We booked three nights at the White Sands Inn in Marathon, FL based on good online reviews, photos on the Inn's website, and a relatively low rate (~$460 total). What a mistake- staying at the White Sands Inn almost ruined our experience in the Florida Keys. When we first walked into Room 5, which we had reserved for the kitchenette, we were overcome with a strong moldy/mildew-y odor. The mold/mildew seemed to originate from the shower ceiling and from the upper deck outside...unfortunately, the air conditioner was right under the rotting wood from the deck, so contaminated air was pumping into our room. The management angrily insisted that there was no mold or mildew, but you could clearly see it, smell it, and practically taste it. It was very difficult to breathe, and were told that no other rooms were available until the following night. We decided to stick it out, since it was a Saturday night in the Keys, we had no other options, and were promised an upgrade for the remainder of our stay. The next day we switched to the Dolphin Room in their other building to escape the mold/mildew. It seemed okay at first, with a better kitchen and no foul odor, so we went to Bahia Honda State Park for the day (Sandspur is an awesome swimming area, by the way) and came back to the Inn in the evening to cook dinner. I'd like to add that at this point, I had no insect bites whatsoever. Then, I woke up in the middle of the night with little itchy, bloody insect bites (not regular mosquito bites!) all over my legs. I covered my legs in cortisone, took a Nyquil, and tried not to think about it...when we got up in the morning, we found a little insect crawling around on the bed, and little reddish-black insect poops all over the sheets. While investigating, we noticed that the mattress was old and dirty and the sheets were stained (not from us!!!). I felt so disgusted that I went to go take a shower, but when I stepped in the shower, there was a cockroach under my foot (see picture!)- the management said it was "just a palmetto bug," which they "have in all the rooms," but upon further research, is a type of flying cockroach that has the ability to spray stinky fumes out of its rear. I ran out of the shower with shampoo in my hair and decided it was time to leave. The management continued to deny any problems with their rooms, and their behavior and attitude escalated from indifferent and rude to insulting, nasty, and screaming in our face. They at first refused to refund us (with the excuses, "Every man for himself," "We tried to give you a way out," "We wish you had never stayed," "You expected too much," "You must have never stayed in a motel before," and "You're a pain in the ***.") and wouldn't own up to any of the inn's problems. Eventually, after much arguing and refusing to leave without our money back, the management credited my Visa for the entire stay (only because they said that they "didn't want to hear my voice anymore") under the condition that I don't go "slander them online." Well, guess what? This isn't slander (or libel...) because not one word that I have written is untrue. I haven't even gone into the stench of the polluted shoreline, the stained, ratty bath towels, the broken kayaks, the lack of kitchen supplies, etc. I wouldn't waste my time warning future travelers about the White Sands Inn if it weren't such a horrible, disgusting place to stay. I have a bad feeling that the online reviews are skewed for the White Sands Inn because the owners threaten guests to not tell about their bad experiences. We decided to leave the Keys and drive north to Fort Pierce, where we stayed at the Seahorse Beach Bungalows for half the price, 10 times the quality, and an infinitely more beautiful shoreline. I would definitely visit the Keys again, as it is such a pretty area, but wouldn't go to the White Sands Inn on Grassy Key unless I were wearing a thick biohazard suit...but even then, I would still have to think about it. read more