I thought that, apart from the furnishings being a bit out of date, the place was fine for the Keys. I didn't see any dirt or coackroaches and the cooking facilities were perfectly adequate. Ed was friendly & helpful.

I asked Trip Advisor to remove my original review so I could publish updated comments about this property. I stayed there in the summer of 2009.

I must report that several weeks after posting my review of Ed & Ellens (Big Pine Key) on Trip Advisor, the managers of the property contacted me directly with a mean-spirited and derogatory letter regarding my posting. I can understand why they weren't happy to see yet another negative review, but I found their choice to disparage my honest (and substantiated) opinions unprofessional... especially since I actually had stated I would consider staying at their lodge again in the future, despite the flaws!

Needless to say, given the retributive contact from Ed & Ellens, I would certainly NOT stay at this property again under its current management, and I would strongly recommend you avoid it also. They should be spending their time capitalizing on the great potential of their property by correcting the easily-remedied deficits I reported rather than sending hatemail to people who honestly and constructively critique their service.

Here is my original review:

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We stayed in the unit adjacent to the local manager at the Big Pine Key locaiton. There is a second Ed & Ellen's duplex further down the street which looked nearly identical from the outside.

WHAT WE LIKED
You can't beat the front porch view over the saltwater marshes, the quiet location well away from the highway, and Key Deer wandering the local neighborhood. At sunrise you can watch reddish egrets, little blue herons, and great white herons tramping in the wetlands: spectacular! This is a good location from which to explore the lower keys. We weren't into tiki bars and the 'resort' scene, and we preferred to cook for ourselves, so this was an ideal arrangement. Quick drive to Looe Key Dive Resort for scuba and Bahia Honda for snorkel, and a relatively quick drive to Key West. Supermarket and drugstore within 5 minutes by car. Convenient parking directly underneath the unit. Wireless internet worked most - but not all - of the time. The unit we stayed in is quite spacious and brightly lit.

WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE
Unit is a typical, not-set-up-to-impress 'beach rental' apartment and ever-so-slightly run down. That was fine by us since we were not in the Keys to hang out at the house. Kitchen cleanliness epitomized an overall lack of care and interest by the housekeeper/manager... 15 minutes and soapy water rid the fridge of a layer of accumulated grime and gunk, so no big whoop. But the lack of difficulty to clean up such an obvious problem only raises the question why it wasn't done before we arrived (we understand some mold/mildew is unavoidable in this climate). Kitchen was adequately equipped for very basic cooking efforts, but all items had to be washed before 1st use. Beds & bed linens were adequate, but bath towels were thin and clearly showing signs of wear. AirCon was so-so and very noisy directly outside the bedroom: air ducts were filthy with lint and grime. Ceiling fans were welcome, although one wobbled precariously and several lacked the pull-string to control on/off/speed. Shower was clearly not low-flow, and most light bulbs were energy-wasting incandescents. We felt slightly put-off by the local manager/host who was rather cool and ambivalent towards us despite our efforts to be friendly (although, to be fair, Ed was highly entertaining on the phone when we booked the place). I didn't get the feeling that they were 'there for us' if anything required additional attention or effort.

BOTTOM LINE
Truth is, we might stay here again if we visit Big Pine Key because the price was good for the area and, as a package, it was OK. But it's not without its flaws so I recommend you keep your expectations in check if you choose to stay here.

We made the horrible mistake of going to ed and ellens in Big Pine Key. When we arrived the place was filled with mold, the air conditioning vent was filthy, a dead cockroach was on the open floor, and the shower gave out a mere trickle of water. We told the young lady who showed us the duplex to forget it. When we tried to get back our $300 ed told us to drop dead. You would have to be nuts to go there.

The room looked clean at a glance. Two burners on the stove did'nt work, there was'nt a chair in the room. And last but not least there were cockroachs in the room. I had stayed here one night and tried to check out the next day after I got out of class. When I tried to explain the problem to the owner Ed he started to argue and told me to leave. I told him I had no problem with paying for the first night and the 2nd night, because I had got out of class a around 6pm. His reply was leave and he was going to charge for the 6 nights. I would avoid this place.