Plantation Inn & Golf Resort — Hotel in Crystal River

My wife and I have stayed at the Plantation Inn many times over the past 20 years though always in March or April. We have used it as a one night stay on our way to other vacation destinations, we have spent two nights usually doing a manatee or golf package, and we have stayed for one week.

I will say all of our experiences have been pleasurable for different reasons. I believe there have been different owners or management teams through the years and sometimes there have been minor irritants such as old hallway carpet, a crusty staff person running the main desk, or the locals that were allowed to enter and loudly occupy the pool. The good though has made these irritants basically non-issues.

As you can see from the photo’s on their website, this is a very beautiful hotel! The rooms are somewhat basic but have always been clean and the beds very comfortable. The restaurant offers very tasty food though we have only experienced breakfast there as we have headed out and sampled the many different restaurants in the area for our other meals. The breakfast buffet has always been really good with the variety and quality of their food.

The Inn is situated on canals overlooking the bay and the grounds are quite extensive. At the right time of the year one can often peer down into the water and see the manatees that can be so abundant in this area. The pool is beautiful and draws quite a few people on the warmer sunny days while the hot tub is occupied regardless of the weather. A bonus is the cool tiki bar located poolside!

We have participated in Manatee snorkel tours twice. The first one happened on a day when the temperatures were in the 30’s. The water was unusually clear and due to the cold the manatees were everywhere. It was an unbelievable experience. Being a fisherman I wandered off and found myself in the midst of a school of hundreds or more mullet and swam next to 6 ft Tarpon and observed black and white stripped Sheepshead, Snappers and more. Our second trip was as disappointing as our first was brilliant. It was late in the season so most of the manatee had moved out to the ocean and the water was cloudy making finding them nearly impossible. Our guide took as up some canals where we did find a couple Manatee and a majority of the snorkelers got in the shallower water and went after the Manatee (which is a no no) and the guide did nothing to discourage this.

We have golfed here several times and have enjoyed that. The course is relatively pretty and has not been crowded if we golf in the afternoon.

I would suggest checking out their packages as they offer some good deals!

Without a 4.5 star option I give the Plantation Inn 5 stars because of its beauty and all it...

Our stay at the Plantation Crystal River Resort unfortunately was a disappointing experience from start to finish. To begin with, despite my reservation confirmation clearly stating that I had booked a room with two Queen beds, I was given a King Size bed room upon arrival. This mix-up was particularly frustrating as I am a Choice Hotel Member and it was stated on the third party website.

In addition, my attempts to change my reservation to different dates and to rectify the situation were not met with little sympathy or assistance. The third-party company through which I had made my reservation was unaccommodating and would not allow me to make a change to my booking to arrive a day earlier, adding unnecessary hassle to my travel plans.

Upon entering the room, I was appalled by the state of cleanliness. The rooms were filthy, and to make matters worse, I noticed the presence of mold in various areas. This not only left a bad impression but also raised concerns about the hotel's maintenance and hygiene standards.

The issues did not stop there, as the hotel lobby itself was far from inviting. It emitted an unpleasant odor, and it was evident that the entire property was in dire need of renovation and upkeep. The overall atmosphere was far from welcoming and did not reflect the standard one would expect from a reputable establishment.

Although the front desk person, CJ, did his best to assist us by switching our room to provide 2 Queen beds, he informed us that only two housekeepers were available, and they had both already gone home. This resulted in a lack of adequate housekeeping staff, further contributing to the poor condition of the rooms and the overall cleanliness of the hotel. He seemed overwhelmed and stressed by the lack of staff and the fact that he was alone handling calls and guests. In addition, when we arrived in the room with the King bed, the water was running in the bathtub, and we were unable to turn it off. When we got to the room with the two queen beds, the toilet was unable to flush, and we had to call maintenance after he made an attempt to fix it he said “you have to give it a crank.”

You could hear everything in the hallways. The tile that was used to enhance the flooring was causing an echo throughout the entire corridor.

In conclusion, my experience at the Plantation Crystal River Resort fell far short of my expectations. The mismanagement of my reservation, coupled with the unclean and outdated and poorly maintained facilities, left me deeply dissatisfied. I would strongly advise against staying at this establishment until significant improvements are made to address...

So, honestly, I felt a little outside our tax bracket. We saved all year to afford our stay and to swim with the manatees... but I got the impression the guests here could afford it on a whim. This wasn't a bad thing... I just want to set that expectation.

We barely got to see the manatees... but again, that is nobody's fault... we came at the wrong time of year. During the summer, there may be a total of 40 manatees in the entire canal. I would suggest you book your swim during the cooler months... our captain said there are hundreds that come in for the warm shallows.

The beds were sooooo comfortable and had the best pillows. We stayed at three different resorts this vacation, and these beds couldn't be beat. The bathroom was a basic bathroom... nothing special, but nothing against it either. I think some people were put off by the towel policy that read something along the lines of, "To conserve water, we wash towels every three days unless requested otherwise." I believe this is why some people gave bad reviews for cleanliness... but you have the option to have them washed every day if you want.

The wifi was decent, which was good because we had NO cell service until we were back in the main city down the road. The only BAD thing I can say was that their tv channel selection was horrible. I mean, the live feed from the International Space Station on the NASA channel from the recent launch was cool... but didn't interest a 4 year old. The only cartoon channel we could find was Disney. But she was content with it, so no points marked down there.

We didn't swim in the pool... but it looked clean and was a decent size. Plenty of places to lay down and relax. There was a little tiki bar... didn't use that either, but everyone sitting there seemed to be enjoying themselves. The hot tub appeared clean, too.

We decided to sleep in, so we missed breakfast at the restaurant. We had a free meal voucher for breakfast that came with our manatees trip... but ehhh... sleep was more important. I imagine without that voucher, the food was probably pretttty costly. It looked quite fancy.

My favorite thing about our stay is foolish... but it made me giggle, so I took a photo and posted it below. I hope you get a laugh, too. Oh, and we got this really cool doll included with our...