Harbor Lights Motel

This place is a dump and the proprietor is rude. Thinks he doing you a favor by letting you stay there! The toilet, which worked marginally at best, overflowed and flooded the bathroom and he said it was our fault. There are NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS so after that, you are out of luck!
The boat ramp will ruin your boat. It has a severe drop off and is only useable at high tide. Even then, you need a four wheel drive to get out your boat. He doubled the price to stay in the «marina» for the holiday weekend, and the marina channel is so narrow, you can’t get two boats by each other unless you want to play «bumper boats!»
The rooms inside are horrible with paint peeling off the walls and the carpet is so dirty you need to wear shoes while there.
If they see you have a guest on the site, the say they will «kick you out!» When we checked relatives that were coming in to boat for the day, he said it was ok as long as they didn’t go in the room! Well, were are they to use the restroom?
We stayed in a cottage because it had a kitchen. The refrigerator was rusted out and the stove didn’t work. No coffee filters to be found so we went to Starbucks every morning for coffee. Three dirty, cheap pans in a dirty cabinet. YUCK! After paying extra for a kitchen, I was very disappointed!
Plus, it was 300.00 plus a night to stay! Fifty dollars a night would have been to much!
To bad as it in such a nice location. Should have known as it was the only hotel on Islamorada that had a vacancy for Memorial Day weekend!
Wish I could post pictures as I took several of the paint coming off and the dirty, rusted out kitchen and bathroom.
Next time I will make my reservation for Islamorada a year ahead of time. Drop Anchor is right next door and very lovely!

Horror Lights Gauge Hotel
Tried to launch our boat on Memorial Day weekend from their very restricted ramp where you can only pull out a small boat at high tide. The experience was horrendous! The owners decided to jack up the price to use their ramp to $ 40 for their mediocre ramp where it’s normally $ 25 (they raised it from $ 20 earlier this year). As a local that used this ramp often during the summer months, I decided to ask the owner if she would consider giving this local regular a break and charging their normal fee of $ 25. The owners flipped out at this request and told us that if we didn’t like the price we could leave. When we said we we would just pay the $ 40, the nasty lady said she would not take our money and we should leave or she would call the police. This lady was so rude and nasty and threatening that we left got in our car and left because she looked like a ruffled peacock that could become violent at any moment. This lady and husband do not know the meaning of customer service and have no business being in the hospitality business.
Found another ramp a little further north for $ 15 that was much safer to use and reasonably priced and welcomed our business in friendly manner.
We visited some friends that stayed there and the room were not clean. It smelled of mold. The carpet looked like it had a pattern at some point but was black with dirt now.
Take my advice, avoid this place like the plague.

Unfortunately the lady who checked us in told us 199 and asked if we wanted to think about it so we stepped outside and decided we would because we couldn’t find a place everyone was booked when we put it on our credit card it was 219 plus tax when we asked why she said that’s what she told us the price was 199 and she said she didn’t and continued with an attitude had we not already let it go threw on our credit card I wouldn’t have stayed a not so friendly staff makes a big difference other than felling cheated from the start it has a good view of the sunrise

Aw man! We were so close to having a better opinion on Harbor Lights. There were eight of us and we booked two rooms. We travel to the keys quite frequently so we weren’t expecting a five star room and enjoy the quaint charming keys style stays.
Besides the typical rooms, there are efficiencies of two rooms that each sleep 4 with it’s own little porch that leads out to the Atlantic. Fortunately we got an efficiency all to our self. Did I mention it lead out to the sunrise on the Atlantic? Just a small charge for pup to join us for the trip.
«It sounds so nice, why did she give just 3 stars?» I know, your wondering. Unfortunately the majority of reviews have complaints against the staff/​owners and we experienced why. A sweetheart named Catherine checked us in the evening we arrived. Saturday night after dinner, my husbands mother and siblings brought us back to the room and came in to see the place for future visits. Within minutes of our arrival a not so kind lady comes up to our porch and initially notices there are more then 4 people to which I informed her we had both rooms and that a guest wanted to see the room and were not staying. She responded by spreading a paper with rules very near to my face stating no guests allowed. She then looks at my dog and says, «great, and there’s a dog» to which I let her know we informed a gentleman (Tom/​Tim, can’t remember) and paid the $ 25 fee. She left saying she was going to check and that was the last we saw of her.

The only thing I enjoyed about this place was leaving the front the door and being able to hang on the little man made beach, other than that, this place was absolutely not worth what I paid for it and in need of some major remodeling.

Nice pool with a view of the sea. Ice maker easy to access and clean room with a nice bathroom. Lots of cool iguanas around. I have to question the wisdom of carpeting in florida, though.

This place has the worst boat ramp in the keys the people that run the place couldn’t possibly be more rude. They made us leave there dock with 20 plus mile per hr winds put my self and my 2 children age 8 and 10 in unbelievable danger in the dark no less. lucky we made to us coast guard to safety. would never recommend this place

We had to book a room last minute and passed this little hotel. Katheryn hooked us up and gave us a 20% discount for a bungalow and with tax it came out to $ 207.00.
From thw outside it didn’t look like much, but it was very clean and right on the ocean. It is a little dated but very comfortable. The units have 2 ac and all the basic appliances. I will stay here again even though it is far from key west.

We booked two rooms, upon arriving we checked in and went to our rooms, when the door opened the smell of mold was overwhelming. We entered the room to find patches of paint missing in many places, dried food on the stove and counter areas. Large cracks in the bathroom ceiling and missing slats in the front window vertical blinds making the room open to anyone outside and a problem with the refrigerator motor that had a constant squeal. We returned to the front desk and told the clerk that the rooms were uninhabitable. I asked for some kind of documentation that we did not stay the night in the hotel. She said she could not give me anything. She said I had checked in so I completed my stay. I then asked her for a receipt showing I checked out just minutes after checking in, she refused. We left without any documentation at all. Found a room just down the road at Amara Cay that was wonderful.
I contacted
who contacted the hotel owners on my behalf. The hotel did not refund anything.
refunded $ 200of the $ 230 for my inconvenience. This is truly a dirty, poorly run hotel that should not be offered on any online booking sites with miss leading photos.

We were told going down, not to expect a «Marriot» so w/​expectation in check, we were just happy to get away for a bit; a staycation, isn’t that what it’s called these days… Lol (2.5 hrs from WPB)
So, you can imagine my delight when we pulled in to find It’s situated just so on the water that I can wake to a sunrise (no shoes required) and choose any of the 8 or 9 white solid wood Adirondack chairs to enjoy it in.
Instantly upon getting out of the jeep, a warmth of peace and calm came over us; the stress of what was or is, does not exist here!
And after some time scoping out the grounds, we finally decide we better check in. Becky Chandler, HCIC (Head Chic In Charge) greeted us with that friendly nature we’ve grown accustomed to when in Fl, as apposed to up north.
The room was awesome, that old school vintage charm of an older Motel with it’s wood paneling trimming the room and plantation shutter closets. And we did feel like it was the Marriot; the king bed was grand, showing off it’s brightly white sheets and fluffed pillows, very comfy! So, kudos to you staging people.
Now not being familiar with the area, your hope at any hotel is that the staff is knowledgable on the latest by way of dinner and fun, and we weren’t disappointed. Todd Chandler (PM) was like a walking Unilocal app. A couple of keywords for this guy and you had a place to go.
Ok, bottom line, the rating of only 2.5 stars, seems to be based more on administration issues including third party booking, as apposed to the true experience the persons might have allowed themselves, had they not been left with that initial bitter taste; to us, it should be over 4 stars for sure!

WARNING WARNING BUYER BEWARE! RUDEST MANAGEMENT IN TOWN!!!
BE CAREFUL if you ever choose to stay at this motel. My husband and I are avid travelers and the manager here was the rudest individual we have EVER dealt with– EVER! It started when trying to make a reservation here for my son for 1 night through a popular travel site. By accident, I didn’t realize that the website auto populated the same 4 nights I had just booked for a different trip for my husband and I 2 months later. When I realized the mistake, I called the site and they contacted the motel right away. Despite the fact that the mistake dates were over 2 months away, Harbor Lights REFUSED to refund the prepaid reservation, or make ANY changes at all. Finally, the best they agreed to was a 4 night credit for another time– 3 of which we would never use. My son used the original night I was trying to book, and my husband and I tried to use one more night on a different night for ourselves. When we went to check in, I very nicely inquired about their customer service and why they were inflexible about the original mistake when it was corrected a few hours later and the «mistake reservation» was over 2 months away. The manager looked at me and said «I don’t even have to let you check in, your first name doesn’t match your ID on the reservation.» I didn’t realize they would give me a hard time because the reservation still had my son’s name on it from when he stayed the month before. (but same last name!) Fed up with her rudeness up to this point, I looked at her and asked her if she was threatening me. She got up and walked out and it all went down hill from there. Needless to say, we weren’t allowed to check in. Now I know why they make no refunds or changes of any kind– it’s the only way they make their money!
I left in absolute shock that someone in the service industry would treat customers like this– and expect to have business. There are so many other hotels to stay at in the Keys where the management is actually happy to have your business, DON’T STAY HERE!!!
THEY HAVE HORRIBLE REVIEWS ON ALL THE MAJOR SITES FOR A REASON AND EVERYONE SAYS THE SAME THING yet they lie and excuse their way out of it! BEWARE!!!

We enjoyed this place, we had the room with the kitchen and for the price you pay, you can’t do better. The beds are fine, the pool is great. The location is fantastic. The rooms could use some updates, but it doesn’t ruin the expierence.

We stayed at Harbor Lights for three nights in an ocean view room. The view was beautiful, and our little deck was very nice. We were a bit worried about the negative reviews here, but we also weren’t expecting extreme luxury considering the fair price. Some have talked about the condition of their rooms being poor. We did have some noticeable wear and tear in the room that could be addressed (a broken blind, a finicky door, some cracked tiles), however, these things did not negatively impact our stay.
Many people have spoken about negative experiences with staff or owners, but I can’t speak to the truth of that. The only staff member we interacted with was the woman working the front desk the day we checked in. She was very friendly and even got us into a larger room for the same price we had booked online for a smaller room (3 people in a 1 bed room would be pretty cramped she said). We were told the pool was open 24 hours as long as the volume was kept low during the night time hours, and the child in our party had a blast in the pool area throughout the stay. The pool was cleaned and served its purpose just fine. The woman at the desk even happily turned the lights on at the pool for us when they didn’t come on automatically, and every night after they came on without us needing to inquire.
The oceanfront is for boaters, not for swimming, but as vacationers from Michigan it was enough for us. We were able to see various fish swimming around which my niece enjoyed, and there are beaches in the area we could go to easily for swimming. We didn’t make use of the charcoal grills, but that is a nice feature! Our room was cleaned, towels replaced, and beds made daily.
I would recommend this hotel to family and friends looking to get a good deal in Islamorada.

upon arrival my boyfriend and I were very excited about the property, the motel has a very nice pool and tiki area as well as Charcoal grills and a screened gazebo. The décor was very cute and had the island feel you expect in the keys. We stayed in a 1 long size bedroom that was very clean and quaint and great for the price. However hen we booked our reservation we informed them we had a lab who has arthritis and our room was on the 3^rd floor (not helpful for potty breaks) We planned on having a cool out and bought a $ 100 worth of food, the wife who is the receptionist informed us the maintenance staff member took the last of the charcoal home to use, so we bought that too. The charcoal grill did not have a lid and we tried to light the charcoal for over an hour. The motel has no staff on duty after 8 pm so we could not obtain any extra matches or fluid since we used all of what we purchased trying to light the charcoal. We also could not get salt pepper or other standard cooking items even though it’s advertised as having a full kitchenette (which had Bo microwave) the wifi was awful and I could not keep a connection for more then 5 minutes. The room had no phone so we couldn’t call the front desk (which didn’t matter because nobody would be in the office to answer from 8pm-8:30 AM) My boyfriend called at 8:30 am to request a late checkout. The manager, Todd, first said no, then my boyfriend got Todd to agree to 11:30. It was raining like a monsoon outside and we were trying to load the car, my dog, the bike rack, and the bikes. At 11:45 we wanted to go check the room to make sure se remembered everything. Well, we asked Todd for the key and he said it’s 11:45 you were supposed to be gone by 11:30. My boyfriend tried explaining we had a hard time getting the bike rack on and apologized then Todd said, «My wife said she already told you that you couldn’t get a late check out last night and you called me this morning because you knew someone else would be at the desk and wouldn’t know my wide already told you no.» He was very angry and raised his voice and said people like you are the reason we can’t have rooms ready on time!” My boyfriend told Todd he never asked his wife for a late check out and the reason he called at 8:30 am was because the office opens then and he was not trying to trick anyone into getting a late check out. Todd then yelled at my boyfriend and was acting in a threatening manner then yelled he would get his wife to prove my boyfriend was a liar. He also said we would be charged $ 50.00 for checking out late (15 minutes) He ran out credit card continued to be rude and we left and will never return even though the property itself was nice, however the owners aren’t. They should learn what customer service means and also the fact it poured our entire time and they could have had a little sympathy for the fact we were stuck in our room for our entire stay. if you expect good customer service and to be treated with respect do not visit harbor lights

UPDATE
Todd, don’t try to lie your way out of this debacle. You and your wife are awful people. You run an awful business. You don’t care about your guests. You’re an unhappy person. Get help dude. You’re pathetic.

Wir waren für 1 Nacht dort. Es war völlig in Ordnung zur Durchreise. Es ist zwar nicht modisch eingerichtet war aber soweit sauber. Abends sind wir zu Fuß in einer Sportsbar essen gewesen, essen war gut. Die Bar ist ca 8 min zu Fuß entfernt. Ansonsten ist außerhalb des Motels nicht sehr viel mehr. Aber zur Durchreise völlig in Ordnung. Personal war auch sehr freundlich.

DO NOT STAY HERE! I would give this negative stars if I could. I would rather spend the night sleeping in my car than ever spend another moment or dime in this crap hole of a «hotel». Hostels are better kept than this. I stepped out of the room and when I went to get back in my key didn’t work. Thus began a 30 minute argument with the front desk receptionist as she began questioning me about people in a completely different room. She then began to ask me for my ID which WAS IN MY ROOM THAT I WAS LOCKED OUT OF. There is no way that this place should be open considering the dilapidated state of the furniture. Mold everywhere. Showers that are smaller than shoulder width. Dirty and chipped tile floors. Nothing BUT NOTHING matches the rudeness an ignorance of the old hag at the front desk. Let’s just say that if someone had come in to rob them, i would not have helped. I’d probably hold the door for the robber and say have a nice day. Then maybe tip him 5 bucks for being the only one on the property that is actually working.
Look I have been in countless hotel and motel rooms in my life but this $#%+HOLE should have been condemned. The management, if you want to call it that, is clearly at a place where she has realized all her crap decisions in life has put her here and will make sure to take her hatred for the world out on you. In a hotel that in any other city would be part of an episode of COPS.
UPDATE: The owner has decided to out themselves and clearly lie stating that they «evicted» us. If this is the case then I demand my money back. Plus I will be happy to post pictures of my receipts proving we stayed there both days. Or maybe I hallucinated that angry walk you made all the way to our hotel room and opened the door LIKE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Making accusations that we had more than the registered 2 people in our room is crazy since you have no proof. YOU CAME INTO OUR ROOM AND SAW FOR YOUR DUMB SELF. Clearly the management has to make false accusations and false 5 star reviews to cover themselves. Especially with summer coming along. Now thanks to this lady I will be registering to EVERY SINGLE HOTEL REVIEW SITE POSSIBLE and letting the world know how dumb this management really is. Please comment again how you evicted us so I can call my credit card company and report you for credit card fraud if this is the claim you are making.
Look people I’ll leave it at this. This manger lady is so insane that when I went to breakfast down the street on the second day OF STAYING THERE I started talking to some locals. I began telling them about the crappy hotel I was staying in and the $h1t show management. They asked me where I was staying and when I replied everyone froze. I mean dead stop froze to the point where you could hear a pin drop. Then began the horror stories about that place.
This hotel should be torn down and the management should be ashamed of themselves for their lack of respect, manners and we can get away with whatever we want type of attitude.

Changes in latitudes… if you’re expecting a 5-​Star Hotel, this is not it — but not in a bad way! If, however, you are looking for a motel that epitomizes the Florida Keys attitude, you’ve found it! Having read other reviews, it is clear that those folks had seriously unrealistic expectations in general.
The property was built in the 1950s so Old Florid Charm abounds. Think flip flops, palm trees, an ocean breeze, kayaks, boats, fish, birds, and a hammock not the glitterati of South Beach. While the property IS OCEANFRONT, there is NO BEACH! This is not unique. there are a handful of beaches in the Keys and all of them are man-​made, more rocky than sandy, and only a block or two long. If you want beaches, stay on the mainland of Florida.
The couple that run the place are exceptionally nice, and I’ve stayed here numerous times. However, if you’re an idiot and try to burn the place down or party like a rockstar until 3am, don’t expect them to put up with your nonsense. Leave your rudeness further North; folks in the Keys are friendly, but everyone has their limits.
If you’re coming to the Keys to enjoy the Keys, you will not be disappointed — sun, fun, palm trees, crystal blue water, mangroves, kayaking, fishing, diving, lobstering, etc. this is a great place to hang your hat after a long day of taking it all in. If you want white glove room service, please keep moving. It’s ALL about expectations… and in the Keys, it’s about relaxing, enjoying the water, and recharging your soul.

This weekend my wife and I traveled to Islamorada and checked in to the Harbor Lights Motel. We have stayed there with our dog on two prior occassions and had no complaints however after this visit not only will we never stay there again we would never recommend this Motel to friends or family.
First, I made our reservation requesting Room 15 on the ground floor which we have stayed in on two previous visits. I was told it was available and was provided the rate however when checking in was told that that room was never reserved for us and that the rate was $ 45 higher than when I made it over the phone. I did not rememeber the woman who took my reservation over the phone and was told by the woman at the front desk, quite matter of factly, «we have no notes that you wanted that room and the rate is the rate».
We were checked in to Room #30 on the third floor and experienced the following:
–A toilet that was not physically attached to the floor. Fun sitting on a toilet that literally moved around while you tried to balance on it. Admittedly this does sound pretty funny but it was ridicuous.
–A stove that had burners that were always warm. WTF?
–Roaches…SWEET!
A refridgerator that was not cold.
If I could give this 0 stars I certainly would. Until improvements are made and documented avoid this spot and consider the many other options in the area.

I’m working in the keys and need a relatively affordable room every few months. My last visit in July 2013 i stayed at the Harbor Lights Motel. The room was clean. With a king bed and refrigerator. A microwave would have made it better.
However the sliding glass door would not lock properly and the vertical blinds were inoperable and allowed others to see into the room, (ground floor end unit). Working I need reliable WiFi unfortunately they haven’t invested in a decent Wifi antenna system (less then $ 50 investment come on!) and I could not get Wifi in my room. Unfortunately my cell service was also poor (metroPSC) and I couldn’t tether my phone either having to drive down to the Post Card Inn a mile south to get a good connection.
No Microwave, unsecured doors, lack of privacy, POOR Wifi loose two stars.

My partner and I stayed here for a few nights and actually left a day early for another hotel because it was so gross. When we first entered the room, we were greeted by the funk of gas (presumably from the stove) and mold. As we looked around, we noticed there was a lot of mold in the bathroom and by the AC unit. The closet door had been ripped completely off its hinges. The blinds were broken. The bathtub was peeling paint (who paints a bathtub in the first place?!). One of the two lamps in the room was broken. The beds were terribly uncomfortable. Our room was wedged between a trash can, a large ashtray, and the stairs. The room looked out over Rt. 1, so we heard traffic constantly but we couldn’t close the windows because of the terrible smell.
We had a large room with a kitchenette and yes, it did have a refrigerator, microwave, stove, pots & pans, etc. HOWEVER, because of how nasty the rest of the room was, I did not feel comfortable preparing food there. It looked like the ceiling above the kitchen area was cracking and it just been painted over.
We were originally excited to see that the hotel was on the water. Upon further inspection, we saw that the pool and boat launch area were disgusting and smelled really bad. It really just seemed like the property wasn’t maintained at all.
When told that we hadn’t enjoyed our stay, the management replied that «it’s a 70 year old building so of course there’s mold.» We are in the process of requesting a refund, but we were not offered any compensation nor apologies.
Bad room, terrible service. If you are even slightly considering staying here, don’t. Take your business to an establishment who cares for their property and respects their customers.
UPDATE: We did actually get a refund from this hotel. We ALSO got quite the rebuttal from this same review posted on Trip Advisor. If you’re in the mood for some comedy, check out the owners’ condescending responses to every single negative review on Trip Advisor. Here’s a link to my review: