We stayed at the Sea Dell for two nights the middle of January and were very pleased with our room, which had a queen bed. It's not a Hilton, but you aren't paying for one either!! The room was clean and the bed very comfortable. It's right next to Hwy 1 and we were concerned about traffic noise but we really didn't hear it at night.

The motel is old but well maintained, clean, and comfortable. There is no fan in the bathroom so the mirror gets fogged up when the shower is used. There are chairs right outside your door so you can enjoy the great 'Keys weather'.

Be sure to drive to the old 7-mile bridge. There is a parking are there and you can walk out on the old bridge for a fantastic view of the sunset! You won't be sorry, and you can walk 2 miles if you want.

This place is adorable, much like staying at a friend's house rather than a hotel. Our bed was a little lumpy, and there was a tiny lizard inside the door when we arrived, but we didn't see any other critters. We picked this place because we wanted to be centrally located to Key Largo and Key West. My advice is to stay either in Key West, or Key Largo if you are visiting either of those places, as it is a long drive to Key West, especially on the weekend in peak traffic. We didn't find much to do in Marathon. But if you're on a fishing trip, or just looking to get away from the tourists in the bigger towns, then this is an excellent place for that. We had a refrigerator, kitchen sink, in addition to the full bathroom with tub, shower and sink. There is ample parking for every room. Hotel desk clerk was friendly and helpful about the area. Check-in was a breeze.

Let's get one thing straight: The Ritz, this is not. For example, the person who grouted the tile in our bathroom should have earned himself a lifetime ban from Home Depot for his 'handiwork.' That said, the tile was clean and functional, along with the rest of the room. This motel managed to hit all the right notes.

Bed: supremely comfortable. We have a sleep number mattress at home, and I routinely toss and turn at hotels. I slept comfortably all night, which was a very pleasant surprise.

Bath: very good. No tub, but the shower was very large, water pressure was good enough to get the sand out of our hair and there was enough hot water for us and our two tween daughters. Most important, the bathroom was clean, every day.

Kitchen: excellent. Our room (one of the efficiencies) had a full kitchen, and we cooked simple meals like spaghetti and quesadillas. The fridge, freezer, stove, toaster, and coffee maker were all clean and functional. All the necessary pots, pans, colanders, can openers, measuring cups, plates, dishes and utensils were provided. We cleaned up after ourselves in the kitchen, except for the coffee maker, which was cleaned and reset for us every day.

Decor: not bad. Motels, by their nature, have to appeal to the greatest number of people possible, so the decor is necessarily bland. We did appreciate the attempt to include local artists in the decor and it was certainly not an eyesore! The outside of the motel is a lovely shade of coral and there is a stunning wall mural that makes a great photo backdrop. The landscaping is quite lovely. I guess the outside makes more of an impression than the inside!

Room: spacious and clean. All rooms are non-smoking. Enough said.

Wifi: excellent. Easy to connect and very fast. There were no outages or problems, even with four of us on our internet tablets (and one kindle) all at the same time.

Pool: really, really nice. The heated pool is open until 11pm, so we had an evening swim after dinner almost every day. On two different days, the heater was broken, and we let the front desk know about it. Each time, it had been repaired the next day. Given the quick response from the motel, I feel confident that this trouble was an isolated incident. I'd probably rate the pool excellent if not for the random break-downs. The pool was a wonderful relaxation and wind-down tool when we were able to use it.

Environment: excellent. In fairness, we stayed in the efficiency unit, which is down the street from the main motel, but it was quiet enough to leave the door open in the mornings and evenings. There was little if any bleed-through noise from the other side of the duplex. We slept well.

Location: excellent. Right in the middle of the Marathon area, very close to Sombrero Beach, Dolphin Research Center, Turtle Hospital, Captain Hook's, Marathon Kayak, Seven Mile Bridge, Pigeon Key. Reasonably close to Bahia Honda State Park, Lower Keys Wildlife Sanctuary. About 50 minutes to Key West, for a nice day trip.

Staff: super! The desk staff were very friendly and helpful, suggesting good places to eat or visit. It's always wonderful to have an inside opinion in an unfamiliar town. Because of this, we were able to catch the fish feeding at Captain Hook's (which we had not known about) and it turned out to be a lot of fun. We didn't have to call for anything, and got clean towels for the pool and a bit of friendly conversation every time we came up to swim.

Value: excellent. The Sea Dell provided for all our needs at a very reasonable price. We are confident we will return!

Room was nice and priced just right. Liked the fact that all rooms were non-smoking. Nice grill and picnic table and community feel. One of the only places with a heated pool.