I would definitely go back here again. We stopped based on the other reviewer's review (didn't see on the mobile app that there were two legitimate looking reviews that had been filtered) and wanted to try our luck at a less-visited location. We didn't have a reservation. When we got there, nobody was at the check-in desk, but there was a phone to call. The gal was super friendly, took our information over the phone (she was running an errand) and told us which room was available and the key was inside. We even got a discount for being a walk-in customer! I think it was $89 for the night. The room was very clean, spacious and had a large "mini-fridge," a microwave, coffee pot and cranked a/c. There were even filled ice cube trays in the freezer. The beds were surprisingly comfortable. They looked like they would be stiff, but it was great! The tide was down so there was a bit of a stench from the rotting sea grass, but that's nothing the hotel can do anything about. The water was pretty brown... I'm sure it's fine, but I wouldn't swim in it. Not to worry though because there is a pool! We didn't go in the pool, but it looked nice and additional towels are available for it. They had a large hammock in excellent condition hanging between two palm trees. We spent some time hanging out there and enjoying the cool breeze. The rooms have chairs outside and there is a bar area (they don't serve anything, but you can hang out there) with a view of the water. read more

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I've stayed here before with 3 others and we had a nice time. The price was the best for a few nights stay.. It's pretty rustic, it's not a resort and there's no bellhop or anyone to wait on you hand and foot. It's on island time. I don't think I ever saw the people who run it, but when we booked it over the phone she was pretty nice. There's nice shaded picnic tables in the back for a BBQ, a really nice pool, and hammocks to relax in. It's atlantic side so the wind blows up the seaweed and grass, so on lowtide it does stink a little but nothing too terrible, but during high tide it's beautiful. The water is warm too on low tide, we walked out to the docks and waded in the water and saw lots of horseshoe crabs. We didn't have any maintenence problems or anything, I can see what other reviewers mean where the owners may have been difficult to get a hold of since we never saw them around-but we liked the privacy. The whole inn probably has maybe 10 rooms, so theres not a lot of traffic and we almost always had the pools and hammocks to ourself-simply peace and quiet. read more

I had the misfortune of booking a room at the White Sands Inn on a fluke. I was lured in by one of the 3 owners apparently from the Kentucky woods where they would say just. about anything you wanted to hear until they rang up your credit card. Now white sands, thry don't tell you that you will have sand in the sheets of the bed you sleep in , there is sand all over the floor, yhey never cleaned once, the refrigerator didn't work and their toilet overflowed. You had NO ONE to complain to and when you did they blamed it all on you. Real classy people bring thst it was Christmas time and these low life yokals didn't care whose holiday they ruined. To top it all off my neighbors upstairs from me from Sweden found a Scorpion in their room. Please stay away from this shithole. ZERO STARS read more

I think this is one of the gems regarding hotels/rentals in the Keys. Some Keys motels/rentals are a bit too "rustic" for my tastes, but you are paying for the setting, and being on the water is wonderful. The White Sands inn is one of the cleaner places in the Lower-Middle Keys, and it's on the Atlantic side right one the water. Since it's really on the windward side, there will be a build up of seagrass that collects at the shore, but that's the keys, and it's normal. My family and I have been coming to this area for three years, and have stayed twice on the White Sands property. The owners are present and very accommodating. Additionally, they have a nice well maintained pool. Environment, if you like seagrass beds, Grassy Key is perfect, get your snorkeling gear and go at it, the water is shallow a full of sea life, great for a kid (horseshoe crabs, blue crabs, fish, etc.). If you want to have a place to hang out for few days, and just relax, BBQ, and have fun - you found it. read more

Charming little place. Right on the water. Definitely stay here if you don't mind not having all the ridiculous amenities we're all so accustomed to, but such an awesome place!!! Cute pool, too. read more

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The reviews are mixed for White Sands Inn. The difficulty is reality meeting expectations. If you are looking for a Sheraton or Hilton, keep looking. If you are looking for a quaint motel from a bygone era you found it. We stayed in room 6 ( the palm room). Private entrance at the top of your own stairs, overlooks the ocean. Full kitchen and functional, the refrigerator came in handy. Room was adequately clean, but I have high expectations in this area. The shower is small but does the job. We stayed at the end of August and the beach was not what I would call a beach, opted for the pool instead. If you want a beach Sombrero Beach is only about 8 miles away. Will we stay here again? I don't know, we will probably try to stay in Key West next time. read more

It's perfect for a good break. I really enjoyed my stay at the White Sands Inn the view of the water from the dock was unbelievable and the bugs weren't bad at all. read more

I really wanted to rate this Inn higher. We met and liked the owner and daughter and both were friendly but, as it turned out, absent most of the time. That was the good part. We stayed for 6 days and I thought it was unusual that I was asked to pay up-front rather than at the end of our stay. (After reading some of the other reviews, I now know why.) The ice machine was inoperative the entire time and I thought it was odd when the owner said, "Gee, nobody's ever asked about ice." Right. The mattress in the king bed was hard as a rock and felt like a cheapo from Mattress Barn. The bed was not made up nor the sheets changed for the entire 6 days. The room was not cleaned for the entire 6 days. A walk to the end of the dock revealed a fish cleaning station and at low tide 40-50 fish carcasses right at the end of the steps to get to the mud flats. Disgusting. The crabs and birds cleaned out the carcasses in a couple of days. The best part of the entire stay was the pool which was surrounded by coconut palms and fan palms which made a pleasant sound in the constant ocean breeze. After our 1st day, however, the promised towels daily at poolside disappeared, and for the remaining 5 days I had to skim debris off the pool every morning (fished out 2 crabs zipping along the bottom of the pool too.). The "For Sale" sign in the front of the Inn did not inspire confidence in this traveler nor was the 6 foot pile of tree debris in the front yard or the sewage smell when the wind wasn't blowing or the garbage dump in the vacant property immediately to the north. I was wanting to make this a better review but there was just no way it's possible. There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home....... PS---I published a similar review of this property on TripAdvisor and now the owner's daughter is writing phony reviews to counter my review and their ineptitude. Really dumb and pathetic. Their time would be better spent fixing their issues and cleaning up their hotel. read more

Super great mom and pop hotel! It is just PERFECT!!!

We were so happy that we found this place for our first trip to the Florida Keys!! We stayed in a suite with a kitchen and a porch where we were able to grill. It had a laid back island feel that we just loved. The owners and staff were all so friendly and helpful. It's close to a few attractions such as the Dolphin Research Center and Curry Hammock State Park. It was an easy drive to grocery stores and close to Sombrero Beach. There were kayaks that we were able to take out at any time. One morning a small pod of dolphins swam by the beach, and while out on the kayaks, we saw a couple sting rays, and even a small hammer head shark!! My husband and I will definitely go back. read more

White Sands Inn - Hotels Near Me - Marathon, Florida

We've stayed here several times over the years, just left the other day. Its had its ups and downs. Our room was pretty clean although not as clean as my home. Bed creaked. Decor needs some work. Shower dripped constantly. No hooks or extra bars for wet towels. Great view. Beach. Grounds needed work. Nice people. Pet friendly. Parking OK. Pool clean and comfortable. Rates about right for area. So if that's what you're for this is your place. I think I wanted a little bit more this time. Probably won't be visiting keys soon again but might try a different place. read more

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

White Sands Inn - I stepped on this Florida woods cockroach (Eurycotis floridana), or palmetto bug, in the shower at White Sands Inn. DISGUSTING! - Hotels Near Me - Marathon, Florida

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