Key Largo Cottages

Unlike two earlier visits, this time it didn't feel tropic: cold temperatures in combination with strong northern winds reminded me of Maine where I live and sail. Didn't bring warm sailing gear and clothing because I expected 'Paradise'. Can't blame anybody for lousy weather; indoors in the cottage Hideout, it was cozy, although a small breakfast table would be appreciated. We, 2 old geezers in their seventies, had a great time: one day sailing a Cat 22 (brrrr..) no kayak through mangroves this time, one day sailing schooner America in Key West, one day a trip on the glass bottom boat in Pennekamp. Great place, great staff, only location where you get a sailboat with your cottage along the east coast. I like a little funky as long as it's pleasant.

Our family of 4 had an amazing stay at Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages. The staff were so friendly and the use of sailboats made the trip exceptional. If you sail and love a laid back old Florida keys vibe this place is for you!! Our cabin was very clean and we loved the waterfront views. We already booked our return trip. My teenager loves to fish and had a blast fishing off the dock! There was a bait store in walking distance that he went to multiple times when he ran out of bait. The sunsets are breathtaking. Hidden gem especially for those who love to sail! Free use of kayaks were a huge bonus for my boys! Fire pit and good company at night if you felt like being social near the water! We saw manatees, sting ray, and a dolphin from the dock! We had an awesome trip!

Keys vacation for the family!! We’ve been here for a week; part family vacation with 2 14 year old kids and the other part was to get our next ASA sailing 103 certification. You can’t beet this place!! Cute cottages with great staff. The ability to have a sailboat during your visit, get your sailing certifications on site, kayaks, canoes, snorkeling, etc. A tiki hut to watch beautiful sunsets and walking distance from Snooks restaurant!! This is definitely a repeat place for vacations!!

Let me start with saying that we are used to backpacking, staying in campgrounds, overnighting on boats, and lodging in youth hostels, so we are not easily put out by a place that’s a little rough around the edges. My criticism of KLSC has less to do with the condition of the lodging and more to do with its deceptive marketing regarding its boating amenities. If you are a sailor looking forward to the use of your own dedicated sailboat for the duration of your stay, you will be very disappointed. And your wallet will be quite a bit thinner. I wish we had read all the TripAdvisor reviews dating back to 2010. They are still pertinent and revealing. Here are the pros and cons: Pros: decent location; individual cabins of varying sizes; nice waterfront with boat ramps, docks, and easy water access; friendly and helpful staff; lots of water toys including a Hobie Cat (which functioned well), a Sunfish, a canoe, a rowboat, several SUPs, kayaks, and snorkeling gear; walkable (to the extent that Key Largo is a pedestrian environment) to some stores and restaurants. Cons: entrance to the facility is through an actual junk yard (as opposed to a typical Keys junky area); the grounds and rooms are pretty crude, with building materials and contents likely sourced from said junk yard; the kitchen in our unit was not suitable for cooking in, but was primarily a source for water, some bowls, utensils, and a dorm room fridge; the water toys are not all in good condition, e.g., the canoe lacked paddles so we made it work with SUP paddles; the docks are severely weathered; you have to have the boats back by 5:30, even if sunset is much later; you have to take a test and pay $35 to sail in the water just past the ICW since it’s inside the Everglades National Park; the sail boats are functional, but very worn out and barely maintained. Their bottoms have significant marine growth which greatly diminished their speed and handling, making them almost painful to sail. That was the biggest disappointment, as the use of a sailboat is what makes KLSC unique. Unfortunately, it’s also what makes it a bit of a scam. The nightly rate, plus cleaning fee and taxes, is not as expensive as many places in Key Largo. But given the below average condition of the rooms and the amenities, it’s no bargain. Buyer Beware.

If you read the reviews you will know what to expect, so you just need to figure out if this is your kind of place or not. For the most part, we really liked it. We were in the Sailfish cottage…if there are just two of you, that is definitely the place to stay! It is right on the water, you have your own tiki hut and a wonderful outdoor shower! The cottage was clean, and the bed was very comfy. It is small, but we spent most of our time outside anyway (bring mosquito repellant.) The tiki hut has a table and chairs and a great hammock. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets!! The front of the cabin is all glass so you wake up to an ocean view. Really lovely. The kitchen area is very small, but adequate. We generally had breakfast and lunch at the cottage and then went out to dinner. There are lots of places to eat within walking distance, which was nice. I’d particularly give the “little” Mrs. Macs and C & C Woodfire shout-outs for good food and great service. Snooks and Bayside were kind of meh…mostly what they have to offer is waterfront dining, the food was just OK. There are kayaks, paddle boards, and snorkeling equipment to use at will. I went kayaking almost every morning and it was a wonderful way to start the day. The sailboats were the reason we went down to Key Lime Cottages, but they proved to be the negative part of the week for us. The fleet of Catalina 22s is old and not particularly well maintained. The first boat they tried to put us on had a cracked tiller and an outboard that didn’t work, so we lost half a day until they finally let us take out the sailing school boat. The next day we were given a different boat with a few issues and the third day yet another boat with different issues…no winch for the main sheet, rusty crank for the swing keel, a missing lifeline stanchion, and missing battens. All this eroded our confidence in the boats, and we wondered when the last time the standing rigging and chain plates were checked. After the third boat, we gave up and did day trips to Key West and the Everglades instead of the sailing we had planned to do. So be warned, if you are a sailor who likes things to be ship-shape the boats will cause you some agita. But overall, we had a nice week and I have great memories of beautiful sunsets and waking up to a lovely ocean view.

Over all we had a great time!! I love that we could be social or stay hidden. I am sure we will be back. So many activities, no little time. Paddle board, kayak, swim, snorkel, sail. We also took a day trip down to Key West and didn't have to pay the Key West prices.