough away to avoid the noise and bustle during evening hours. Our room was beautiful, spacious and well-maintained. The hospitality offered to us by both John and Kim was wonderful. We also liked the "adult" atmosphere, but I advise you that the clothing optional pool is not for the squeamish :-) (although we opted for clothes, at times we felt slightly uncomfortable as the "odd couples" out).
The continental breakfast each morning was extensive and very good, and cocktail hour in the evening was just as much fun. The atmosphere is very relaxed and low-key. John and Kim were very unobtrusive, but always available if we needed dinner or tour recommendations / reservations.
We cannot wait to return to Key West and Marrero's!!
Loved this place!
by TripAdvisor Member mr33027
Simply a wonderful Guest House in a GREAT Key West location. Just half a block from Duval Street near all the fun and action. Very pretty place, clean, comfortable, and the folks (owners and guests) were great.
We stayed in the pool cabana room (a.k.a. "room 12") which was small but comfortable and clean and just steps from the pool.
The pool is "clothing optional" (and most people were taking advantage of this), so be prepared to either join in (this is Key West --- it's OK here!), or at least don't be offended by it. There used to also be a Hot Tub (we were told), but for some reason it was removed :-((
Our only regret is that we couldn't stay longer - but we will definately be back. We highly recommend it without any reservations.
Location,location
by TripAdvisor Member rjdugg
Just returned from the Conch Republic after staying for four nights at Marrero's. John and his wife run the "haunted" mansion and keep it very nice. Breakfast assortments of coffee, juice, etc along with sliced fresh fruits, cereals and danish are just what u need to start the day off right with. We were given room #23 when I called as it was a cancellation. Very tight quarters - two beds, but not much other room. Verandah was nice/ bathroom small but adequate- it is an old mansion after all.
Location was superior. Although noisy in the A.M. as the trucks and scooters introduced the mornings KW business deliveries, etc. - (along with the ever present roosters,) the location to everything outweighed any early morning discomfort. The pool area was nice, though the change in weather negated any use of the bathing suits- or not! I would stay again- especially in a downstairs room- or a larger room upstairs. The ghost was never sighted.
Good location but noisy
by TripAdvisor Member bareitall
Recently stayed with my wife and here are our observations. The c/o pool is very nice and at times we had the whole pool to ourselves. It is also heated. The room we stayed in was good size and was clean. The continental breakfast was also very good. Another advantage is that you are a block from Duval and can walk to all restaurants and bars. The things we did not like were the additional 10.00 per day for parking as well as the noise. The neighborhood roosters start cockledoodling early in the morning and continue all day long. The other annoying noise was the loud construction going on next door from 7:30 am until 5:00 pm. I would have liked to known about the construction before our stay in which case we would have changed to another B&B. Would recommend once construction is done next door.
Good location & nice inn
by TripAdvisor Member readytorun
My husband and I recently stayed at Merrero's for our vacation in Key West. The location was great. We didn't have to pay extra for parking, because the owner was kind enough to give us written directions to several free parking places. We parked our car for the whole time we were there and walked everywhere. Our room was a little smaller than I expected, but it was fine. The floor was really squeaky, and I felt sorry for the people in the room below us! We were on the 2nd floor. We had an outside balcony but the air conditioning unit is on the same balcony, so when the a/c was on the unit was loud. Needless to say, we spent very little time on the balcony. We too were awakened each am around 7:30 or 8:00 by the roosters and the construction going on next door. I didn't mind the roosters at all, but the construction noise was annoying to say the least. The continental breakfast was very nice, and I loved sitting on the veranda each morning. The carpet on the stairs is pretty worn as well as some of the woodwork throughout the inn, but it was booked every night we were there, and is over a 100 years old, so it has been through a lot of people! I felt the inn was clean and orderly. I was not comfortable with the clothing optional pool, but luckily it was cooler than normal, and I only saw one couple in the pool the whole time we were there, and they had their swimsuits on. The pool was heated but still too cool for me due to the cooler weather when we were down there. The pool area is very nice with lots of foliage. It is a nice place to relax.The owner provides soda, beer and water in a fridge by the pool, and you pay by the honor system. I was wishing he had put snacks there too, since I am a big snacker:) We enjoyed getting up, having breakfast and then walking from the inn to just about anywhere we wanted to go. The only reason I may not stay here again would be the clothing optional pool, but otherwise it was a very charming place - much better than a regular hotel room.
Close to Everything
by TripAdvisor Member bearette07
Perfect location can walk to everything. The noise at all hours is a problem. The roosters make a lot of noise starting at 3 am and the construction next door was very noisy. The air conditioning unit is also very loud and our bathroom shook. The house is nice could use some updates. The cleaning lady was very nice and Helpful. John was nice during the day but was a rude during Happy Hour not his favorite time of day. You shouldn't scold your guest. We were just laughing and telling jokes and having fun because we were PAYING guests on vacation. Its not like we were a bunch of drunks who got of control because half of the group wasn't even drinking. Just remember happy guest return! It wasn't all bad the rooms were nice and the breakfast was great. Everything very well stocked and great coffee! The pool was clean and had a honor bar that was handy. Never saw the ghost.
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