We stayed at the Reef Resort in one of the condo / motel type rooms during the first week of June 2009. We rented an efficiency unit across from the timeshares. Our room was very clean & was decorated in the tropical keys fashion. It was very cute. Love some of the pictures on the walls. This unit was furnished with dishes & cooking utensils, towels, etc. They could use a few more items in the kitchen but as we ate out most of the time it was not a problem. This section has 1 & 2 bedroom condo units which originally was a motel and all have been renovated. There is a coin opereated laundry area. The timeshare units on the other side of the boat dockage area are all 2 bedroom and have washer / dryer included.The location is pretty good. Not far from Publix, Winn Dixie and other stores and Marathon is central to the keys which was great.
We made a day trip to Key West as well as explored Marathon a little more. Most of our days were spent fishing where we caught Mahi which we cooked on the grill at the resort. We also enjoyed Sparky's in Key Colony Beach and Burdines as well as Upper Crust Pizza and The Stuffed Pig.
The pool at the Reef is very nice, it's only 6 foot deep but was kept very clean and was usually not crowded. There are paddle boats and canoes for your use. The managers at the resort were on site and very helpful if you needed anything. We met the owners of one of the other condo's and they were really great. Very helpful to us too with lots of local info.
There is a boat ramp onsite but it is made for small boats. We used the boat ramp by the yacht club on 33rd street which has been made larger and was very easy to use. The timeshares are great if you have family but for just 2 people the condo was great. The last time we stayed here was many years ago and at that time they had a game room which unfortunately was taken out by hurricane Wilma. They have done a lot of work to restore everything back to normal. We enjoyed our stay which was a great get away.

Our stay was great, everything was fun. Would want to be cautious with children and older folks with the villas, but we loved them! Nothing very fancy but certainly met our need and more. The kitchen was well stocked and basically nothing was missing. The bathrooms are nothing great but adequate also. We had a boat and it was great to have it right outside our door. The pool was adequate but could use some character. Many free offerings with the canoes, kayaks, bicycles, and barbecues. Could use a jacuzzi but...
No doubt a great value!

Just returned from a week at The Reef at the Marathon – traded our timeshare time from RCI. Boat ramp, docks just redone – new pool and club house. We rode the bikes to Sombrero Beach that is about a 15 minute ride. Kayaking/canoeing - available 8-5 but will give you the key overnight for early or late paddling out to a conveniently located island with many birds & sometimes dolphin. Grounds - gravel (ouch) everywhere, friendly cat – loved him, lovely flowering shrubs, well maintained. The resort doesn’t have a lot of units and the units are octagon shaped on a pedestal base so you have a set of two stairways to get up to unit with a wraparound porch. The two bedrooms, two bath units have complete kitchens fully equipped, Washer/dryer underneath the villa, one television, hair dryer. Near airport so small planes occasionally fly overhead and low but did not bother us a bit, little road noise. Nice location in regards to day trips to Key West and attractions. MANAGER AND WORKERS ARE VERY FRIENDLY. Weather was prefect, in the 80's everyday and we were there April 3-11th. We had 3 of our kids with us that are in their 20's and us in our late 40's and early 50's. Nice relaxing, fun week! Can’t wait to go back.

Stayed at The Reef for a week. Very happy with the place. We did not bring a boat but, the marina looked nice (although it was small.) The people that worked here were super super friendly and helpful. The unit was small but clean. The Reef is very centrally located in Marathon so it is very close to all the good restaurants, as well as being near to the grocery stores (Winn Dixie and Publix) and K mart. The only small complaints I have were #1-the kayaks were hard to get access to. People had checked them out the previous day (for a morning trip I would assume) yet, when I left at 10 AM they were all still just sitting on the dock. I would not bank on using the water equipment they provide here. Not enough for too many people, and not a good system. #2-they were doing construction/repairs on a unit nearby and it was somewhat loud and disturbing/ A lot of hammering and electrical drills and such. Not a big deal, just thought I would mention it. We did not use the pool but it looked nice and very well kept! Overall, I enjoyed my stay at The Reef.