The virtual tour and photos are honest and reflect the basically good quality of the accommodations. Unfortunately, the in-person experience left us a bit disappointed. We were shocked to see that above the studio where we were staying was a family with kids and a puppy. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem. But with hardwood floors upstairs, a puppy who whined incessantly when left alone and less than soundproof structures, we were unpleasantly surprised by all the noise which culminated in serenades played on a saxophone or trumpet by what was surely a well-intentioned child simply practicing his instrument while on vacation. The Terms and Conditions state that no one under 16 years of age is allowed without express permission, which I imagine the family had gotten. I guess we assumed there would be no kids. But we were wrong. Another big disappointment was the pool temperature. We assumed that, especially in early January, that the water in the "heated" pool would at least be warm enough for a swim. No one went near the pool the days we were there. The jacuzzi was apparently only turned on after 10 pm. We never saw it running or set to a warmer temperature than the pool. We reserved at Mary's Resort expressly for the heated pool, telling ourselves that due to the distance to the beaches we could always stay at the resort and swim in the pool. Never happened. The Jasmine Suite and the Royal Palm Room are small efficiency apartments. However, we planned our vacation on the idea that we could stock the refrigerator with food and cook our meals in the apartment to save money. The Jasmine Suite "kitchenette" as advertised on the website as "Kitchenette (sink, stove, refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker)" was definitely not that. The stove was the equivalent to a hotplate which barely heated up and the refrigerator (the 2nd one, because the original wasn't working) was a tiny, hotel-room sized mini-fridge. Needless to say, we ate out more often than we had planned. The place is in a remote neighborhood with nothing around of any interest. You need to drive everywhere. However, it feels safe, as you have to enter a code to access the site. The beaches are about 15 to 20 minutes away by car. There is no one on-site. You have to page the concierge and he comes pretty quickly to respond to your needs. We just thought this place was going to be more fun, more like the description on the website. It looks great and for all intents and purposes may and probably does appeal to a certain clientele. We had four short days in Fort Lauderdale and expected quieter, more user-friendly accommodations. Instead we were constantly bothered by one distraction or another.
Room Tip: Don't choose the Jasmine Suite. The kitchenette is useless if you want to cook meals and it'...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
21 January 2012
I'd like to start out by thanking you once again for staying with us and for taking the time to write your review. I offer the following responses to clarify some details in your review.
Mary's Resort is a small, boutique property, which prides itself in personalized guest services. We provide laundry machines, gas barbeque grills, beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, etc. for guest use. Each guest is also given our managers phone number, for any special requests.
The reviewer is correct in his statement that guests under 16 must fist be "cleared" prior to making a reservation. The reason is that we do not have a "kiddie" fence around the pool and we don't offer a playground, etc. The Historic nature of the property would not allow it. It would be both illegal and discriminatory for us to "ban" children. In reality, very few children stay with us. We are pet-friendly and the resort is named after my dog, Mary.
We heat our pool 24-hours a day with a heat-pump. If the outside temperature dips in the 50-degree range, it will take some time for the heater to catch up. The Jacuzzi is heated to 102 degrees from 6:00 PM until 12:00 Midnight, 7 nights a week. We also ask guests to let us know if they have a specific request for the Jacuzzi hours. We heat it between those hours, because 90% of our guests prefer to use it in the evenings. Not once did this guest mention an issue while he was with us. He wouldn't "see it running" because it is all run by electronic timers. I'm not sure when this guest was in the pool area, but others were using the pool while he was here.
The Royal Palm room is not an "efficiency apartment" as the guest reported. It is a room with a King bed and other amenities as stated on our website. The guest stayed in the Jasmine Suite and the kitchenette is exactly as pictured and described on our website. The same configuration is in all of our Suites. The refrigerator works fine, but the guest did complain that it wasn't cold enough. Rather than argue with him, the manager let him use his personal refrigerator, which he got from his own home. The refrigerator is small and isn't meant to hold a weeks worth of grocery's. Again, it is as pictured on our website.
Regarding the noise complaint: I am sorry to hear that the other guests made noise. We did receive your complaint and immediately spoke with the guests above you. They were very apologetic and made every effort to reduce any loud noise. Both the Royal Palm Room and the Jasmine Suite have the Bamboo Loft above them. All of our other accommodations are single-story, with no one above them. Again, I am sorry that you were bothered by other guests.
Regarding the location: We are located 6 blocks West of Downtown Fort Lauderdale, one mile East of I-95 and in a very central area. Fort Lauderdale Beach is 3.5 miles to the East. I really don't understand why you consider this to be a remote location. Fort Lauderdale is spread out and we always recommend a car to our guests. We provide gated parking for one car per accommodation.
Thank you,
Keith Blackburn
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC