Katie B.
Yelp
I'm honestly hesitant to even give this place one star, but Yelp doesn't allow negative stars =]. I don't even know where to begin with this place. I have never given a 1-star rating to any business in my life, and I am quite big on Yelp. I am usually a very understanding person, who is empathetic to things falling through the cracks, people just being human, and mistakes being made. But my experience with Mangrove Marina was an inexplicable one, but I will do my best.
Upon arriving at the location, I was greeted with falling down houses surrounding the area, equipped with trash and filth as a bonus. The property was advertised as having a spacious houseboat with new amenities, and a pool to take a dip in. Uh...more like cesspool.
Upon check in, they didn't even have my reservation name right. When we arrived on the houseboat itself, there was barely even any room to breathe. THIS HOUSEBOAT IS NOT AS ADVERTISED. It's not even big enough for two people. The bathroom was absolutely grimy, with a dirty shower curtain, and a bathmat that was COVERED in brown stains. I told myself that they were just cigarette burns, to make myself feel better that it could have potentially been human feces. There were both BUGS and HAIR in the bed, which I might add- did not even have sheets on it. The wifi did not work. The tv did not work. The screen door was broken. We had little to no kitchen utensils. Upon contacting the property manager in hopes of solving this issue and possibly remedying this nightmare, there was no response. Probably because this was not the first time he had received such complaints, as I read another Yelp reviewer complain about similar issues.
I seriously cannot make this stuff up. I originally was going to stay for 2 nights, but left after one- as it was impossible to get any sleep on a bed that had no mattress pad, and a houseboat that made a clanking sound ALL NIGHT LONG. Not to mention the feeling of bugs in the bed and scratchy sheets (once they brought them to me) Upon check out, there were zero apologies for the condition of the houseboat itself. However, there was a kind and understanding comment along the lines of "well, this is what you paid for". Paying $250 for the first night was understandable. We stayed there so we should pay. However, for the second night for which we were NOT staying, we requested a full refund, to which the manager of the company (Bob) said, "we can only give you $150 back". You're kidding me, right? Victoria and Bob clearly are NOT interested in customer service, and just interested in money.
I repeat, unless you are looking for a BEYOND WHITE TRASH experience, do not stay here. If you are into bugs in the bed, filth, and laying awake in bed all night listening to a houseboat hitting a dock? YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE.
I am outraged at this experience and to be honest, it is not even about the money. The customer service was the most disappointing part of it all. They should truly be ashamed. If you have children, please stay away from here. I can only imagine the bacteria throughout the entire place.
If you are coming to the Keys for a vacation, there are plenty of other places to stay. Granted, they are mostly old, as that is how the Keys is, but they will definitely be CLEAN, and you will hopefully be treated as more than a peasant.
Rant over.