I'm very sorry that you didn't enjoy your stay. This morning's research of room rates in the upper Keys revealed two other properties with rates similar to (slightly higher than) the Seafarer's: one was 10 miles north of town and the other is nowhere near the water. The next lowest rate started rooms at $139.00/night.

The Seafarer is an old fish-and-dive camp built in 1948. It is a vintage Mom-and-Pop trying to keep its niche in the face of ever-expanding large hotel chains in the Keys. Sometimes, especially off-season, we run on a tight budget--but we always respond to reported problems and try to make our guests comfortable. The only thing is..if we don't know about the problems, we can't rectify them.

Perhaps you could tell me a little more about what made the property "scary"..we do maintain our landscaping and lighting and a manager lives on site. The guest laundry is a *building* with lighting and a ceiling fan. It is not close to other units so that guests may do laundry anytime without disturbing other guests. Crime rate in our area is very low. If there is a "scary" aspect about this property we really do need to know so we can correct the problem immediately.

I'm stumped about the "nasty" beach comment, also. Perhaps some seagrass had come in with the tide overnight and hadn't been raked up yet? We're very careful about trash and beach cleanup 5 days a week, more if needed. Please give me some details so I may address the problems you mentioned.

Please: we don't put out any misleading info about our property. There are plenty of reviews and responses here and elsewhere that state it simply: rustic, old, clean, low prices.
No more and no less. Not for everyone. Some love us, others don't. You'll see that again and again.

I can only keep stating, folks, if you aren't happy with something *please* communicate that to the staff so we can try and correct the problem! It does no one any good to keep silent at the time and complain after the fact. We *want* you to enjoy yourself--help us to help you please.

Well, this was a very distressing review to receive today; naturally I went straight down to cottage #6 to see if anything had been changed since I was on duty last Wednesday, the 20th of July. I'll address each comment in order.

When you see an asterisk (*) before a comment, that means I have taken and will shortly post photos of the problems in question on the Seafarer blog.

Quick note: lobster mini-season is July 27th and 28th; starts tomorrow. Weekends are busy, but the Holiday and Ramada in Key Largo had plenty of rooms left this past Sat. when you were here.. I checked myself.

1) Our "Beach house on the water" (#6) isn't advertised anywhere as "upgraded" or "deluxe", and the charge is $140.00 plus tax. The pet fee is $25.00, so if you only paid $20.00 you were getting a price break. Compare other beachfront units with kitchens in the upper Keys and you will find that we are quite reasonable.

2) Pictures of the site: some are older (about 2 years) of the beach; before we added sky chairs, new hammocks, rebuilt our dock. There is a new dive shop, but it's not on the beach. What else was different?

3) I do apologise for you having to wait to check in, especially in the heat we've been having. I hope you didn't have to wait very long.

4) The soda machine was running ice-cold when I restocked it on Wed. July 20th; I own it and stock it bi-weekly. When a problem is reported I immediately take steps to correct it. Did you inform the office? I'm asking because I wasn't told about the problem until 7/24. I'm so sorry for that, I wish I'd known earlier.

5) Ants in kitchen: Well, as you know, in Florida the little buggers appear when food or pet food is left out ,unfortunately. Did you inform the office? We do have non-poisonous (pet-friendly) methods to deter ants.

* 6) Black mold oozing from A/C units: There is new grey-tinted grout mixed with white grout around the unit to seal it, but no mold. Those units are less than 2 months old. Please tell me which unit had mold on it, because I couldn't find any.

* 7) Health inspection report on door: ( I have to admit this one gave me a good chuckle!) That's a form from the Hotel Business Group, not a health inspection form-- that states our daily and weekly rates, and yes--it is dated 1999. That is because we have not raised our rates since then; actually, we've lowered them!

* 8) Bathroom door is in fact made of wood painted white--but it closes completely and locks with a latch. Perhaps the little doorknob distracted you and you didn't see the latch?

9) Two new bars of soap are standard in the bathroom; they are on the toilet tank. Perhaps you were looking in the shower and missed them? It's true, we don't have shampoo and conditioner. We are what we say we are, a small Mom-and-Pop. We try to keep our rates lower; this is one way. Did you inform the office? If Maria somehow missed giving you soap we'd have been glad to give you some.

10) Towels smelled damp: did you inform the office? We would have gladly given you a fresh set if you weren't happy with the smell.

* 11) Curtain rods in windows, no curtains: There are no curtain rods on any of the windows; there are blinds. On every window except the bathroom, which has an opaque glass jalousie.

* 12 ) Dust, dirt and mildew: As a Navy veteran, I know where to look if housekeeping is slacking off; I checked the overhead light covers, the windowsills, the top of the cupboards..the closet, the shower, the refrigerator door seal, behind the toilet, and I couldn't find any..could you tell me where you found it so I can correct this immediately please?

* 13) Refrigerator and freezer disgusting: I thought maybe Maria, having a heavy workload on weekends, might have skimped on the refrigerator cleaning..out of character for her, but-- despite a few rust spots on the shelves, it was quite clean. Ditto the ice trays..but if you found otherwise, did you let the office know so they could fix the problem?

14) Bed is on wheels: well, you got me there. The bed is on wheels. We'll put down some non-skid pads immediately.

* 15) Closet door is bed sheet hung up with nails: no, it's a proper drapery hung up on a proper curtain rod, has been for at least 6 years. That must have been where you saw the curtain rod, not the windows. No nails.

Bulldoze this place down for a new hotel? We've got too many of those already down here. I'll say it again: this isn't a luxury hotel. There are lots and lots of those here, and little locally-run places like ours are becoming rarer every year. There is a market for us. Some folks like more personable surroundings and desk staff who can make a decision on their own instead of going through the corporate office (i.e. refunds, upgrades, discounts..)

We are proud of our little place--lots of wildlife, native plants and flowers, windows that open, pet-friendly, lots of history and character..but we don't try to say we're anything more than what we are, never have. I'm very sorry you didn't have a pleasant stay here. If you let us know where you found mildew and mold and dust we will correct the problem immediately..I couldn't find any.

D. Armenta, night manager Seafarer resort