Homosassa Riverside Resort and Marina

Great spot. Peel & eat shrimp delicious. House salad with chicken added, good size and fresh lettuce. Comes with tomatoes & olives. Service was excellent. Water view. A wee bit chilly inside, just to note.

We came here to rent a pontoon boat and not to stay, so my review has to do with that part of this establishment and not the hotel. We had reserved a pontoon boat for rental and when we arrived we spoke to the gentleman in the marina who told us for a few dollars extra we could hire a captain and it would be quicker and we would not need to purchase scalloping licenses.
This is far from being a fancy place and I am not going out on a limb when I say that the people that work here are true locals. I don’t say this in a negative way I think it adds charm and character to the whole experience. The guy working at the marina seemed to know all the captains and when we decided to take his recommendation he grabbed his cell phone called a captain and arrange for him to pick us up within 15 minutes.
The decision to hire a captain rather than rent a pontoon boat was probably the best possible decision and made our day absolutely spectacular. The person working at the marina was honest helpful courteous and accommodating.
Our day in Homosassa was absolutely terrific and that is in large part due to the help we received at this marina. I highly recommend this establishment for pontoon rental or for securing a captain to take you scalloping or to the springs.

Stayed August 7^th-​9^th. On Saturday the 8^th they had the pool closed all day because they were shocking it.(why couldn’t they do this at night or on a Monday or Tuesday). The rooms were a good size only problem there was the housekeeper could of emptied the trash can everyday and there was no carpet so she needs to sweep the floor everyday also.

This is a review for boat rental at the marina. We rented a pontoon boat, which supposedly could hold up to ten people. It was woefully underpowered for our smallish party. Boats were whizzing by us toward the bay, while we putted along barely moving. I’ve rented boats around Florida and in other states, and never seen such an underpowered bathtub offered to a customer. The 40 hp took us 90 minutes to get to the bay, rather than 20 minutes the other times I’ve been out there in a regular boat. The engine kept stalling, coughing, and seemed to be misfiring. Poorly maintained or just worn out. Other customers were likewise complaining when we returned to the dock. The staff seemed uninterested in our feedback that the engine should be repaired. I guess business is so good they can coast on location and scallop season. We won’t rent from them again.

The food has been great every time we’ve eaten here. Service is a little slow and a bit overpriced. We enjoy the monkeys and the water. They also have great live music.

We stayed at the resort and the first night it was raining cats and dogs so we ran over to the restaurant for dinner. It was a relief finding a good meal on a dreary evening. The waitress was pleasant and attentive. Being tired from a long day of flying and driving we were greatful to be able to relax and not be disappointed. The room was adequate and not too pricey. Just what we needed. We rented kayaks and had a great day with the Manatees. There’s a manatee & wildlife park nearby. We also biked part of the Withlacoochee State Trail nearby. The A/​C unit was a bit noisy but we opened the window most times for the fresh air. The walls seemed to be pretty thin but we slept well at night and we’re out most of the day so no issues.

Worst Experience I have ever had!
I went here after getting a Groupon. This was such a terrible experience from the first day right up to when we left early the second.
First, the room… Was missing window verticals which left light from lights outside coming in all night. The AC was insanely loud and not very effective, we would put it at 60 degrees on high fan and it would not keep the room very cool… this is during the winter when it is not very hot outside, especially at night. We were woken up very often from the AC going on and off. The bathroom looked like it had issues and they tried to piece meal it back together.
2. With the groupon we go a $ 50 credit to the monkey bar restaurant (goes by 3 different names and I was told they are changing it again soon). If I was actually paying, I would have walked out after about 10 minutes. To read my full review look up Monkey bar restaurant. In short they didn’t have much of what was on the menu and the food was just terrible and way overpriced. I love scallops and this was the first time I didn’t finish them. I ate about 2 of the 6 scallops and was done. My wife and I ended up having stomach problems a little later.
3. The next day with the groupon we got a pontoon boat rental for a day. We were originally told we could take it out at 7am… when we were there at 7am, we were then told not til 8am. We loved getting up early to then wait an hour, especially since there are no places around to really get breakfast or do anything. Right off the bat the guy told us the one he was giving us had a damaged propeller. We asked if we would have any problems with it and he assured us it would be fine. about 2 and a half hours out it just stopped working and had to be towed back. We decided not to bother going back out on another boat. What was really annoying was the fact that they had another at least 3 boats that I suspect were fine sitting there and they gave us one with a damaged propeller.
4. Later that night we decided to go to sleep early since there isn’t much to do besides go to the terrible restaurant. We were in bed around 9 with a plan to leave around 4am to avoid traffic. After the people next to us were being insanely loud and disturbing (to the point I almost called the cops) we called the office and they had someone come say something to them. That didn’t make much of a difference. So we decided to just leave around 10PM. The rooms has an adjacent door and paper thin walls where it easy to hear everything in the room next to you.
When we went and spoke to someone at the office after having a chat the employee was even aware of how bad most of the problems are including the upkeep of the rooms and the restaurant. They also mentioned only reason the restaurant is still in business is because the resort right there, which I totally believe since it was terrible. If it wasn’t for scalloping season I don’t think the resort would be there either.
The only Upside was for the small amount of time out on the boat we did see some nice wildlife. If you are not getting a boat rental this place is a total waste. Hope that you get a boat that doesn’t shut down on you.

This place is a GEM!
Sure it’s not a spit polished fancy resort where everyone runs around in polyester matching uniforms and spritzes you with cool mineral water by the pool… Buts that’s A-​Okay in my book!
I had the pleasure of only a 24 hour layover at the resort and for that time I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I found the resort grounds to be clean and inviting. Our room (#103) was very clean, spacious, comfortable and the outside patio was a topping on the cake. Although we didn’t use our kitchenette it was well stocked with gadgetry’s one would use to whip up a simple meal, a full size fridge with an ice maker, and the ever so important dishwasher. All the staff (manager, room attendants, bartender, and maintenance) I encountered were friendly, polite and helpful. Kudos! to the lovely lady that cleaned our room, she went beyond her services to accommodate us personally.
The location itself is WONDEFUL! Spring and Gulf of Mexico access by boat, plenty of wildlife, great views of the river and convenient to restaurants, bars, bait/​tackle shops, and a grocer.
This nomad will be back and grinning from ear to ear!

A little hideaway who’d of thought that only an hour and 40 minute drive away from Orlando this little slice of paradise was here! What a wonderful place. The rooms were huge each with a small patio area and a small kitchen they were extremely clean and inviting. Looking right out into the river it was a gorgeous setting. A friend of ours hired a boat for the day and took us up to the springs where the water was perfect. We will definitely be back for a longer stay to really explore all this resort has to offer… Oh and make sure you try the piña coladas delightful.

This place is a blast, in a perfect location and with all the amenities that make hanging out by the river awesome. The staff is friendly, helpful and go out of their way to make things happen. The food is great, the drinks are excellent and the pool is right by the river. We love going out on a pontoon boat or kayaking; it’s all right there. Lots of neat stuff to see in close proximity and there’s a Publix on the road in for stocking up. A little pearl of goodness that we love visiting again and again!

Hotel needs a major overhaul. Great location for scalloping, however, it was noisy and the a/​c barley worked and kept us up all night making loud noises. This is a great place for the 20 something crowd that goes to hotels to party. And this is how the hotel looks. Like a bunch of 20 year olds partied here last night. Food at the restaurant was over priced and was just ok.

I’ve never stayed in the hotel, but as a local, it’s a nice little hangout.

Unfortunately we didnt have a good experience with the Pontoon rental. We had a party of 8 people to go scalloping. The boat was very old and the seats were moldy. We could deal with that, but the boat didnt run properly. All other boats were passing us all day and then the boat barely made it back to the dock, it would only go idle speed. Once we got back to the Marina, the guy at the counter had an attitude when we explained the problem with the boat, as if we were lying, he commented that people complain about their boats all the time, as if everyone was trying to get the boat rental for free. I would never rent from them again, very bad customer service and all boats on the fleet were in poor shape.

This place is WAY overpriced in every respect. If you turn left at the stop sign instead of right you go to the Freezer. Absolutely the best shrimp ever and you get 1 ½ pounds for $ 11.
This place, the Yardarm and the Monkey bar are in the same location. You won’t find many locals here if that’s a hint.

As for the restaurant… Going with their Seafood theme, I got the ½ LB of Steamed shrimp. It counted out to be 12 fair size shrimp with no sides (not even cole slaw) for $ 15. That’s $ 1.25 per shrimp. While the food quality was ok, this is way too expensive in this coastal area where shrimp are plentiful. There are way too many more competitive restaurants in this coastal area of Homosassa and Citrus County FL for me to ever go back. The only thing they have worth selling is the location/​view. Visit for the view and leave to eat elsewhere. You can do far better elsewhere for a better meal and better prices. A seafood meal for $ 15 with no cole slaw or fries (both cheap) pushed me over the edge and I left not happy!

We stayed at the hotel the night before our early morning manatee tour and rented a room with two full-​sized beds, which cost around $ 120. This is certainly a little on the pricy side, but that’s my only real complaint. The front desk was friendly and helpful and The Monkey Bar, located on the other side of the parking lot, serves awesome food and great drinks.
The rooms are dated for sure, but I thought the setup was quaint and suited our needs perfectly.
One of the manatee tours meets in the hotel in the morning so that’s definitely convenient.

Of the available choices on the water, this was the best choice. But for what they offer, it’s way over priced

This is another hotel that gets its business by being convenient to the state park. Like most of the hotels around homosassa it is dire need of remodeling, it would be a 2^nd or 3^rd rate hotel in a big city. It does provide lodging, a restaurant, fishing and boating equipment. The restaurant provides a unique view of the river and monkey island (it really is a very small island inhabited by monkeys). Like most of the hotels in the area, there are as many pickup trucks as cars. It has a web site.