Stayed there for 2 nights recently. Cedar Key is a quaint place, and once you've discovered it you want it to stay that way. Good folks there, And also a good birding area for those interested. This little motel has an awesome location, if your perception of "walking distance' is 'not more than 200 yards' then you've found the right place. Shops, fishing pier, bars, restaurants, beach, boat tours and more... it's a good spot to leave the car alone for a couple days! My room was clean and very spacious, with a waterview. Don't expect a chain hotel fancy design room, but as others stated already....there's a lot of stuff to do outside the room! Perfect place for laid-back people looking for a budget short stay with unbeatable value. The bedding was good. Rate was 60-ish a night. Your man in charge is friendly and makes things easy. Relax, you have arrived. read more

Dockside Motel is now called Salinity Hotel. A two-night late-April 2026 stay was not all that I had hoped for. There are pluses: Room #12 did not face the street so it was reasonably quiet, the room was refurbished after Hurricane Helene in Sept 2024 and all is fairly new, the king bed is nicely supportive, coffee maker/ refridge/ microwave all work, WiFi also works outside on the deck. More pluses: closest hotel to the fishing pier, right out the door to the Dock Street restaurants, tee shirt shops, ice cream joint and wine bar. Very easy walking distance to all the 2nd Street restaurants, bars and artist shops. My complaints: lack of security and insufficient storage space. The hotel door is secured from the outside by way of an electronic push button lock. A four digit code opens it. The codes are changed (I'm told, but can't verify) with each new rental but there is no inside double lock!! No way on the inside to keep someone with a master code from entering the room while you are inside! No typical hotel mechanical inside system. Too late for my reservation but the next (potential) guest should check before booking. Made me apprehensive both nights. Room #12 is at street and deck level and has good handicap accessibility but this was a feature I didn't need. Room has a very large bathroom, at least 6' wide and 15' long with a wheelchair roll-in shower. Nice! But bathroom had 6' between the tiny wall mounted sink and the shower and only a really small cabinet (top surface only 12" by 24") that left almost no room for toiletries, pills and other misc travel items. The bedroom, while spacious (12' by 15') had the same lack of raised storage. We found the single standard folding luggage rack and put the larger of two suitcases on it. Fou the second suitcase, choices were: the small 36" round table, leave it open on the floor or return it to the car. The small 12" by 15" valet was almost worthless. I'm sad the people that run the hotel never tried to travel with luggage to the hotel. I've given the Salinity Hotel THREE STARS. read more

Two rooms as we traveled with friends. No remote for tv. Was promised she would come in but never showed. Dirty, beds were horrible, faucet didn't have the mechanism to turn on the faucet. We left and dint stay there and never will again. read more

This is the EXACT type of motel I look for when I'm traveling! Great location. Great location. No frills. Low price. Seriously, who travels to stay in a hotel room? This is right next to the Cedar Key "strip". It has views of the fishing pier and it packs a lot of character. You can walk to everything in Cedar Key. It's also very reasonably priced. If you like having our Ah0l kissed and/or enjoy all-inclusive vacations...you should probably avoid this place at all costs. If you like homey old motels and saving some dough for the things you'll be doing outside of the motel: this is your place! read more

See all

Terrible do not stay!!!!! Can't say one thing nice. Smelled like bleach Horrible. Worst 100 bucks I lost. read more

The worse accommodations ever! Starting with our reservations for a room with king bed and gulf view. Made a month in advance and confirmed a week before arrival. When we arrived our reserved room was not available as it was occupied. We were given a room with a queen bed & view of the bridge construction in back. The door to the room had handle broken and no lock that worked. Bed was hard as the floor. Light fixture had no light bulbs. No chairs at the plastic table. Curtains was only sheer so at night the room was brightened by car lights crossing the bridge. Woke at middle of night with loud door pounding and yelling outside of our door. While descending the steep stairs we met the people as they were checking into our reserved room across the hall. They had reserved a handicap room which had been given to someone else and they were given the room across the hall that should have been our original reserved room. The room was suppose to have a coffee maker which it did not. The desk clerk said they stopped providing them a year ago and have not got around to changing their website to reflect this change. The carpet was filthy and looked as though not cleaned in quite a while. No sanitizing the room at all. No parking. Ceiling fan was missing a blade so was unusable. Several guests complained about not getting the room they reserved. We tried to relocate to another motel but all were booked so we had to stay at this disappointing motel. No WIFI as promised. Paint peeling off the dirty walls. Smoke alarm was missing. Very disgusting place and recommend all to avoid this dump read more

See all

The view was amazing looking at the Gulf. The room well. The entire room was leaning towards the door. Tried to open the windows out of 6 windows 1 opened and stayed. 1 opened and come out in my hands. The others were stuck closed. The celling fan. Did not have any of 3 bulbs or was suppose to have. Toilet was only held into the floor with 1 bolt it would rock from side to side. The shower barely had any pressure . Then the BED omfg. Hard as a rock. Come to Cedar Key many times stayed in alot places on the island. But this place is beyond terrible. And for 120.00 a night. To bad can't leave a negative star. read more

Location is great ! Older place but very clean rooms friendly staff. They need to fix the door on room ten total safety issue downside no parking out front. But great place otherwise read more

This place may have been nice at one time but it isn't anymore. It is bad. I don't care how inexpensive a place is and I do not need fancy but this place is in need of serious help. Great location. It's a shame because it could be a nice little place in a great little town. To say it needs a lot of TLC is putting it mildly read more

See all

Nice location with great view. Cold ac but the fridge didn't work. New owners are fixing the place up though.

This is a small motel with only about nine rooms and is in the best location on the island, only about 50 feet from the new fishing dock and bars and restaurants. The rooms are cheap - $55 Sunday through Thursday and $70 on the weekends. The rooms are simple, but clean and they are in the process of upgrading the paint, bedding and carpet. The new managers Leah and Rod are really nice also. read more

Don't confuse the four star ranking with any kind of AAA ranking. My ranking is based on price value, location and customer service. Is this motel in need of an update...certainly, could the coffeemaker actually include some coffee...nice touch perhaps! This small gulf view hotel is a great bargain and in the heart of Cedar Key. Park your car and walk everywhere! You really can't beat the $59.95 for a weekday price and actually receive a safe, clean room. Don't stay if you have picky hotel needs. This ain't the Hilton honey! read more

Can't beat the price or location; Walking distance to everything. We had a minor maintenance issue w/ our toilet (water running continuously) & owner popped by & fixed quickly. He was very friendly. Would certainly return & recommend. read more

Dockside Motel - Nice view of the fishing pier. - Hotels Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

Although this is an old motel, we enjoyed our stay there, and were pleased with the accommodations. We especially appreciated the view over the bay from our street side window. Like I said, this is an old motel and not the kind of rooms that you would want to spend the entire day. There are some things that could've been bruised up a little more. But overall, if you're at a resort and you're not spending your day in the room, it was a great place to stay. Even though it was on the main street there wasn't any traffic noise or anything like that that disturb us in the evening. read more

The Dockside Motel is just what we were looking for. Located in the midst of the drinking, dining, shopping zone but noise was never a problem. Great view of the entire Gulf with sunrise and sunset views. Apparently the furniture HAS been upgraded -- very nice sofa, chair, dining table with four nice chairs, fridge, microwave... water views on two sides and clean, clean, clean. One night, I took a chair and sat on the small balcony at the end of the hall, watching the pedestrian traffic from the second story. CK is a family friendly sleepy little town and you will fall in love with it. Also, some really great art co-ops. read more

I enjoyed my stay at Dockside and would have no problem's going back again. My roommate and I met my boyfriend there for a night away from St. Pete. The manager was very friendly and wanted to make sure we were all comfortable and had enough towels upon check-in. The rooms are pretty large and open, but nothing fancy. The table and chairs inside the room were outdoor plastic furniture, but I had no problems with them. The windows open, which was nice to let in the breeze and it seemed very clean. Just a warning, I don't think the office opens until 9, so we had breakfast before checking out. So if you need to check out early in the AM you may want to arrange that ahead of time. read more

This may be the best deal in western Florida during the week. $59.95 for one person, Sunday through Thursday, more on Friday and Saturday nights, but not rediculously so. It's not new or fancy, but it is clean and inexpensive and located on the best spot on the island, right across from the fishing pier within a very short walk to most of the restaurants and shopping. . With only 11 rooms it can fill up and parking is on the street, but if you can get one and don't need a lot of amenities, you'll be pleased. As a plus, the manager and his family are nice folks. read more

Dockside Motel - View from the fishing pier - Hotels Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

See all

Clean and quiet. Very nice folks and they KNOW all the local sights. Coffee and donuts every morning. Thanks ya'll read more

My husband and I have stayed at Dockside for yrs when visiting Cedar Key FL. After changes in Mgr we visited this christmas..not good at all.. the hotel is run down as in... No shades on windows or curtains only sheer see through cheap $ store curtains, i could not even walk around at night in my gown.. wholes and tares in the towels, obviously very old. The dead bolt in the door did not work, out of alignment my husband said. The new guy running it was nice enough and i know it was Christmas but we did not see him hardly at all, he seemed overwhelmed. When we did talk to him he just made excuses and said the owners would not let him fix the things needed til after Christmas..really not even shades for privacy. Now the room was clean and big. Until the improvements are made and hopefully Gary is back we will not be staying there again. read more

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!! The motel is located in the PERFECT place in Cedar Key! You can walk everywhere; most of the shops and restaurants are right on Dock Street (same street as the motel). Room was very clean and staff was very friendly. My husband and I have stayed at a lot of places in Cedar Key but we will only stay here from now on. You get exactly what you pay for and it is by far the best deal on the island! $59.95 for weekdays and $83.93 weekends!!! read more

See all

I ought to give it four stars just for the ridiculously low rate, but there are a couple of minor issues. We stayed one night (New Year's Eve) and the rate was only sixty bucks. And for that, you really can't complain (much). We were greeted upon check-in by the manager, who was VERY friendly and welcoming; just a super nice guy. However, he was leaving the next day to move closer to his family, so I don't know what kind of management situation you'll encounter if you stay there. We stayed in room #6, which is upstairs and faces the water on Dock Street. It was clean enough, and had a mini refrigerator and a microwave. NO EXTRAS, but what do you expect for that rate? Therefore, bring your own hair dryer, shampoo, hand lotion, etc. There are none of those little niceties here (although they do have those tiny little bars of soap). We brought our own small coffee pot and coffee with us. They have free wi-fi, and they gave us the password as soon as we got there. The furniture is nothing special: a couple of plastic patio chairs and table, two lamps, a TV, and a dresser. The bed was okay, not great, but we didn't wake up crippled, either. And I don't want to come off like the Princess and the Pea, but the sheets are ROUGH. Really. Rough enough that it was noticeable, and every time I rolled over or adjusted the sheet, I noticed how, um, ROUGH they were. So, very low thread count? Skimping on fabric softener? Using sandpaper as sheets? Not sure, but not a deal breaker (although if we go back, I will absolutely bring my own sheets. Yes, really). And if you stay in room 6, it's a king bed in just case you decide to bring your own! :) The other issue I had may only be with certain rooms (including ours). It was 45 degrees outside, but the room was STIFLINGLY HOT, all night. We actually had to turn on the air conditioner because it was so unbelievably hot. When we checked in, there was an open window in the room, and it was really cool and breezy outside, but since the windows are only on one side, there is no cross ventilation unless you leave your room door open. Which you're not likely to do. I can't imagine how uncomfortable this would be in the summer time. Nevertheless, it was fine after we turned on the AC. I just hate to do that when it's December and really nice outside. I think perhaps the building is just oriented in such a way that even with the windows open, you just won't get much air circulating in the room. And that's not the fault of anyone at the motel, just something you might want to know about the comfort of the room(s). Last, the next morning I ran into the hotel's owner. He greeted me passing in the hallway (I assumed he was a guest). We wished one another a happy new year, and he asked where I was from. I told him and we chatted, and then he mentioned he was the owner. He was really pleasant, and told me they were getting ready to make a lot of improvements on the motel. I thanked him and told him we'd be back, which we will. It's a sweet little place, nothing fancy, but clean and definitely worth it. It's like a lot of establishments in Cedar Key: owned by a transplant, or a retiree, or someone who just wants out of the rat race. Cedar Key is a wonderful little place, and the Dockside Motel is typical of the character of the town. Go. You'll enjoy it! read more

This motel was pretty clean. The walls were paper thin. Even though they say that they are cheapest motel around, our bill came to over $90.00. Enjoyable little tourist sight. Seems economically depressed. read more

We made a reservation 3 weeks before our arrival, no problem. We even called 3 days before our arrival to check if there was a microwave and "Gary" the same person who took our reservation told us sure, and he confirmed our reservation and told us he might be able to move us into a nicer room. So we drive 3 hours to check into our room and Gary tells us there is someone in our room. Apparently he's been renting out the room thinking they weren't going to pay in time, then they come up with some money and can stay in the room now!?! He tells us since we have a reservation he's going to kick them out and he'll have the room ready soon. Does this sound like a Hotel? He continues to charge us the 2 nights on our credit card while we're waiting. Meanwhile, while we're waiting patiently downstairs for the room with our 6 month old baby, the people who Gary is "kicking out" come down to complain to us about their situation and about Gary being a terrible manager! All we wanted was a room that we had reserved, and now us, along with our infant son are involved in a dispute the hotel and other "guests", again does this sound like a hotel? The people get mad at us, tell us they have to move their entire house. Gary tells us there's no other rooms in town after we ask, and tells us he wishes he would try to find somewhere else to stay, that would "Help him out a lot"! Again WTF, does this sound like a hotel? My blood is still boiling at the ineptitude and lack of any sort of professionalism or decency. An hour after trying to check in Gary tells us that the room is not going to open up. While our baby is crying after we realize we have just driven 3 hours and have nowhere to stay we now have to wait for this incompetent "manager" to refund the money on our credit card. Disclaimer, we've stayed here before in 2015 and had a very positive experience, I cannot begin to guess what the hell happened here. I beg the owner, if it's not Gary, to find a new manager to run this place. I work in the service industry as a server/bartender and was so insulted by the way we were treated and the way this was handled. read more

We stayed here for one night,views were great! (room #2) room is upstairs,difficult for us "seniors" parking is very limited! NO ON SITE PARKING. MOTORCYCLES ARE PARKED RIGHT UNDER THE WINDOWS,AS THIS IS THE BAR DISTRICT! A lot of vacant storefronts and closed stores! We rented a golf cart for the day ($52. cash) Almost every place wants cash or check. Eating out averaged $45.00 for 2, breakfast was $22.00 Not much to see around town! The motel offers small refridge,microwave and coffee pot! The room was simple but clean! Not enough in the area to make a return trip overnight! Great for a day trip! We heard fishing is great and motel location is 50 feet from new pier! read more

TV is broke, but hey, it's Florida so who is watching it anyway. Cheap and 1 minute walk from good food and drinks. read more

Very clean hotel, staff available 24/7. Right on the main street, beautiful views of gulf. You can walk to everything, can watch the fishing pier from rooms facing gulf. Stayed here 9/24. Everything was open after the hurricane. read more

A basic old fashioned motel (complete with old fashioned metal keys). A bed, bathroom, TV, refrigerator, and microwave. Free wi-fi but bandwidth easily overwhelmed. The place is clean and they leave you alone unless you ask for service. Right across from the fishing pier. Several restaurants and bars within easy walking distance. Like everything in Cedar Key, it's small scale but friendly. read more

The palace was clean the price was great we stayed 3days the room was OK for the price the view as awesome but the window blinds were a mess need to do something about them could not close them there was 7 slate's missing had to dress way back to have any privacy other than that would stay again but a different room also could not get WiFi in the room read more

My husband and I stayed here Saturday night after being screwed over by another local hotel (Cedar Cove). We met Phil and his wife yesterday for the first time, they went out of there way and above and beyond to get us a room. They called every hotel and B&B on the island and no one had an opening but they were able to move things around for us, so that we can have a great Valentine's Day as husband and wife (Our first). They are genuinely good people and we have already made our reservations for next month. This is the only place on the island that we will ever stay. Thanks again to Phil and Rose for all you did, it is good to know that there are still some good people in the world. See you in a few weeks. read more