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Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages is located on the Bay side of Key Largo. What makes us unique is our cottage rentals come with a free designated 22' sailboat that you can use for your whole stay, also included is the free use of kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, dinghies, snorkel gear, fishing gear and bicycles. Sail to the Nest Key island and experience the mud bath on the beach, or sail towing your kayak, then kayak through the mangrove jungle into the hidden lake where you will see manatees. Rates starts as low as $175 a night on our low season, each of our uniquely decorated and themed cottages comes in different sizes with king or queen size bed as well as bunk beds, and a duplex which can be converted to 1 big cottage that can sleep up to maximum of 13 people.
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HOTEL STYLE
Quaint
Harbour View
Location
99306 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037-2435
Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
I had a blast and loved my time here, but probably wouldn't go back. From the moment we arrived, it was a comedy of errors. The entire reason we booked these cottages were because of the sailing opportunities. My in laws talked several times to the staff prior to booking, yet once we arrived, nothing was as expected starting with our reservation. Our boat request was lost and we had to use a different kind. My in laws were upset from the get go. We couldn't really dive off our boat as planned because we had no ocean side boat access as we were told in the phone. Shouldn't have paid to bring our diving gear. If you can get over the junky junkyard looking entrance, the grounds were actually very charming and a lot of thought was put into amenities such as snorkels, paddle boards, kayaks, cute tiki hut and fire pit. It was fun and relaxing. The rooms were another story... My in laws compared it to camping. I love camping, but them not so much. There were roaches and ants abound- in our beds and all. The former white spots in the comforter were brown from not being washed. The 200 pound television from the 80s took up half the room and the bathroom reeked of urine. My husband and I planned to sleep on the bunkbeds but the top bunk was too squeaky and woke everybody up every time he moved. We both slept in the bottom bunk together-great for our marriage, not so much for our backs who had to endure broken springs popping out. Most everything in the room was broken including the radio, toaster, and cable. With that being said, the staff was so so so so so accommodating. William saved the day in numerous occasions. He and the other staff COULD NOT have been nicer. The owner even ran out during our breakfast to get us a new toaster in hopes to make it back before we were done eating. Overall we felt welcomed and had a great time, but the rooms were too junky and dirty for the money. Ps-as a general note to people visiting Key Largo during this time of year, there were jellyfish everywhere!
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Date of stay: November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at the Key Lime Sailing Club for a week early this December. I had such a good time I feel like I’m gushing about it, but I just wanted to say a few things about this wonderful place.
My wife, who is not a sailor. was very leery of the whole idea at first, and wasn’t sure that she wanted to use a week of the first vacation we’d been able to go on alone for 30 years sailing…but I was able to talk her into spending half of our two week vacation at the Key Lime Sailing Club in Key Largo. Let me say, it was perfect! She can’t wait to go again, loved the sailing, and the next time she wants to spend more time there. That’s my idea of a success!
We arrived in the evening after dark and checked in. We stayed in the Manatee Cottage, which was clean and importantly for me, the bed was comfortable. I didn’t have any backaches at all in the mornings. Our cabin had a small kitchen, and came with a cooler to take on the boat during the day. I want to be clear that it is NOT the 4 Seasons, but it was nicely set up for staying at a beach and it was just fine. It ended up that we didn’t spend much time in the cottage anyway, we were having so much fun.
The first morning we met at the beach with Capt. Paul and a few other couples who were going sailing that afternoon. After a thorough orientation of the rules, he met with us individually, and went over everything on the little Catalina 22 that we had picked. After he was comfortable with my boating experience, we loaded up a cooler and some extra clothes into the boat and headed out into the southern Everglades, which is where most of the sailing takes place. Make sure you bring your suntan lotion! The bay is pretty large, and there is plenty to see, but mostly we just practiced our sailing, first doing long runs, then tacking. The little Catalina was awesome, well rigged and it handled well. I found these boats very forgiving of my sailing errors, and I think it would be pretty hard to tip one over, and still a lot of fun. Everything on the boat was solid…not perfect, but for anyone who has spent any time on boats, everything was just fine.
We sailed every single day we were there for 4 to 6 hours, each day doing something different. One day we loaded up the available kayaks into the sailboat and anchored at Nest Key, and paddled around the whole Key…there were hundreds of Pelicans, Egrets, and Ibis. The only disappointing thing was that we didn’t see any Manatee or Dolphins, but others staying there said they did.
There is a lot to do there that does not include sailing too. They also had snorkeling gear and canoes and kayaks and bicycles for us to use. Each evening several of the guests gathered down at the beach at the “tiki hut”, bringing their own drinks. Some families would BBQ a steak and eat around the campfire that was lite each evening. There are great restaurants just minutes away, and we were able to walk or ride the free bikes to them. There are nearby night clubs with live music and dancing. One night we went to a movie on the next Key, about 15 minuets away. We will plan on going snorkeling on the Atlantic side next time, and take a cruise on the African Queen through the inter-coastal waterway. We just loved the laid back low-key attitude of everyone. Everyone was helpful when asked, but they weren't hovering over you.
On our last night there we went on a wonderful sunset sail on the owners 50’ Catamaran, with 15 or so people, and came back to dock during a setting of the sun, and rising of the full moon. An incredible experience, and everyone on board enjoyed themselves.
I read some of the reviews that weren't so positive, and do want to say, if you are looking for a spa-type vacation in a fancy resort with marble floors and a gigantic flat-screen TV hanging off the wall to keep you inside, and someone banging on your door every ten minutes to see if you need a pedicure or massage, this might not be your kind of place. But for us, after we left the Sailing Club we went up to Sanabel Island for a week at just such an upscale place, a high end resort with a room right on the beach, where the people are a little more tightly wound and everything much more expensive and restrictive. While we had fun there too, we really missed Key Largo, and spoke often about how much more fun it would have been to stay there longer. If you like being outside in warm weather, and want a great experience around some warm friendly people in a fantastic location, then this is it! We’ll rent a larger cabin next time and bring the rest of the family. We had a wonderful time, and highly recommend it!
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Date of stay: December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our family was booked for a stay at KLSC over the holidays and we had to unexpectedly cancel the trip. I gave notice of the cancellation to KLSC within their 60 day cancellation window and they processed the cancellation and returned my deposit no questions asked. They even sent me a nice calendar with the refund check. I can't provide any comments on what a stay is like at KLSC, but they have excellent customer service. .
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Date of stay: December 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
You get what you pay for. Keep that in mind when you stay at the Key Lime Sailing Club. It costs ~$250 a night to stay there, but $250 a night does not go far for lodging on Key Largo. (At KLSC there is a five-night minimum stay.)
But we read all the reviews, and folks seemed to really like Key Lime, so we gave it a try. We disagree with many of the previous reviews. The Gulf front docks are not aesthetically pleasing. They are a mishmash of docks and amateur concrete projects. The KLSC grounds are nowhere near pristine; they are an extension of the junkyard that fronts the property. Since the “beach” area of KLSC is near the main highway, it is nowhere near serene. And there is absolutely no beach to walk.
Our room was rustic, with funky beds and paper thin walls. We had good people for neighbors, but we felt as though we were eavesdropping much of the time. We had a front deck, but it was covered with leaves and sticks, and I guess it was on us to clean it up. The bathroom, also rustic: tiny, leaky faucets, and a toilet that ejected effluvia when flushed! Fun, huh?
The boats, at least the one we had, have seen better days. Ours was missing lifelines, had an engine that stalled a couple times at low rpm (near docks and other craft), had a 5 gallon bucket w/plastic bag (AKA “the head”), moldy cushions, wet interior, and had pronounced weather helm. Listen, our 1990 Catalina sailboat sails and looks mint compared to the vessels at KLSC.
There is free Wi-Fi. It almost works. There are a lot of complimentary water toys, but we went to sail. Our rental had a kitchen and plenty of dishes. The non-stick pans were pretty whipped, so we bought our own. There is no soap for the dishwasher. But there was plenty of bug spray. We had to buy all spices and condiments and cooking oils, bath soaps, etc.
The bottom line is that we left after two nights. We asked about a refund, but of course that was not available. (Not criticizing G, or the folks trying to manage KLSC. They were cool.) We went up the road and were delighted to get Gulf-view accomodations. Compared to KLSC, it was like paradise.
Caveat emptor
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Date of stay: November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I booked this trip because of the location and the availability of a sailboat. We are both experienced sailors and were dismayed to find our sailboat lacking in maintenance of the outboard engine and in the mechanism for the swing keel (it was rusty). The young man who helped us said he would find us another outboard engine or different boat so that we could take the boat out either later or on another day, but he never came back...no apology, no communication whatsoever.
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Date of stay: April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had probably the best family vacation ever! We went during Thanksgiving weekend and had the time of our lives. The owners went way out of their way to make all guest feel at home. We even had a Thanksgiving feast with party and all. Because of unusual high winds we were only able to sail early Saturday but hey, blame someone else. I have read some of the other reviews and must say that to have a good time and enjoy you have to come with the correct frame of mind. In simple terms, this ain't the Ritz-Carlton. This is a no frills place. If you want a high end resort, don't come here.
That said, we will be back.
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Date of stay: November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If your idea of "roughing it" is using the same towels for two days at a 5 star hotel, you can go right to the next place. If you want adventures in a beautiful setting, but are happy to deal with some "eccentricities" then stay at the KLSC. The place is beautiful. It is on the Gulf side of the island. It has it's own small beach and acres of snorkeling. They have 24' sailboats that come with the room (on a previous stay, we had a mom and young dolphin swimming along side our boat). They have kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, even a Sunfish, all for guest use. No nuisance checkout or bother. If you can get them in the water, you can use them. And there is plenty to see. A very good map comes with the room.
If they are doing the Sunset Sail while you are there, don't miss it. But just sitting in the beach chairs or in the Tiki Hut and looking out over the bay is pure relaxation.
The staff is very friendly, accessible, and helpful.
The cottages are just that (or sometimes 1/2 a cottage) so the layouts can be "interesting" (we have stayed in 4 of them). They are all clean and neat and kept up. READ the descriptions carefully. The kitchens come with gear so we do a lot of cooking in the room.
Possible deal breaker if you are finicky: This is not uncommon in the Keys because of the low lying land and difficulties with construction: you cannot flush toilet paper (make sure you check with any rental here!!). They do provide rolls of plastic bags to use as needed.
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Date of stay: July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Before I book any vacation I read Tripadvisor reviews. I always read some positive and all of the negative. I was pleasantly surprised with this property.
The Cottage: We stayed in the Owner's Cottage. The price was a little more, but well worth it. The cottage has two bedrooms, a loft. It has a large well supplied kitchen with an island, bar stools and a separate kitchen table. Dishwasher, gas stove top, microwave, toaster oven, full size refrigerator with ice maker and ice water and much more. I didn't expect such a nice kitchen. There is a front room with a fold-out and two comfortable lounge chairs and a TV with cable channels and a DVD player. The bathroom has a tub with shower combo. There is a private wooden deck with a large table and chairs. The cottages were built in the 50's. The Owner's Cottage has exterior walls built from large red bricks made on the property. There is also wireless internet. The signal was good enough to stream Netflix movies. This was not listed on the web site. We had a view of the water from the front room and the private deck.
The Sailboats: One of the great things about this property is that when you rent a cottage you have the use of a 22 ft sailboat for your stay. I was able to use the boat every day and the sailing conditions were ideal. My boat for the week was Latin Princess. It had a new 4 stroke outboard, full set of interior cushions and cock pit cushions. There are nice size cabins on the boats for supplies and to get out of the sun. The boat was in very good shape and sailed well. They regularly have the boat bottoms cleaned so they will sail fast. For those who will be using the sail boats- if you want a head sail on a furler request it when booking the cottage. I didn't know they were available. I have a boat the same size and found that this one sailed well.
The Grounds: It's easy to find. It's the next driveway after Mr. Macs on the right. Some of the reviews didn't like the old boats out by the road. That didn't bother me at all. The grounds remind me of what Key largo was like. All of the cottages are different. They have nice parking in the shade. They will give you your own assigned spot. We drove from New jersey in my 3/4 ton conversion van. There was more than enough room to park it. This is a great place to vacation even if you don't want the sailboat. they have lots of kayaks, paddle boards and more that you can get any time and keep them as long as you want. I have been many places where they will give you a kayak for an hour and then it has to be returned. they also have snorkeling supplies and fishing gear- all included in the rental price. We saw lots of birds, lizards and hand fed squirrels. The Tiki hut by the water was really nice. And at least once a week there is a free sunset sail on their large catamaran. In the seven days there were two trips.
The Staff: The staff was great. All of them wanted to be sure we have a great time. Paul and CJ real sailors. I've been sailing since I was about 14 (I'm 66). These guys are real salts. CJ has sailed from Maine to South America. It was great to learn from real blue water sailors. You can learn a lot from these guys. They were very patient and always willing to answer any of our questions. If there is any problem with the boat or cottage they will take care of it. Wonderful, friendly staff!
Remember what you are getting. This is out of the 50's. It is unique, a real taste of Key Largo back in time. If you want a new modern hotel, I don't think you will like it. But, if you want a pleasant laid back vacation with the feel of old key Largo this is a great place.
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Date of stay: May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place had been highly recommended by other travelers so we were very excited to visit. I don't have to have luxury, but this place was awful. It was run down, there was absolutely no privacy and our bathtub was in the common area of our cottage. The icing on the cake was that there was no lock on the door - three women in our group and none of us slept a wink the night we checked in. Our unanimous decision was to lose our deposit and leave the next morning. Don't bother!
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Date of stay: March 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is not the hilton by any stretch of the imagination but then again, i was not looking to stay at a hilton. We stayed at the Owner's Cottage which was perfect for a family of 3. Loved the private deck and bbq, 2 bedrooms, full size fridge in the kitchen + they provide you with coolers for your use on day trips, and space to move around. The use of a sailboat and equipment made things so much easier. Dave was incredibly awesome in helping us and was always on top of things. So you know you had a good time when: - you get to be a total bum and nobody cares what you look like including you - your kid lets you sleep in in the morning and says "good morning mom, i'm going outside to play. have a good sleep" and it's okay because it's safe to do that and everyone staying there knows who your child is, including the other vacationers so everyone is watching out for everyone else's kids - your kid comes in dirty and happy after dark and passes out for the night without complaints - you get to read a book from front to back without interruptions...which in my case has not been possible for the last 4 years! - every sunset is beautiful, the weather is perfect, and when you take a paddle board out at dusk, you are treated to the sight of dolphins - you can throw all your crap on their sailboat and disappear for the whole day without a care in the world - giant iguanas walk across the beach like squirrels cross the road - starbucks is a short walk away, the grocery store is too, and amazing snorkelling can be found on site as well as just up the road
this is a great place to relax because it's so laid back. people are friendly but not in-your-face-friendly so there's never a feeling that you "have to" socialize. it's private but not isolated, it's safe for kids, it's small but not crowded, it's a great little pocket. we would definitely go back again.
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Date of stay: March 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Key Largo area.
PRICE RANGE
â‚ą23,587 - â‚ą28,562 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
key lime sailing club hotel key largo
LOCATION
United StatesFloridaFlorida KeysKey Largo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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