The Hammocks rooms are nice, we had 2 rooms with 2 bedrooms and nice views and 2 big bathrooms. The kitchen area is small if you cook or need storage for food items. Some great room views are 218 or the third floor. The Tiki bar had the best key lime pie and added extra whip topping for the teens. The grill and picnic area is also cosy and convenient for all the guest. If you can, book the charter fishing trip before you come. They were always a hit and we weren't able to join as a small party with someone during the week we there. The pool is warm and the weather was perfect. Key West is an hour and fifteen minutes away. We did a power boat tour with Sebago and it was top service and fun. The hotel has very friendly staff and take advantage of the concierge they had good ideas for all of the family members who came to visit us. The rooms were very clean and whenever we needed fresh towels, they were around every day to freshen up our room. They made our bed every day too. This is not common at all Bluegreen resorts. This place was booked. Our rooms were quiet and we enjoyed the swing, hammocks, pool, tiki bar, grills and watching the sharks and tarpons each fish scraps. One tip on the beach, I wouldn't swim here, just sit and lay out. Go to the Sombrero Beach, it's free and clean and beautiful (only a short drive.) If you want to swim with the dolphins go to Hawks Cay, it's clear blue water and they are very friendly. Their prices are reasonable and cheaper if you are going as a family. No admittance fees to watch.
We stayed April 5 through April 12, 2008.

The Hammocks at Marathon is yet another winner in the Bluegreen family of resorts. Centrally located in the heart of the Florida Keys, we found the Hammocks to be a most welcoming and relaxing experience, with a professional and courteous staff that was not only accomodating, but quite helpful and informative with regards to all the area had to offer. My daughters delighted in all the daily activities designed especially with them in mind, while my wife and I were content to simply lay quietly in the hammocks and soak in the gentle breezes rolling off the Florida Bay. Each night we enjoyed sparkling views of the sunset from the marina with a dozen or so other patrons, while the fishing boats rolled in with their daily prize. Half or full day charters, kayak or bicycle rentals can all be arranged on site, or you can inquire at the front desk regarding other options nearby (check out my review of the Marathon Lady party boat...highly recommended!) The tiki bar will even cook up your catch, complete with all the fixings, or you can utilize any one of four BBQ grills adjacent to the pool area. Inside the room (2nd floor, 1 bedroom suite) we took full advantage of the cooktop, convection mico, dishwaher and fridge, thereby saving a little green by enjoying a homemade breakfast each morning. Everything is provided...dinnerware, cooking utensils, even the dishwasher and laundry detergent is always there for the asking. The room was clean, comfortable, fully functional and, most importantly, QUIET. Our private balcony overlooked the pool area and tiki bar, as well as the tranquil blue waters of the Bay (make sure you reserve a Bayview room when booking your stay). The pool and hot tub were frequent stops during our week's retreat, as was the tiki bar, which featured everything from burgers and wraps to beer and wine and other assorted libations. The resort 's spacious lobby was also a regular gathering spot, where we frequented the computer station with (somewhat limited) internet access. The entire grounds are immaculate and meticulously maintained through and through, which we are happy to report is quite characteristic of all Bluegreen properties we have visited thus far. If there is one drawback to the Hammocks, it must lay in the fact that there is no internet access (other than dial-up) in any of the resort's 60+ rooms...a suprise considering the otherwise high standards that Bluegreen is famous for. Perhaps with some additional prodding, this trend will be reversed in the not too distant future. Either way, we're already looking forward to the next round of near perfect sunsets and shimmering blue waters that will mark our return visit. Thanks to everyone at The Hammocks for making it a memorable and enjoyable week for everyone. Leave a light on for us!

Just returned from a very nice stay at The Hammocks (3/15/08-3/21/08) where we stayed in a two bedroom unit with a fairly nice view of the gulf. Be sure to ask for a Bay view for the best views. Ours was on the east side of the resort where we had a nice view of the gulf, a light house and the coast guard. The unit had a king size bed in one room and two twin beds in the other room and a sleeper sofa. The kitchen was on the smaller side with only a three burner stove, small oven, large microwave and a refrig. that is about half the width of a standard refrigerator. Usually we are use to a larger kichen area, but found this one to meet our needs. The rooms do not have a washer/dryer in them but did provide a set on each of the three levels. There are also two elevators located at each end of the resort where we never found ourselves waiting. The pool area is nice and usually started clearing out at around five in the evening, leaving my children with a pool to themselves. The Tiki Bar, "Barnacle Barney's" had nice drinks and very good food. My children also enjoyed watching for the fishing boat charters to come in on the property to see the catch of the day being cleaned on the dock and the unsuable scraps fed to the large tarpon, sharks and barracuda. You can also rent jet ski's, kayaks, pontoon boats or even dock your own boat at the boat slip and marina on the resort. The very small beach had a lot left to be desired, my kids wouldn't swim in it do to the sea grass (which you are not suppose to remove)that kept washing up into it. Several days the whole Keys area had some type of rotten egg smell but only noticed it twice out of our seven day stay. There are a lot of things to do within a 10 mile radius of the resort including the Dolphin Research Center, Turtle Hospital, Crane Point Nature Center, Bahia-Honda Beach, Seven mile bridge to name a few. Most things you will need a car for but the Turtle Hospital and Bridge are within a couple blocks of the resort. We also had a hard time finding places to eat outside of the resort that we actually enjoyed. The Keys Fisheries Market and Marina was probably our favorite for seafood. We also tried several other places to eat for lunch, Buraccuda Grill and The stuffed Pig, but found that they didn't open untill six in the evening. Too late for my children. The resort itself offers a nice grilling area where I saw people grilling everything from Florida Lobster to thick steaks. And if you charter a half or full days fishing charter, the resorts Tiki Bar and grill will prepare your catch and so do several area restaurants as well. Overall we had a great time and would very much like to go back to the resort. We enjoyed the smaller (52 units), less crowed and laid back style to many of the resorts that we have visited thus far.

Well, we got bamboozled. Using hotels.com, my wife and I booked a stay at the Hammocks. We then purchased our airline tickets, rental car etc...

After a few days, hotels.com contacted us to say that our room has been cancelled. Reason: there are really no rooms available. It would have been very nice to know this before making our final plans. Everthing is now up in the air and we are looking for a new place to stay. Ofcourse, we will not be using expedia.com to book this next reservation.

Thought I'd warn others.