Lookout Lodge Resort

I would definitely stay here again. We usually like to stay at the Sunset Inn which is a total dive but walking distance to the Lorelai. This will be my new Islamorada place! You can take drinks out to the private beach area where there are tables chairs and tiki torches and you can hear the music from the bar next door.
The rooms have a full size fridge and the beds weren’t bad. It’s no Hilton, but who spends a lot of time in their room when you have a beautiful view and water in the backyard? My only complaint would be that the shower would not get hot, so I had to take a cold shower.

The views were amazing, they have a nice sandy buildout in the water (but no beach) that has boat parking. You can use the Marker 88 restaurant’s beach to swim next door, and you get 10% off your order if you show them your room key.
The check in process was quick, and we stayed in room 209 — it was nice, with a big, 2^nd story screened in porch.
The problems we experienced, however, was that the room was non-​smoking, but had ashtrays in it, and outside on the deck. The bed was extremely uncomfortable, I ended up trying to pass out on the couch and even that was a rough time, and last of all, the TV in the room with the bed did not work (it’s an old-​school CRT). I ended up robbing the cable box from the front room and tying it to the TV in the bedroom for the night, since my wife enjoys falling asleep to the TV.
Otherwise, I found the room to be clean, well stocked with dishes, and the porch and view was just amazing.
When we first checked in, the gentlemen made a comment about how us being from Chicago, $ 309 is cheap for a night’s stay. I don’t know where he got that assumption, but we rolled with it – until we asked about getting the room for another night. This would have been a Sunday night, and we were told that the room was taken. He did have the room next to it (without a porch) available for $ 299. We thought this was a total money grab, since we stayed Saturday night in their première room for $ 10 bucks more. We ended up driving past that hotel that night on the way to a different one, and noticed the «Vacancy» sign was lit up. Would have been nice if he offered the room at a fair price — we may have stayed again, at least if hoping that bed wasn’t a «bed of nails.»
Also, during check-​in, he was answering phone calls. I believe this speaks volumes about poor guest service if there’s people there, in front of you looking to spend money, and you’re answering phone calls. Turns out this person was also looking for a room, and he said we just got there to take it… Did this happen? Or was he just trying to play us on exclusivity… Only the phone company will know.

One star is one too many! This was the most horrendous experience we have ever encountered in the Keys — dirty, disgusting room with an overwhelming odor of some chemical that may be capable of rendering some gasping for oxygen. This is NOT a boutique hotel and absolutely NOT fully renovated. Do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY from this roach infested dung heap for your well-​being as well as that of your family. This will not be the Keys experience anyone should experience.

The room was nice and clean enough. The bathroom was very small and not as clean as it could have been. Also no pool :(but I did like the kureg coffee in the room. The view was great and it’s within walking distance to great restaurants. Check out M.E.A.T. across the street

Ducked in for a fishing tournament and it was a fine time, here’s why:
* We WON!
* Cold A/​C in Room 103
* Adjacent to Marker 88 where our Capt.‘s dinner was, SCORE!
* Small and cozy
* Kitchenette with Fridge
* Keurig Coffee Maker = Smiley Face
* Free Wifi
The rooms need upgrading for sure. Lots of aesthetic shortcomings. The bathroom has no light in the shower, and I hate that.
Nice, small fishing hotel next to Marker 88. No pool, but a nice dockside relaxation area with a charcoal grill.
And the price is right.
Cabeza OUT!

Apart from the view is nice, the hotel is just generally crappy. Reception closed early so when we arrived at 9, the room door was just left open with a note at the office to tell us where the room is. There is no food options at the hotel. The toiletries could definitely be better. But the strangest of all is you have to do your own dishes before you leave and the checkout time is 10:30. So ended up we just arrived, slept … Woke up and left hungry. Yuck.

The only reason I give this place 4 stars is because I found the beds and pillows to be uncomfortable to me, but I am picky when it comes to this. I tossed and turned a bit during my stay there.
Other than that minor flaw, I found this place to be absolutely wonderful. The rooms are kept very clean and have great accommodations. We had a one bedroom, one bathroom with a living room, screened in porch and a kitchen that had a microwave and a full sized refrigerator, which was great to keep all of our beer in as well as food we brought for the weekend.
The staff here is extremely friendly. Greg was a pleasure to get to know and he was very helpful during our stay. It’s such a small place, that everyone gets to know each other while staying there, always fun meeting new people!
They have grills there to use, as well as kayaks to take out onto the bay. There is also a private area to keep your boat in the water if you have one, but you must reserve this ahead of time as it only allows for 5 to 6 boats.
Out by the water there are also large tables and chairs and tiki torches. A great place to relax and have a few drinks and watch the beautiful sunsets. The place next door seemed to have a live band every night, so it was nice that we could enjoy that from our own place without having to move next door. The L: ookout Lodge is also in a great location, with a grocery store right up the street as well as a few restaurants next door or across the street. It’s right at mile marker 88.

Lookout Lodge is a hidden gem. I was very surprised when I pulled up to mile marker 88, surprised in a good way. The view is absolutely breathtaking.
Staff — very friendly, accommodating and personable. Greg is a big reason why the Lookout Lodge gets 5 stars from me.
Accommodations — private lagoon which you must reserve as there are only a few spots to dock. Plenty of area to sit outside and get some sun, 2 grills for use, kayaks for use, hammocks.
Pet friendly too!

I’m conflicted about posting this review but after much thought, I’ve decided to do so:
First, let me say that the staff at this hotel were very pleasant and helpful. That’s why I didn’t want to post this review. But the negatives about this hotel really, really dampened our 4-​night stay on the keys, so I’m posting this in case someone else who is similar in likes/​dislikes is considering staying here.
Our original room was at the end of the building, closest to the highway, on the ground floor. The kitchen area of the room and the bathroom featured ceramic tiles on the floor, but the tiles were worn to black in many areas, making them look very dirty. The carpet in the bed area was dark, worn, and looked dirty. The walls also could have benefited from a cleaning. Everything looked old and worn. I always wear indoor slippers when staying in hotels so this level of cleanliness (or non-​cleanliness) really bummed me out. The room also smelled like it had been fumigated and there was white powder in the corners near some of the door jambs. I didn’t touch it, but to me, it looked like some kind of bug poison.
The room was very cramped for us (2 adults, 2 kids under 11 yrs old), partly because we didn’t want to put anything on the floor, so stuff was piled on chairs and the table.
This is not what I expect from a room that is costing close to $ 200/​night.
After some discussion, my wife went to the office and asked if another room was available. The young woman working the desk was very helpful and she offered us the ground floor room at the other end of the building. This was a larger room with a screened-​in balcony and a separate bedroom. It would cost us an extra $ 100 (so almost $ 300/​night!) but we hated the original room so much that we took it.
This new room had enough space for us, plus it was also brighter, thanks to the balcony. It still smelled a bit like the first room, plus the bathroom toilet was loose and would rock a bit whenever you sat on it. It also could have used a thorough cleaning. Its carpet was similarly worn and dirty. Like the last room, the pillows were uncomfortable and the mattress squeaked loudly.
On the day of our last night at that hotel, we had to move to the room directly above, because our current room (ie: the 2^nd one we stayed in) was reserved for someone else. We had plans to go out snorkelling so the manager graciously offered to move all our belongings, as well as the contents of the fridge, to the new room. So we just packed up our stuff, left it by the door, and when we returned later in the day, everything had been moved for us. Great service!
This third and final room was cleaner than the second, but it was still below our expectations of cleanliness. Also found a roach under the kitchen sink but I guess that’s to be expected in these types of climates.
On the plus side, this hotel was literally right on the water. They had a nice water-​front area where you could grill food, relax in hammocks, and look at the water. There were also steps so you could walk into the water and swim (water was about 3 – 4 feet deep for quite a ways from the shore). No beach, though. They also had a little break water where you could dock your boat.
Oh, there was also a kayak rental place next door, as well as an outdoor restaurant (about 75 ft away) and appeared to feature live music EVERY NIGHT. So if you like to relax outside WITHOUT live music, then this is not the place for you!
I would not stay here again, nor would I recommend it for people who have standard requirements for hotel cleanliness. The place isn’t horribly dirty, but it is below average. So if that’s the kind of thing that bugs you, then you won’t enjoy a stay here. I’ve stayed in worse places on my own and didn’t mind. But when I’m travelling for a relaxing holiday with my wife and kids, my expectations are higher, especially when I’m paying $ 300/​night!
This was our first time to Florida, and while at the Keys our plan was to go sightseeing, not hang out at the hotel. In hindsight we should’ve gone for something away from the water in a larger area like Marathon, where we would be paying for a higher quality room rather than pay for a great place to watch sunsets from.
But like I said, I do feel bad posting this because the staff were very friendly and helpful. Well, except for one guy who lectured me in front of my 8 yr old daughter when we were coming back from the restaurant next door because we stepped over the 2 ft fence instead of going through the proper gate. I immediately apologized for the mistake yet he continued to lecture.

If you head on over to The Keys, on Mile Marker 87.8 on the bayside, you will find a hidden gem.
Spent a weekend at the Lookout Lodge with my other half. We came back much more in love (if that’s possible) and as happy as can be. It’s paradise!
We couldn’t have been happier with the service. The gentleman at the front desk was so accommodating and sweet. We spent the night outside, me with my piña colada, he with his cold beer. We sat out watching the waves and enjoying an incredible sunset. He advised we could cook on the grill outside, as they provided a it for guests. There was a hammock, some chairs and tables for all guests to enjoy. All the guests were serenaded by a sweet guitar player from next door. I watched a man paddle surf off into the sunset. And you could even go diving, although we didn’t. Next time.
The rooms were very clean but outdated. That would be my only tiny complaint. But they provide everything for you. Fridge, sink, silverware and plates, dishwasher liquid and sponges. You even have free wifi. Sidenote: We obviously could not live without the internet and checking in on Unilocal.;) We were pretty impressed.
Prices aren’t terrible. We went on a holiday weekend and paid about $ 300.00 for 3 days, 2 nights. I know it may seem on the high end but it was reasonable considering we booked 2 days before, it was a holiday weekend and everywhere else tried to charge us over $ 500.00.
I was really happy with my stay at the Lookout Lodge and definitely plan to stay here the next time I make my way down to The Keys.

We spent two nights at the Lookout Lodge and we are already planning to go back. We had a water view suite, with full kitchen and balcony. The view is fantastic, the place is relaxing, clean and well managed. Just off the pier of the facility you can find the best snorkeling imaginable, the little beach next to it is to die for and the restaurant next door is wonderful!
PS: You can take your dog!