I live in Miami and have stayed at many places in the Keys. I went there for Mothers day and my mom and me both loved it. Casa Marina was great, if you are looking for something a little ritzier and comfortable. This is one of the few hotels (maybe the only) on Key West with a beach as part of it's property. For most hotels you have to drive to the beach or go across the road and haul your stuff.
The staff was very friendly, and the rooms were kept very clean.
Food and drinks were really expensive, but that is what you'd expect- you can always leave the resort and go out and about for local fair and drinks.

We just returned from a five day, four night stay at the Casa Marina Beach Resort. My wife and I were a little timid in our decision to stay at the Casa based on some previously left reviews a few weeks back. With that in mind, I will simply say they must have cleaned up nicely; we could not have been happier with our choice while in Key West. Yes, you are on the opposite end of busy Duval Street but you are away from the hustle of all the tourists dropped there from their cruise ships. You can always walk down to the Old Town district, or rent a scooter as we did and see the whole island. The staff at the Casa were "top notch" all the way. Check in and check out were smooth and efficient. The two pools are both tastefully decorated, clean and always well maintained. The beach was manicured each morning for the guests. The rooms were recently updated with all new fixtures and furniture. The floor was a beautiful, polished marble as are the walkways throughout the resort. What a perfect place to stay, we will definitely be going back!

Stayed at the Casa from 4/24/08-4/27/08. We have been visiting Key West annually for 8 years and love the relative peace of the Atlantic side of the island. So, unlike some of the previous reviews of this property which comment on its location, this review will discuss only the property itself.

We arrived at the resort as the third leg of a week-long, multi-stop vacation and had two fairly large suitcases, with which no one offered to help us when we checked in (no bellman on the curb when we arrived by taxi from the airport), but that was fine. The very first thing I noticed about the property when I walked into the lobby was a ballroom door to the left whose glass panes were absolutely covered with fingerprints (the light was hitting the glass at such an angle that you couldn't miss them). The lovely dark wood floor was also streaked with visible grime. I don't usually look for these things in hotels, and maybe if it the Florida sunlight hadn't been streaming in, I would have missed it completely. But it looked like they had simply neglected to assign a staff member to "lobby duty." I then spotted a welcoming glass jar of icy lime spritzer that was empty (save for a few melty ice cubes and lime wedges) and surrounded by so many used glasses they were covering the entire surface of the small table. I had hoped that this amenity would be refreshed before the check-in process was completed, but it was not.

The first room we were given was so small, it was impossible for two people to move around in it at the same time. We were told this was because it was the last available room in the property and we would be moved the next day when another room became available. If possible, I would advise guests to try to steer clear of the tiny, angular "Flagler Ocean Vista" rooms the website describes as having "unique shapes." This may have just been the tiniest room in the hotel, but it was so overcrowded with furniture that there was literally no room for our suitcases (there were also no dressers or luggage racks). It also had just one full-size window (and one tiny shuttered one) that looked directly at the side of the hotel. If one bent around the opposite way and stretched to see it, a tiny piece of ocean was just visible beyond the pool area. This lack of natural light made the room very dark.

I was disappointed to find a sticky substance on the tiled bathroom floor, to which my rubber-soled flip-flops became stuck. We asked to have this cleaned while we were out, but it was not done.

We visited the outdoor bar for a pre-dinner cocktail and were, again, disappointed by the lack of cleanliness. The bar was not particularly busy but the bar surface where we sat was covered with crumbs, which our bartender ignored. He was not particularly friendly and allowed another couple to sit in our stools while we went for a short walk around the pool.

The next day, we moved into a much larger, cleaner, and brighter Flagler Ocean Vista Room which faced the ocean directly. While it did not have a dresser or bureau (apparently the designers decided to forgo clothes storage for a "credenza" that houses an empty mini-fridge, a wide variety of barware, and some useless shelving), at least there was room to set up 2 luggage racks and move around our suitcases. Adjacent to the bed was a sitting area with a comfortable chair and reading lamp. There was also a wicker settee, which looked sharp and fit nicely into an oddly-configured corner of our room but was in no way a practical piece of furniture (its creamy white upholstered cushion will soon be filthy as guests choose to use it as a suitcase rack). A small dresser would have been a much more practical choice for this space (guests in KW aren't spending much time wearing clothes that need to be hung up in a closet: it's a laid-back town and shorts and T-shirts are the norm).

We loved the grounds of the resort. The first day we sat by the water, we were greeted by a friendly staff member who set up our chairs and towels for us. We also had excellent food and beverage service on the beach, with staff checking on us often. The cool watermelon slices and popsicles were a very nice touch that put this property on par with luxury resorts we have visited.

On our last day at the property, we decided to try the breakfast. We were seated at a table and directed to the buffet, which was very good. When we returned to our table, however, we had no silverware. After hunting around the buffet and searching for a serving station, none was to be found. We sat, hot food on plates in front of us, for at least five minutes as several servers disappeared to attempt to locate some utensils. This seemed very odd and was quite frustrating, but eventually the issue was resolved and the food was tasty. It may be worthwhile to note that there are many employees of this property who do not speak English. There were several times during our stay (including this breakfast) when we attempted to ask a question of a staff member who did not have even the most basic grasp of the language; this made for some awkward and frustrating moments when we could not get the information we needed.

During our last swim in the pool, an attendant came by and removed our towels from our chairs. When we explained that we had planned to use the towels upon exiting the pool, he told us towel service was ending and rudely refused to bring us new towels. We then watched as other attendants brought handfuls of fresh towels out and happily obliged when guests came over to help themselves. This was rather maddening, but not surprising given the highly inconsistent level of service we had received during our stay.

In short: the outdoor grounds are top-notch, the rooms are stylishly appointed but lack some practical amenities and come in a wide variety of sizes, the common spaces need much more attention to cleanliness, and the service is very spotty and inconsistent. The Casa Marina has great potential to be a top-notch resort property but it has a ways to go.

Key West is lively, outrageous, loud, and fun, so this property a bit of a distance from Duvall Street turned out to be the absolute perfect spot to catch your breath. The setting is absolutely gorgeous -- two beautiful pools, clean beach and lovely scenery.
I watched the grounds keepers literally manicure the place each morning. The staff was terrific and the water, Popsicles and watermelon on the beach was a nice touch.

If people complain about the cost, they need to realize that everything has to be shipped into Key West and most hotels are pricey there. Compared to some of the dumps in South Beach it was certainly worth the money to stay in a quiet, classy facility.