I won't belabor this one -- others who experienced Banana Bay have conveyed the scene we found in their reviews -- but add me to the list of those saying you could do better for a hotel in the Marathon area. For fans of funky (like us, generally), Banana Bay has much potential -- they could keep the retro look, the huge (and clean) retro pool, the tiki bar and the retro clientele, but they absolutely need to invest in more housecleaning staff (the poor woman cleaning our section of the Marina View didn't finish her rooms until nearly 6 pm -- and waiting guests were p.o.'d) and newer mattresses.

As several others have noted, the Marina area is really pretty -- I suspect if you cruised in on a yacht, tied up at the Marina, and used the amenities of BB while staying aboard your own floating bedroom with ocean view, you'd have a very different impression than mere ($200/night) room guests. Alas, that's not going to happen for us . . .

This was my third stay at Banana Bay. I love the feel of this place...like stepping back in time so far away from the craziness of the world. It's a true escape from the sameness of most of the modern resorts. The pool is huge, the tiki bar (and Noni, the barkeep) is welcoming and the rooms are comfortable. The staff seems to really care about Banana Bay. Dave is always around and asking how everything is going. I felt that housekeeping was watching my every move because if I left the room and forgot something, the room was already cleaned when I went back to get it. I do wish that more attention was given to the beach area at the marina. Lots of cigarette butts, etc. Wouldn't take much to clean that up and make it more inviting. We did miss having the restaurant this year!

You get the feel that whoever owns the resort doesn't know what they want to do with it. Little things seem nicer each time we go, but it seems that they don't want to put money into updating. I'd hate to see the "Old Florida" feel go away, but it would be nice to see the pool resurfaced, maybe some new carpet and paint. I hope they decide to do that, because we'd really miss staying at Banana Bay!

My husband and I have stayed all over the Florida keys and Banana Bay is somewhere we will return to. The rooms are very clean and cozy. The staff is great and they have a great pool. The resort is very charming.

I think the photos online are misleading of this place. We bought a visit through Florida Vacation Auction and were disappointed in how the pictures shown on their site look quite different than the live view we saw during our stay. This is a nothing special place - the only reason I didn't rate it lower than average is that our room was very clean. The decor is downright ugly and very much outdated but the really important parts like the shower, tub, toilet and bed were updated and clean. Smoke detector lacked batteries and a cover. No coffee is served here in the morning - except for a measly one cup deal in the room. If you simply want a clean place to sleep at night - it's not a bad deal but if you are planning on staying here and hanging out at all, I think there are other places available that offer more.