Merlin Guesthouse Hotel

, Key West, United States
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Merlin Guesthouse Hotel

, Key West
3 star

Rooms: 20

811 Simonton Street - Key West - Florida - 33040 - United States Hotel Website | | 305 296 3336
213 Traveller

Reviews - Merlin Guesthouse Hotel

Historical Traveller Reviews of Merlin Guesthouse Hotel

Guesthouse with a great garden

from A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I stayed at Merlin for 2 days at Christmas, 2004. Great atmosphere, everyone friendly. Wonderful garden with bougainvillas, a hammock, lovely lotus pond, and above all, nice breakfast with croissants et al.

The walls are not sound-proof and we could hear the next door neighbours but didn't mind that-it added to the casual charm of the place. Spent time sitting on the rocking-chair on the patio and relaxed in the hammock.

Best of all, a 2-minute walk to Duval (downtown) and a 10-minute walk to Mallory Square (sunset celebration)

Will go back...

Advice to travellers :
You don't need a car, if you do, difficult to find parking on the street you may have to park in the City garage

You Get What You Pay For!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
The Merlin Guesthouse is not a bad bang for the buck. I visited in July, so the rates were somewhere in the $80 a night range. I stayed on one of the street rooms. Very quiet - not much bothering from the street traffic, to tell you the truth, I didn't notice it at all. The room walls were thin as hell - I could hear my friends in the room next door getting it on!! Bathroom was SMALL - Room was SMALL - Bed was UNCOMFORTABLE, and worst of all - THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF ANTS ALL OVER EVERYTHING!!!! everywhere you turned, ants - in your clothes, on the dressers, in the bathroom, in the toilets, everywhere!! I could not take it. Breakfast was GOOD, Pool was quiet and location was PRIME for the Duval Stroll..... Overall scale of 1 - 10, I give this a 4. Try it for yourself, its not bad for a budget trip, little strain on the pocket compared to the other prices in the area.

Loud loud loud

from A TripAdvisor Member
We had low expectations since our room was fairly inexpensive. But you get what you pay for. We stayed in Room 2 facing the street. Coming from Manhattan, I can generally sleep through noise. But the street is SO loud it's a real disruption to sleeping. Another problem, the walls between rooms are so thin it's crazy loud. A TV in the room next to ours was left on one night and I had to bang on the guests door because I could hear every word. While that may be an isolated incident - the street noise is not. DO NOT GET A ROOM FACING THE STREET.
The positives - location is central to most things. Grounds are well kept, pool is small but attractive, breakfast is simple but tasty. Housekeeping was fine.
Don't let your room choice ruin a wonderful island!

Never again

from Nanders
I went in not expecting much since this was one of the least expensive places I could find, and I believe you get what you pay for. Well, my expectations were met.

There are some good things: a beautiful garden/pool area, the free breakfast was nice, the holiday decorations were pretty.

There are also some bad things: We were in TINY room 7, on the street, and the noise was insane, which another reviewer had warned about.
The housekeeping stunk. We had a bag of garbage by the door and they never took it, when we walked in one day the sheets were straightened on the bed but the comforter was in a ball in our large suitcase(?), and there was a big hairball in the bathroom that was never removed.
Finally, the staff was pretty cold. I said "hi" one day when I walked by the woman who checked us in and I was shunned. Also, I had called after we checked out because we thought we left something and they pretty much didn't care. (As I was asking if they would please check the room again we found our item).

I could put up with the tiny pool and room size and the street noise, but the housekeeping and staff ruined it for me. I will not go back.

Wonderful

from A TripAdvisor Member
This guest house doesn't look like much from the street, but once you open the gate you walk into a private little tropical paradise. Although we had reserved the smaller of the two cottages, they upgraded us to the larger one when we arrived (that also included a parking space) at no extra charge. While not luxurious, it was larger than anticipated, was very nice, and was exceptionally clean. The beds were very comfortable. We asked for a couple extra bath towels and they immediately brought a half dozen. The friendly staff offered excellent service. The deck area around the pool was lovely. The only thing that didn't exceed expectations was the ordinary continental breakfast. Overall, we were very pleased and would highly recommend the Merlin. An outstanding value!

Very nice but one warning

from Just_some_dude
The grounds are beautiful and the location could not have been better. However, I would warn folks who are booked into the 6 (or so) rooms on Simonton that it is VERY loud from both traffic on Simonton and thin walls. The thin walls we could handle but the traffic noise made for very little sleep. If you can get into one of the rooms further back or one of the separate cottages, I think you will be very happy. We will certainly stay there again but not in guestrooms 1-6.

Honeymoon !

from A TripAdvisor Member
Perfect. That is how i would describe our stay at the Merlin. We were on our honeymoon and loved the garden, patio area and staff. Could not have asked for more. Would recommend for anyone who would like a short walk to Duval St. and a getaway at the same time! We will be back for our 1st Anniversary.

Spring Break 2004

from A TripAdvisor Member
I was really surprised by the Merlin Guesthouse! I stayed here with my boyfriend over the Spring Break from college. I thought that what we paid for our room, $176, was quite pricey, but I guess that that is what you must pay during the spring break season. Other than the price that we paid, we were very pleased with the stay. We loved the continential breakfast that was provied at poolside. There was a wide variety of choices. The property was very clean and the staff was very friendly and willing to answer any questions that we had. Our room was quaint, nothing fancy, but we were never in our room anyways. I would stay here again for sure. One more thing that I would like to add is that there is not much parking around the property. They do not have their own parking lot so you must find a parking spot on the streets which is kind of tricky sometimes.

t stay anywhere else!

from stressie1
The Merlin was awesome!!! Couldn't have asked for a better place to stay for our wedding. From the very beginning they were incredibly accomodating (didn't mind our large group - 24 people - hogging most of the rooms for the week).
The pool was small but refreshing and we all had a blast splashing about. Loved the patio area, and the King Suite was great and at a great off-season rate. The only downside - virtually no parking. So if you can - leave your car at home.
I can't say enough wonderful things about this place. The staff was perfect, as was the surroundings, the location, the room - everything. If we return I wouldn't think of staying anywhere else!

Housekeeping was horrible

from A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed here for 5 nights in February 2004. Had a great time, breakfast was ok, nothing special, room was comfortable BUT the housekeeping was horrible! Our room needed vacuuming and was never done the whole time we stayed there, empty glasses left around, etc. The maids had a real attitude, like they hated their jobs. And guess what?.......I didn't leave them a tip either. For $200 a night, I would expect better service. The desk staff was terrific, especially Natalie. Pool was small but fine.....everything in Key West is small! Overall, it was ok and we certainly enjoyed our trip.

Top Local Tips for Key West

Don't miss... Kelly's for lunch. Great food, lots of shade, and really great service (usually!). And DEFINITELY don't miss the Banana Cafe for a GREAT french breakfast. The crepes are to die for. Absolutely out of this world. Do not be intimidated by the line to get in.... it's worth the wait!

Skip Sloppy Joe's Walk by to see this famous bar, but you've probably heard it's not really the bar where Hemmingway hung out. It's loud with usually bad music and drunken tourists. The Hog's Breath Saloon is a much better hang. Good food and usually good bands. Great bar staff!

Key West Express My husband and I took the Key West Express from Ft Myers to Key West instead of driving 7 hours from Sarasota. What a great experience. Would recommend a taxi to the Merlin from the terminal.

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