Island Hotel & Restaurant — Hotel in Cedar Key

I knew, when I reserved two rooms at the Island Hotel in Cedar Key for two nights in early November, that the place would be rickety. Creaky. Old. It’s an historic building, after all. There’s talk of ghosts. Etc. That was fine with us. We weren’t looking for the Ritz or even a Holiday Inn. We wanted character. The tiny lobby bar is hopping with good cheer and happy folk; the joint is smack in the middle of everything; and it mostly gets decent reviews. (I ignored the bad ones.)||||Our visit began well. The pleasant woman at the front desk helped us lug our luggage upstairs. Our rooms were small, nothing fancy, but that’s cool. No problem, we initially thought. ||||Then we started noticing problems. My friend’s room lacked a bathroom with a shower—there was just a tiny clawfoot tub in the room itself. That’s cute if you’re a romantic 30-something couple and one can lovingly help the other in and out of the deep tub. Not so cute if you’re older. Once we noticed this, we went downstairs, and asked the desk clerk if my friend could switch to a room with a bathroom and a shower. (Seven of the ten rooms were available so why not?) She timidly asked the owner if a swap was doable. He grudgingly marched us upstairs and installed my friend in another room. This sported a toilet in an alcove the size of a refrigerator box — but no closet. Across the hall, we discovered Room #36 — a larger space with a swell bathroom. No closet, but it did have a clothing rack. We returned to the lobby and asked if my friend could take Room #36 instead. The clerk timorously handed us that key. By now, the owner was fuming, muttering, and getting redder in the face. He was obviously angry at us. I asked him if taking Room #36 was a problem. After all, it was nicer, the price is the same, and it was free for the next two nights. I don’t remember his reply, but he certainly was not happy. My friend ended up in Room #36 (which, if you decide to go to this hotel is a much nicer room than the others we saw). But why not put us in the better room to begin with since it’s the same price?||||We dined in the hotel restaurant that evening. The food was OK — but the wines that we wanted and were listed on the menu, were unavailable. Again, we decided to go with the flow. (Island time, right?) The waitress was wonderful and that made up for the rest. The bill was pricey. ||||Back in my room, I started to notice a few flaws. Little things. Bothersome — but not deal-killers. The air conditioning was beyond cold; it was freezing. (I asked if we could turn it down but apparently that was not possible; the owner gave me a pole to close the ceiling vents.) The light above the bed was broken. (There was a lightbulb contraption oddly connected to an outlet on the wall (see photo) but hardly ergonomic if you wanted to reach out to switch on or off a light from the bed. (There are two ancient bedside lamps but not bright enough to use for reading.) Then I noticed that the power supply to the room was connected with what looked like an extension cord that ran outside to the porch and down the building’s wall. Did not look very safe—especially in an ancient wooden building that was already falling apart. There were five hangers in the closet. Peeling paint. Tired linens. ||||Basically? There was absolutely nothing to welcome or delight a guest. It was obvious that no one either cares about the guest’s experience—or wanted to spend an extra penny making it more special. We had noticed a For Sale sign outside the place—maybe that’s part of it. Once again, we shrugged it off. The place had seen better days. We knew that when we reserved our rooms. ||||The first morning was the deal killer. ||||Around 7:30 a.m., while I was changing in the bathroom, which overlooks a wraparound patio, the sound of construction blasted my eyes wide open. Two guys were right outside my window with power drills, hammers, ladders and a blaring radio. ||||Yet again, I didn’t complain. Why? Based on my previous encounter, I assumed the owner was a volatile guy who’d probably kick us out. We had one more night to go, why rock the boat? So, for the umpteenth time, I chalked it up “atmosphere” and said nothing. ||||On the second and final morning, I woke early to shower in before the work team got started. I had not showered the first day b/c of the guys outside my window, so this was the first time trying the shower. I let it run for a while, waiting for hot water. ||||It never came. I took a cold shower to the sound of drills and hammers.||||We headed downstairs to check out. Before we hit the road, I asked the desk clerk for a receipt. That seemed to make her anxious. Not sure why but my Visa card was charged $780 for two nights and I wanted to see the breakdown. I also informed her that I had not had any hot water and was woken both mornings by the sound of construction right outside my window.||||She shrugged. Said nothing. ||||Finally, I started to get angry.||||She got the owner.||||His response to the noise?||||“I’m so used it I don’t hear it anymore.”||||His response to the fact that I had no hot water?||||“Maybe you should have stayed at a Holiday Inn.”||||No apology, no discounted rate.||||Just a sneer.||||So, travelers beware. This place has a legend, a history, and maybe a ghost or two. But that can only go so far. There are plenty of decent places to stay on Cedar Key. Island Hotel isn’t one of them. We came to this place with low expectations. And even those...

I knew, when I reserved two rooms at the Island Hotel in Cedar Key for two nights in early November, that the place would be rickety. Creaky. Old. It’s an historic building, after all. There’s talk of ghosts. Etc. That was fine with us. We weren’t looking for the Ritz or even a Holiday Inn. We wanted character. The tiny lobby bar is hopping with good cheer and happy folk; the joint is smack in the middle of everything; and it mostly gets decent reviews. (I ignored the bad ones.)||||Our visit began well. The pleasant woman at the front desk helped us lug our luggage upstairs. Our rooms were small, nothing fancy, but that’s cool. No problem, we initially thought. ||||Then we started noticing problems. My friend’s room lacked a bathroom with a shower—there was just a tiny clawfoot tub in the room itself. That’s cute if you’re a romantic 30-something couple and one can lovingly help the other in and out of the deep tub. Not so cute if you’re older. Once we noticed this, we went downstairs, and asked the desk clerk if my friend could switch to a room with a bathroom and a shower. (Seven of the ten rooms were available so why not?) She timidly asked the owner if a swap was doable. He grudgingly marched us upstairs and installed my friend in another room. This sported a toilet in an alcove the size of a refrigerator box — but no closet. Across the hall, we discovered Room #36 — a larger space with a swell bathroom. No closet, but it did have a clothing rack. We returned to the lobby and asked if my friend could take Room #36 instead. The clerk timorously handed us that key. By now, the owner was fuming, muttering, and getting redder in the face. He was obviously angry at us. I asked him if taking Room #36 was a problem. After all, it was nicer, the price is the same, and it was free for the next two nights. I don’t remember his reply, but he certainly was not happy. My friend ended up in Room #36 (which, if you decide to go to this hotel is a much nicer room than the others we saw). But why not put us in the better room to begin with since it’s the same price?||||We dined in the hotel restaurant that evening. The food was OK — but the wines that we wanted and were listed on the menu, were unavailable. Again, we decided to go with the flow. (Island time, right?) The waitress was wonderful and that made up for the rest. The bill was pricey. ||||Back in my room, I started to notice a few flaws. Little things. Bothersome — but not deal-killers. The air conditioning was beyond cold; it was freezing. (I asked if we could turn it down but apparently that was not possible; the owner gave me a pole to close the ceiling vents.) The light above the bed was broken. (There was a lightbulb contraption oddly connected to an outlet on the wall (see photo) but hardly ergonomic if you wanted to reach out to switch on or off a light from the bed. (There are two ancient bedside lamps but not bright enough to use for reading.) Then I noticed that the power supply to the room was connected with what looked like an extension cord that ran outside to the porch and down the building’s wall. Did not look very safe—especially in an ancient wooden building that was already falling apart. There were five hangers in the closet. Peeling paint. Tired linens. ||||Basically? There was absolutely nothing to welcome or delight a guest. It was obvious that no one either cares about the guest’s experience—or wanted to spend an extra penny making it more special. We had noticed a For Sale sign outside the place—maybe that’s part of it. Once again, we shrugged it off. The place had seen better days. We knew that when we reserved our rooms. ||||The first morning was the deal killer. ||||Around 7:30 a.m., while I was changing in the bathroom, which overlooks a wraparound patio, the sound of construction blasted my eyes wide open. Two guys were right outside my window with power drills, hammers, ladders and a blaring radio. ||||Yet again, I didn’t complain. Why? Based on my previous encounter, I assumed the owner was a volatile guy who’d probably kick us out. We had one more night to go, why rock the boat? So, for the umpteenth time, I chalked it up “atmosphere” and said nothing. ||||On the second and final morning, I woke early to shower in before the work team got started. I had not showered the first day b/c of the guys outside my window, so this was the first time trying the shower. I let it run for a while, waiting for hot water. ||||It never came. I took a cold shower to the sound of drills and hammers.||||We headed downstairs to check out. Before we hit the road, I asked the desk clerk for a receipt. That seemed to make her anxious. Not sure why but my Visa card was charged $780 for two nights and I wanted to see the breakdown. I also informed her that I had not had any hot water and was woken both mornings by the sound of construction right outside my window.||||She shrugged. Said nothing. ||||Finally, I started to get angry.||||She got the owner.||||His response to the noise?||||“I’m so used it I don’t hear it anymore.”||||His response to the fact that I had no hot water?||||“Maybe you should have stayed at a Holiday Inn.”||||No apology, no discounted rate.||||Just a sneer.||||So, travelers beware. This place has a legend, a history, and maybe a ghost or two. But that can only go so far. There are plenty of decent places to stay on Cedar Key. Island Hotel isn’t one of them. We came to this place with low expectations. And even those...

This review is about the restaurant because we did not stay at the hotel. The restaurant was absolutely wonderful. I had one of the best gluten-free pasta dishes of my life. The Calypso trio was to die for. I couldn't believe the clams and the flavor of the sauce. Something I will tell people about for a long time. My wife had the red snapper special and it was also incredible. Didn't taste fishy at all... Golden beats on the side with roasted potatoes made that fish dish. One of the best we've had. The service was terrific. Not only did Shannon do a great job helping us but I will. Another server stopped by and chatted for a moment. She was so kind. What was funny about her stopping was that we saw her at another place down the way where we had breakfast! I guess this was her second job. Either way, she's wonderful too. We didn't realize how fun this place was until we went to the restroom where I saw a whole group of people enjoying live music. Didn't even know that was happening until I got up and went around the corner. Also the lobby of the hotel where you enter had lots of interesting things to look at and purchase. I felt like I had stepped out of time for a moment into a place that understood what fine dining meant and what good music was. So fun. I can't wait to come back and hopefully we will be able to get a room and stay here sometime. Thanks for a great...