Where to start? They do mention renovation being done and areas affected is exterior. Would have been extremely helpful if they mentioned the pool and pool area is what's actually currently being renovated ! I mean who's going to book a room without out a pool 0-1 . Then no ice machine, staff member said the room the ice machine is in is also being renovated so no ice for drinks 0-2 . Wi-Fi all this renovated and of course our room #5 has zero Wi-Fi service 0-3. Staff member asked how can we make things better. I said well we can go to a different hotel. She said unfortunately the hotel cannot reimburse for the room already paid in full. And the rates reflect the inconvenience. I said your rate is only about $10 less than the next lowest rates in town 0-4.She also mentioned that hopefully next time we come back they will have everything up and running. Theres not going to be a next time. So here we are what's that saying "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." Stuck in this so call hotel. Yes rooms look great but that's about it. Windows they are Jalousie from mid century and doors are out dated. At night the door would let the bright light come in. Bathroom light would not stay off automatically turn back on. Exterior is outdated they just painted it without updating the exterior walls. read more

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You'll be awoken by construction workers renovating and smoking cigarettes so the whole room smells like cigarettes. The price they charge is outrageous for a youth hostel trying to become a hotel. read more

Perfect one night stay. We had a private king size room. It was clean, newly renovated and very spacious for a couple. Very curteous staff. read more

Seashell Motel - Hotels Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Be sure you are booking a room, the hostel is male or female, 4 to a room. Our room was a double, 2 double beds and a good sized shower, sink, toilet in the en suite bathroom. We did a spontaneous trip to KW, so we were thrilled to find a place, and under 400 a night is not bad for high season! We encountered no issues, and check in and check were quick and painless. (Lol). The outdoor "kitchen" is a full size fridge, a grill, a counter and lots and lots of utensils. This place is a 2 minute walk to Duval (quiet end) and even closer to a few restaurants, a bar and a liquor store, so that makes it get more points. It's about 5 blocks to Higgs beach, the biggest public beach in KW, which has a long pier. read more

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This does not look like it did on the website. Instead, it's literally a big whole in the ground. They dug up the entire common area, and it is replaced with rubble, a bulldozer, and heavy excavation! You will be confined to your room. The Internet service is below one bar, so even though the WiFi connects, web pages don't load. I've tried many spots throughout the property, with no prevail. I was told over the phone that bike rentals were $20 the first day and $10 daily afterward. I got there, and they charged $13 daily after your initial $20. This place is a headache and my trip was ruined. I have mobility issues and am wheelchair bound. The website said it was handicapp accessible. It is NOT. The bathroom doors and shower room doors aren't wide enough for a wheelchair. DO NOT GO HERE, especially if you want a relaxing vacation in the Florida Keys. Instead, you are staying on an active construction site without any sort of peace. read more

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I mean no disrespect by a 3 star review. This is by far the cheapest place to stay in Key West so I hope they don't improve it too much because then they could charge more. The Good: Location A+. Rent a bike from the front desk to get anywhere on the island within 10 minutes. Friendly and helpful staff. Downsides: Only one bathroom for a 6 bunk and 4 bunk female room to share. Often had to wait for the shower. Nowhere to put your luggage. There are lockers to rent outside of the room but who wants to exit their room to get their clothes? I put my bag at the foot of my mattress so couldn't stretch out completely. read more

Seashell Motel - 6 bunk female room - Hotels Near Me - Key West, Florida

This isn't the Hyatt, but it has everything you need if you're on a budget. The owner and everyone that works here are incredibly kind and helpful. The rooms have fantastic air conditioners with ceiling fans to boot. There is parking with security cameras, an outside area with a barbeque grill, full size refrigerator, utensils, spices,a microwave, outdoor sink, patio tables, and an ATM machine if needed. The location couldn't be any better. It's two blocks from the beach and in a quiet area away from the chaos of Duvall partiers. I give this little getaway 5 Stars! read more

Good customer service and very friendly people. room wasn't bad but the bathroom was way too small.... Takes time for water to get hot. The bathroom was the only thing I didn't like. For the price, it could be better or they should put the price down. Other than that it wasn't a bad place read more

Seashell Motel - Hotels Near Me - Key West, Florida

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We stayed one night in one of thier newly rented private rooms. it was clean, beautiful and very spacious. we were advised it was under construction but as we were gone during the day, it was no problem. we will deff. be back again. read more

I love the Seashell Motel and Hostel. Have stayed here a few times and every time was great, friendly staff, clean, met nice people, outdoor covered kitchen area, walk to the beach, bike rentals, affordable, what more can you ask for? I usually only stay a few nights in the dorm and it's perfect :) already looking forward to next time!! read more

I am a veteran hostel traveler. So I would like to think I can offer an objective review. Plus, I like to think I've "been around" a bit. UPDATE: this place has bed bugs. I stayed in bed #10 room 17. I was bitten ALL OVER MY BODY. Stay away. This "hostel" is better described as a motel, which it is. However, because it is a motel, they rent to local people who have turned the hostel into a flop house. Perhaps a halfway house is a better description. The guests are clearly local people that appear to be "down on their luck". Everyone I saw was intoxicated and smoking cigarettes in the "common" area, where they remained the entire day. I would return throughout the day to freshen up and each time I returned their intoxication level increased. I'm not saying they were aggressive but I don't care for THAT level of drunkenness. The second morning we saw a fellow female guest exit a cab and take the "walk of shame" into her shared dorm. She was a local entertainer at the gentleman's club on Duval Street. That day she was getting evicted for lack of payment. All her belongings were removed from her room and essentially "put out to the curb". Later that evening as I was returning to again freshen up, I saw the bouncer from that gentlemen's club stop and pay the clerk for his employee's room. I am not speculating. This is a fact. They even posted a sign on the female dorm stating male "guests" are not allowed. That type of clientele attracts problems. Fact. Now I'm not judging, I don't care about any of the choices these people make, but this place is not a quality hostel. I never brought my belongings in because I felt unsafe leaving them inside. I left everything in my car. The facilities were filthy. I mean disgusting. Dirty. Bathrooms were bad. One shower and toilet for 10 men. It was awful. They did clean them in the morning but by afternoon it was destroyed. People left their personal items in the shower as if they lived there. Toothbrushes, underware, etc. Also, I found the fellow guests were inconsiderate and lacked hostel etiquette, for example not using head phones at night time leaving the overhead lights on. Just not cool. The only thing I could say I liked about the place was a nice "front desk" clerk, bike rentals and very good air conditioning. If you are a single woman traveler I would not stay here. Heck, I'm a well seasoned world traveler and I won't stay here ever again. read more

I arrived in Key West on a day trip not expecting to stay and when I decided to stay overnight the Seashell invited me in with open arms . The staff was very nice and the room was newly renovated . The most affordable option . I can't wait to return to Key West when I do this is my choice every time . If you want a resort to spend your entire time there not for you but if your going to key west to explore this is an amazing option . read more

Front desk was very nice and accommodating. They even let us check in early. Cute main area with a shared kitchen area as well. Nice bed and pretty nice room for a decent price considering the location. read more

Updated rooms. Clean. Pretty quiet for the most part. Staff was very helpful and friendly.

WOW! Loved this place. The bathroom and bedroom were renovated and clean. The room included a new TV, mini fridge, microwave, and 2 full size beds. The staff was awesome. We booked last minute after our other hotel fell through and the concierge was so helpful and patient. Great cleaning crew and great vibes all around. We were able to walk to and from the bars and restaurants on Duval street. We were also able to walk to Fort Zachery and Higgs beaches. 10/10 would stay again!! read more

Turned me away because I am a local, born and raised, looking for a nights sleep with my esa dog for some quality time and no other hotel was open so we had to sleep outside during a cold front and I had a seizure the next day. Horrible service. read more

This is a cute little motel not far from the water or Duvall Street. They have an outdoor covered kitchen for everyone to use as well as a little tiki hut seating area. There is coffee available 24/7 (regular, no decaf). Now, don't expect a 5-star hotel. I gave it 5 stars for what it is - a cute little motel. I would stay here again. read more

Seashell has motel rooms and hostel style dorm beds. I stayed in the shared dorm room and thankfully I had the place to myself for the days I was staying. The shared bathrooms were clean, but I found an empty cup and some wadded up toilet paper in the crack between the bed and the wall that sort of grossed me out. There were lockers outside for smaller items, but my room had no place inside for locking items. The lockers outside are fairly small, so I couldn't have put my suitcase there if I wanted to. I had to leave my larger luggage unsecured in the room, which made me uncomfortable. The room would be pretty packed if the beds were occupied by four people and luggage on the floor. The four bed female dorm is adjacent to another room with about six beds (attached by a bathroom and an unlocked door). One morning I came back and the door was unlocked and open to the street, so I was lucky my belongings were still there. For a hostel, I wasn't expecting much. I just was surprised of the price for a shared room and no pool. For the same price or lower you can get a room at the other dorm style place on the island and that one has three pools and a better vibe. Seashell had mostly older men that keep to themselves. I ended up staying two nights instead of four to opt for a better location and room. The service was very friendly, and they were happy to help me with things like borrowing a blow dryer etc. There were times I needed to talk to the front desk and no one was there so I had to wait around, but they were very accommodating when they were present. I am a digital nomad so WiFi is always a concern. The staff told me the WiFi wasn't great before I came, but I was able to take calls just fine. WiFi and service give an extra star. read more

Stayed in room #1 and had an awesome time! Quiet & everyone was super nice. Had my super expensive camera in the room and it was kept safe. I even hid it under the blanket and they came in and made the bed and gently put it against the wall. 10/10 would 100% stay here again. Super clean and nice way nicer than it seemed from pictures and reviews read more

extremely clean, very friendly staff, awesome and newly renovated bathroom, our room was upgraded for free and the staff kept our luggage for an entire day after checkout. can't recommend enough! read more

I had a reservation at this hotel last June. I sent a credit card number to hold the reservation and confirmed the reservation over the phone. When I confirmed the woman helping me said they had my reservation and credit card number. When I arrived, the office had been spontaneously closed an hour early. I tracked down an on-site manager name Mike who threw a fit because I had disturbed him watching his game show. He had closed the office early to watch TV and now he was upset with me because I needed to check in. He said all the arrivals had checked in for the day and he couldn't do anything. I explained I had a confirmed reservation and he angrily agreed to go back to the office to check on it. He found the reservation but refused to check me in because he had turned the computer off for the night. He said it was to much trouble to turn the computer back on to check me in. WTF? Mike was angry and rude and I was getting nowhere. I realized there was either something seriously wrong with Mike or he dislikes people in general. I offered to let him hold a credit card or some other deposit until the morning and then let the someone else check me in but he wouldn't do it. I explained I had no other place to stay, had been driving all day long and didn't know my way around. He rudely told me to go stay somewhere else, there were plenty of hotels in the area. This was a nine o'clock at night on a busy day, so my chances of getting a hotel were slim. I would recommend everyone stay away from this place. I've never been treated that poorly by any business. read more

The combination of bulletproof glass and the front-desk staff's Stalinist approach to hospitality make for a jarring check-in experience at the SeaShell Motel. One can only shrug their shoulders as they peek toward the powder blue façade of the courtyard with its Tiki Hut refuge. Upon closer inspection you realized you've been duped as the attendants close the white picket gates that looked so inviting a minute ago. The mirage you thought was a Polynesian paradise in Florida comes into full view; faux grass that would give a Dallas Cowboy turf toe and a tube TV that perpetually plays Formula 1. The communal kitchen reminds me of the time I was a classical archaeologist in Pompeii. Everything was covered with a light yellow film like a layer of volcanic ash. Housekeeping can only do so much with the aging property and even if they could submerge the whole thing in bleach, it would still look like a Slovenian shanty. In many resorts, if the cleaning crew disturbs you, they come back. Here they clean around you leaving a dust outline like an old-fashioned mystery movie. I could show my girlfriend the monkey brain-eating scene from Faces of Death and she'd still be more horrified by this hostel/motel/mostel. It's not a place for your significant other, however it still serves a purpose. A fishing, diving or drinking jaunt where you only need a secure area for your belongings and a place to sleep... BOOM this is it and the location is prime, just a block over rooms go for hundreds a night. It's the top of a triangle where the other points would be the Hemingway Museum and the Southernmost Point of the United States. Couple the location with the free and speedy WiFi, proximity to the water's edge and the blow-out price of $20 per person and the "Sheesh" Motel is the budget place to beat in the Keys. read more

After reading a number of negative reviews on Yelp I almost decided to not stay here, but, because of the relatively cheap price I made a reservation. Glad I did! I found, * Extremely helpful young lady on the phone while making reservation * Ladies at the front desk were great while checking in and throughout my 3 day/night stay. November 2015 * Relaxed feel about the entire hotel/hostel * I chose an individual room ($109 per night) over the hostel side ($44 per night) that has bunk beds so I can't speak to the hostel * Stayed in Room #7 which has three beds that can sleep a total of 5 people. Bed and pillows were fine for the price. If you are used to or expecting a Hilton or Ritz-Carlton experience, this ain't your place ... but great for the price in my opinion * While the hotel is older I found it well maintained and my room was clean * TV was older but I didn't come to Key West to watch TV * Tile floors were cool to walk on which to me is a positive in this climate. Can't imagine carpet in the rooms * More restaurants than I could believe within walking distance * Duval is about 4 blocks away - I walked to Mallory Square each day and that took about 30 or so minutes, but that was stopping a number of times along the way at different places * Southernmost Point is 4-5 blocks away * Great Cuban restaurant on the walk to the Southernmost Point - Ana's Cuban Café. Excellent Cuban coffee and pressed Cuban sandwich * A/C window unit worked great the entire stay * Wi-Fi worked fine except for a 20-30-minute period. Mentioned it to the front desk, they reset the router, started working again within 5 or so minutes * Sunrise location within 3-4 block walk - photo is attached If you go I hope you have a positive experience!! read more

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I'm here to change the minds that will not stay at this hostel based on previous negative reviews. It's important that when you're reviewing an establishment to compare it to an experience on a similar scale. Yes this is a hostel. Majority of the rooms are co-Ed style dorm rooms. If you're the type who usually stays in a 5 star hotel with room service and and a bell hop, just don't bother. It's the cheapest night's stay you'll get in Key West at 50$ a night. It's a very clean, quiet place to sleep, shower, and store your bags. Yes there is a tube tv but you should be exploring Duval Street instead. No there is not a pool, but why bother when the beach is a 5 minute walk away. If you're looking for a no frills place to sleep right in the center of all the action, I highly recommend staying here. read more

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Was discriminated against by the reservationists who handles my potential booking. Would NEVER stay here and I should have seen the Yelp reviews before I called. read more

We had a reservation for a single room, confirmed by email, made through Expedia/Hotwire. When we got there, the motel wouldn't honor it - said it was for a dorm, not a room even though we showed them the email confirmation. They then told us they didn't have any single rooms left and were not very helpful. Expedia eventually found us a room a different hotel further away from the city centre for a whole lot more money. Expedia contributed $75 to the cost but we still wound up paying $200 more. Don't book here unless you like surprises and have a big pile of cash to pay for another hotel. read more

Good no frills hostel. I think much of the mess that others mentioned were by the guests. I was around after the staff cleaned my hostel room and it was really clean. People seem to track a lot of sand and dirt into the bathroom. I wore sandals the whole time so I didn't mind. The beds and pillows have plastic or vinyl covers before you put on linen, so I was hot and sticking to the bed and pillow until I laid my own towels over them and then it was fine. The ACs worked well which was good as it was hot and humid outside. WiFi is free and worked fine. Service is good but sporadic. Sometimes hard to find the manager. I'd say its pricey for the hostel portion but I found out from someone else it was only $10 more than camping and the AC is worth much more than that... read more

We were already in key west so we had to book a room last minute and the seashell motel was one of the only places with availability. It came to about 150 for a room for two. We originally planned on staying in a hostel but all the spots were booked. The room had its own bathroom which was the only perk about it. The next night we stayed in a different location (Southernmost House) for 200 and it was AMAZING. Waterfront view, gorgeous room, beautiful pool, etc. Seashell was NOT worth it because the room itself was bare and there were no amenities. I wish we had booked two nights at the other place and dropped an extra 100 because seashell was not worth it. read more

Place was clean but poorly maintained. Close to Duval Street on the southern end. Beds were comfortable and the room had plenty of space. The dresser in the picture posted was one of a number of problems. If this was the only place available, I would come back. Remember, it was clean. Refrigerator is available in the room. They just need to fix the room itself, walls, trim, etc. read more

Seashell Motel - Hotels Near Me - Key West, Florida

I travel often with my children using hostels and pod style accommodations to make it happen. This is the first time in 20 years of raising children I have been denied access to a hostel because I have a family. It is not representative of the inclusive community you are apart of. Our AirBnB rating are amazing! Your lose. read more

WORST PLACE EVER DO NOT STAY HERE!! I'm prior law enforcement and military and was here for business and they charge you for items in the room that were all ready broken!! $266 accusing me of punching a tv!! How absurd is that!? There's poor service and staff are rude and bed bug fecal matter under the mattress! Steer clear from here!! read more

Seashell Motel - Bed bug fecal matter - Hotels Near Me - Key West, Florida

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This was the worst place I ever stayed in on my 25yrs of staying in Key West Something oozing through the floor turning my feet filthy Call to complain and the manager refuses to talk Just sends another employee to Relay messages Disagree and they call the cops And the place is infested with ants read more

I stayed at Seashell for 3 nights this past weekend and as far as hostels go, this is a good one. Everyone was incredibly friendly- staff and other travelers alike. They had coffee in the morning and there was a fridge, grill, microwave and toaster if you are looking to make your own food instead of go out. It is a 7 minute walk to the Southernmost Point and just minutes away from Duval (the main restaurant and bar) street. They also have bikes and motorbikes for rent if you want to go a bit further. Parking is free and if the lot fills up there is free street parking as well but my suggestion would be to just park your car and walk everywhere. If you go up South and turn right on Reynolds, it takes you to Higgs Beach in just 10 minutes (walking). Basically, for the price this is a great location if you aren't looking for all the frills (and fees) of an expensive hotel. They hold a $50 key deposit but I checked my account and they returned it within the business day of my check out. My only complaint would be that the beds were a little squeaky and it was hard to get into the top bunk after walking around all day. Other than that, this was a quality Hostel. Tip: Call the hotel for their rate. After talking to some other travelers, it seems like the people who got the best rate went straight through the Hostel itself. I did mine through Bookit.com and it was $50/night, another traveler did hers through another 3rd party company and it was $55/night and the couple that booked theirs through the Hostel only paid $43/night. read more

I notice in south florida there're frequently drug activities especially at south beach and keywest kind of touristy places. I do not blame seashell motel but I still want to note on this so that people are aware of the issue when choosing a place to stay. I reserved a bed as I was coming alone for a casual one day trip, wasn't expecting anything more than a nice peaceful sleep. I slept in a upper bunk bed and the woman who stayed the lower bed came in the room at 1am and was constantly making noise. I suspected she was doing drugs in the bathroom and thought about calling the police. I heard the shower was on for an hour, while she was in tha bathroom making weird noises like she's using a card cutting something on the sink couter, and playing "snap stories" out loud and record herself talking. I heard these was not because I wanted to, I got woken up mutiple times and I was scared. She was up all night and went to the bathrooms at least 5 times each time 20 to 60 minutes. I fell asleep at 4am, next time I woke up I heard she was zipping her luggage bags and the sun started coming out. I fell back sleep again, and woke up at 11am. While I was getting ready in the bathroom, somebody from the front desk came in at 11:50am told me to "get out". I had to explain I got a late start of the day because I didn't sleep well. That was my experience with Seashell Motel. Do not stay at a dorm motel, I recommend you to sleep in your car if you're trying to save money or just get a hotel room, unless you want to pay 60 bucks to sleep with a drug addict and barely get any sleep. I found that intimidating and I still feel creepy from it read more

Spent the night here for the 3rd time. Twice in there all male bunks and once in one of their one bed rooms. This time it was in the all male bunks again. For the price, it's a bargain. Once a year or so I park my car in Key Largo and bike the 104 miles or so to Key West and then spend the night here. You get a towel and a spartan bunk bed. There is one bathroom and shower to share among 6 double bunks. We got here early, by 5:45pm so we showered first and were ready for bed by 8pm. No partying in KW after riding for 6 plus hours. I tried to fall asleep but it's not easy when other patrons arrive throughout the evening and night, talk and leave lights on. Again, you get what you pay for. My friend Reid, who rode down with me, also had a hard time sleeping as the guy on the top bunk was huge and he swore he was worried for his life as the bunk littler sunk down to his head and he thought he was going to be squashed. After midnight everyone finally settled down and the lights went off. I woke up at 4:30 shivering because the AC was turned up. I had had enough sleep so I can't complain. We had to get up anyway at 6pm for the return ride to Key Largo. My friend also complained of bug bites on his back. Although I didn't have that problem. In the courtyard there is a free gas grill, tiki area with tv, and a kitchen area and fridge if you wanted to cook in. I haven't done that yet. I'll keep coming here as there is no better deal around, and I'm a frugal traveler. Whenever I make this bike ride I travel very light and only have the clothes I'm wearing and toiletries so it's most convenient to stay hr read more

We made a reservation for myself and my buddy Bill. They told us $80.00 each but it was in a hostel bunk bed room with a share bathroom for 8 people and was a mixed male and female. There is a sign on the door stating no guest in the room!!! Lights out is set for 10:00 pm I arrived back at about 9:55 on that Friday night to get a good sleep. When I opened the door I interrupted a male and female in heavy kissing and petting. I was so tired I just said " don't mind me" as I thought they were paid guests and I'm hearing challenged. They immediately started giving me a hard time as to why I was in the all female room, which I wasn't!! Then a very large female came into the room and really raising her voice at me as to why I was in the women's room! I went immediately to the managers office and she came back with me in the courtyard where it's like a chimney with cigarette smokers! The manager went to go into the room where the : unpaid guests were hiding and she ran into the large paid lady guest and questioned her in front of me. The guest lied and said there were no guests in the room!! We went up to the front office to get me squared away in another room, and at this point I spotted the 2 unpaid guests sneaking out the back of the courtyard!! She gave me a new bunk in a new room, however my buddy bill was too afraid to return to the original room so he slept in our car! I lost a lot 90 minutes of sleep!! Never again Sea Shell!! read more

It was GREAT!! We were last minute bookers. The room was Clean,Cheery, super convenient right down town. The staff was excellent and we look for to going again. Good job Johnathan and housekeeping gang great value. read more

Splurge on a motel room. No coffee. Tile floors remain moist and clammy. A/C in room never cooled. Roaches everywhere. Couldn't check out, fast enough. read more

Before I begin my review I just want to say that I would have never booked here had my traveling companions been more organized. I usually book at the Sunrise Suites- never had a bad experience there. Moving on to the review: The room was smaller than I expected. It was clean and the bathroom smelled like cleaning products (which was a good sign). No carpet in the room (that's the reason for two stars). I stated in a room with two double beds and a twin, the twin is located in what should have been a closet, there is literally about 15 inches of room left on one side of the bed and 2.5 feet at the foot of the bed with a light directly in front of the doorway turned on by pulling on a twine. The next room has to double beds, adjacent to one another, a small nightstand between them and a little dresser with a tv on top. Simple room, no frills. The room itself was not horrible, a little snug but we didn't come down with the intention of hanging out in the room so it worked. One thing I hated about the hotel is that there isn't a pool. What a bummer man! We hit up Dante's instead but it definitely made me not like the hotel at all. Check in is kind of wierd, the staff attends you through a little window and make you sign off on a scary looking form stating you won't have visitors, you won't make noise, no alcohol, and a few other things or you will be charged. It made me nervous but in the end we didn't have any issues. I was mostly worried about the alcohol since we brought a cooler full of love in anticipation of hanging out by the non-existent pool but since we took our party elsewhere it didn't matter anyway. I'm debating on writing my own bill to the hotel for services provided during my stay, I'll explain: after we got back from bar hopping we noticed the remote wasn't working, office closed so we programmed it ourselves. Another maintenance job we did was cleaning out the filter in the room ac because we noticed the room wouldn't cool down. There was a good half an inch of dust that needed to be scrubbed off. I think we deserve a credit at least for the upkeep. There is limited parking available, get there early and do not move your car. Walk or cab it around the island. All in all it wasn't the worst experience of my life but it was far from the best. read more

I have been putting off writing this review for a while now, because I hate writing bad reviews and there are enough bad reviews for this place that I almost feel like why bother. But this is the absolute worst hotel experience I have ever had, so here goes. One of my friends had stayed here before and had a good experience, we're not picky, and it is about the cheapest thing there, so we went for it. Let me be VERY CLEAR. I have stayed in a multitude of hostels, motels, and low-cost hotels. So this review is not about the fact that it's a dorm situation, that the room is sparse, that there is no tv, or that you bring your own towels and shampoo, etc. That is normal for a youth hostel, and I totally expect it. There was nothing normal about this visit. Two of my friends arrived a few hours before me and my boyfriend. They asked for us to be put in the same room (since we had all bought dorms beds) and was told we were pretty much in the same room. The dorm is a few rooms split by a small bathroom area, so we were in the same big room, but on either side of the bathroom from each other. As we found out later there were open beds all in the same side, so I have no idea why they wouldn't just put us together. On checking in my friends noticed that the other person in the side that my boyfriend and I were checking in to was in his sixties and appeared to be homeless. Since this place bills itself as a youth hostel my friend was understandably wary and said something to the front desk. The man shrugged off her concerns and told her the man had been staying there for a while and "they had not any problems with him." By the time we arrived he was out. We dropped off our stuff in the room and went out for dinner and see the sites. We came back that night and he was asleep, so we tried to be very quiet as we got in to bed. I dozed off for a couple of hours, but at about 4 a.m. I was awakened by his constant, death rattle coughing and trips outside to smoke. Literally. Every. Ten. Minutes. He would get up to go smoke and leave the door to our room, which faced the outside street, not the courtyard, hanging wide open. My boyfriend is a smoker, and the smell even woke him up. Not to mention that he would leave the door hanging wide open so you could hear all the traffic starting at about six a.m. I probably got up 20 times to close the door. I tried the office around 5 to see if we could be moved to a private room, but no one was there. I knocked and called, but nothing. I have stayed at plenty of hostels where the desk is not staffed all night, but I have never been anywhere you can't at least call someone in an emergency. There is a sign above the office window bulletproof glass with an "emergency number," but the number is whited out. They probably got sick of hearing complaints all the time. Again, this dude was in his sixties and super sketchy looking, so I did not feel comfortable confronting him myself, especially since there were no employees on the grounds. It continued this way all morning, until about 8:30, when he finally left for good with the door still hanging wide open. If I hadn't gotten up to close the door that time it would have stayed open all morning. Seriously, every ten minutes. At that point why would he not just get up for the day? All he was doing was getting up and down to go smoke. Ridiculous! Just go outside and start your day and let the rest of us sleep. The way the front desk handled things really sealed the deal for me NEVER staying here again though. I understand its a dorm style room and these things happen, but they were completely unhelpful and rude. The desk was supposed to be staffed starting at 9:00, so I was out there waiting by quarter to. No one appeared until 9:30, when I finally started knocking on the glass and calling the desk number. After hearing someone rustling around and ignoring me for several minutes, I finally got some lady claiming to be the manager on the phone. I explained the situation and asked if we could be moved, but she told me they were sold out and couldn't move us. Later that day all of the other people in my friends' side of the room had checked out, so she absolutely could have moved us over there. But, since she wouldn't help we just told her we would check out, but that we wanted a refund. She told me she couldn't refund the night we had stayed since we had already slept there. I informed her I hadn't slept a wink, but she didn't care and told me I knew when I checked in that it was a dorm room and that I wouldn't be able to reach anyone at the desk at night. Since there is a giant sign on the front gate advertising a 24-hour office, no, I did not know that. She then offered to "refund" me for the coming night. Yes, the one that we were checking out at 9 a.m. before. As if she was doing me some kind of favor by not charging me to not stay there. Awful service, terrible safety concerns, and way overpriced for a hostel. Never again! read more

Seashell Motel - What? - Hotels Near Me - Key West, Florida