Manatee Bay - 5 Bdr-Sleeps 12+ Special Lower Fall Rates

• Great Property

  Great Property

  • Guest "Maniac"
  • Date of stay 02/04/12
  • Review Submitted 02/17/12
  Eleven of us from Maine stayed at Manatee Bay from 2/4/12 to 2/11/12 and had a wonderful time. We are all in the 50 - 65 age range, and enjoy having fun and getting away from the cold weather. The property is even better than the pictures indicate. The kitchen is well-equipped and there was plenty of room for everyone and everything. There is an extra refrigerator in the laundry room which proved very handy for storing all of our cold beverages. The pool is heated and is the perfect temperature. While we didn't have perfect weather, we managed to get in enough sun to enjoy the pool daily. Although there are properties on both sides, this location is still very private - it was like we had Grassy Key to ourselves. The owners were very pleasant to deal with, and the local property managers, Doug and Donna, couldn't have been nicer. It's only about 5 miles to the grocery store (Publix), and there are plenty of other retail locations in Marathon, as well as bars and restaurants. We wouldn't hesitate to go back or to recommend it to others.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers.

  Owner response: Thank you so much for your review. We are so glad you had a good time and that the house meet your expectations. We hope you will return in the future.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/3

• Stunning Place

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Stunning Place

  • Guest Andrew
  • Date of stay 09/24/11
  • Review Submitted 11/16/11
  Andrew wrote on our Facebook page: "Spent a week here in September...The photos are great, but they can't do it justice! It's just a stunning place. "

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Awesome Time was had by all

  Awesome Time was had by all

  • Guest Sarah O
  • Date of stay 08/20/11
  • Review Submitted 10/11/11
  If I could give you 10 stars I would... I can't tell you what a great time we all had. It's a gorgeous house. That view from upstairs is out of this world. We had great new furniture. One of the dishwashers was broke, but the working one was all we needed anyway. We enjoyed the tennis courts repeatedly. We are already planning our next trip. (I can not wait)

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, sightseeing, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Owner response: We are so glad your group enjoyed your stay at Manatee Bay. We look forward to your return.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/5

• Very Disappointing

  Very Disappointing

  • Guest Frequent Keys Renter
  • Date of stay 07/02/11
  • Review Submitted 10/03/11
  We are frequent Keys renters and stayed at this location July 2011. The home was in a good location, but in serious disrepair. We payed more than our usual amount for the rental based on the pictures and description given. When we arrived, we were very disappointed to find an old cracked tennis court with a shredded net, an algea enfested tidal pool with a clogged fountain and no visibility, and an interior that had not been maintained. A few of the things that were not working were, sliding glass door, dishwasher, lights, ceiling fan, and fountain. There was an electrical box hanging out of the wall as well as electrical sockets and a smoke detector. A mirrored closet door was held together with duct tape. The upstairs bedroom could only be discribed as dingy at best. The pool had been shocked the morning we got there and we were not informed. It was not usable for 3 days. When we called the owner with our concerns, we were told we could leave. One family came from Georgia, so that was not an option. Bottom line is that the word "luxury" should in no way be used to describe this property.

  Owner response: I will be the first to admit we have a few problems with the house. It’s a very popular house and only been down for 12 days since January. We try hard to maintain it in good condition without disturbing the renters. We are working with a biologist for the tidal pool who says some algae is good for the pool because it helps oxygenate the water and makes it clearer. Great care needs to be taken in order to not damage the eco-system. He suggested; manual removal of algae then treatment. We have spent 160 man hours pulling the algae out and have added chemicals to kill some of the algae. The chemicals remove oxygen from the water killing the algae but can also kill the fish. During the times when we are treating with chemicals the dead algae floats to the surface causing the pool to have limited visibility but does not smell nor is it infested with mosquitoes or bugs. The short time during change over is too short to accomplish a lot but we try just about every week. We were aware of some of the issues mentioned. The 20 ft wall of sliding glass doors slides from both ends, one end does not slide smoothly so we asked that it be used. One of the two dishwashers in the kitchen was very noisy so we again asked that it not be used. The cracked mirrored door was taped for safety reasons. We have replaced this door. The net on the tennis court was not shredded it only had openings where the net pulled away from the top band. The net was repaired and a new one ordered. For the other items I offered to have our maintenance people come over right away but they did not want us in the house. My property manager went over the next day and changed the light bulbs and used the correct remote with the ceiling fan. He also attended to the electrical box and wall socket and put a new battery in the smoke detector (previous renter had pulled it partly off the ceiling because it was beeping). Regrettably they were missed during our change over check. The pool is shocked every week on change over. We only use shock which allows swimming after an hour. The property manager also re-shocked the pool after the renter complained of it being cloudy when they arrived. It was clear by the next day. The renter asked for a large reduction in the rent. I felt that nothing I did was going to make her happy except give her, her money back and let her stay for free. So I told her she could leave and I would refund the money for the remainder of her stay

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 9/13

• Great Vacation April 2011

  Great Vacation April 2011

  • Guest jimmy
  • Date of stay 04/23/11
  • Review Submitted 07/03/11
  We had two families with kids to stay here late April 2011 and our vacation experience was perfect. The owner was good to work with and her local staff was very helpful. The home is an older estate home but completely updated and it was the paradise with an ocean view we were looking for our vacation. Great fishing from the dock and the sunsets were spectacular. Even had a visit from a huge manatee. I recommend this beautiful home to anyone looking for a great laid back vacation destination.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Had a blast!

  Had a blast!

  • Guest J & R
  • Date of stay 08/15/10
  • Review Submitted 08/25/10
  What you see is what you get! Except...there is a 5th bedroom!! Just beautiful! Management was very nice. They recommend the "good-places" to shop, so make sure you write down what she says!The home is HUGE and very spacious! Caught lobsters off the dock. Can feed the fish in their man-made tropical pond. Snorkeling is neat! Kids of all ages would love this place. Adults of all ages would love this place! There is not a beach - but who cares?! Lots of State parks around to go to the beach. Would recommend "Publix" to do your grocery shopping. Wyn Dixie is a hole in the wall. Kids had a blast collecting hermit crabs that come out at night! Catch and release- of course! Beautiful sunsets. Great place for photography!! Would come back in a heartbeat! Thank you for a wonderful vacation!

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, people with disabilities.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• Guestbook Comment

  Guestbook Comment

  • Guest Anonymous
  • Date of stay 04/01/09
  • Review Submitted 04/07/09
  Such a beautiful house and a wonderful vacation! The pictures do not do it justice. This is the perfect place for nature lovers - we enjoyed visits from the white herons, egrets, woodpeckers, turtles, barracuda and, of course, the resident iguanas. The tidal pool was fascinating with the large grouper and many tropical fish. The screened-porch is just a fantastic place for a rest from the sun. Our primary goal of relaxation was fulfilled although there is plenty to do in the area. A favorite restaurant for both food and ambience is Morada Bay in Islamorada.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• Guestbook Comment

  Guestbook Comment

  • Guest Anonymous
  • Date of stay 01/01/09
  • Review Submitted 01/04/09
  Once you arrive, you never have to leave. There's adventure, excitement and relaxation. Something for everyone at this fabulous home and incredible property, including your own private tennis court.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

• Wow!

  Wow!

  • Guest NSCE
  • Date of stay 11/01/08
  • Review Submitted 11/11/08
  Terrific! That just about says it all, Beautiful well maintained property, landscaping was 1st class. Wonderful views and sunsets. Owners very nice. Property manager very good. Private setting. Nice dock for boat rental. We had one dropped off. 1 hour run by car to Key West for a day of shopping. Kids loved heated pool and tennis courts. We did some snorkeling off the dock and saw several hundred fish (better then the snorkeling off the beach at Sombrero beach). Fish in pond were nice to watch no snorkeling due to a few very large Goliath Groupers. Fun to feed if you happen to catch a small fish from dock. We will be back. Our group consisted of 7 children and 5 adults. The property has 3 king suites all with private baths. The adults had thier own very private retreats and we slept the 7 kids in the other bedrooms. Childrens ages from 5 to 16 and they all had a blast. one problem - just too short I could have stayed a month...

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, people with disabilities.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 11/11

Payment is usually accepted in the quoted currency ($) unless the currency and the amount is specifically agreed in advance with the owner / advertiser.

Additional information about rental rates:

Fees and Taxes:

• Tax Rate 12.5%
• Cleaning $325