Bungalows Key Largo — Hotel in Key Largo

We just returned from a 3-night stay at The Bungalows and it was fantastic. We planned a two-part vacation. The first part was at the Bungalows, and the second part we spent talking about how great the Bungalows was. I did read the reviews and the website prior to going and what I have realized from some of the general negative reviews is that some people just didn’t read the website or the notices and have a different expectation for their vacation. For instance, someone was upset that they did not have an ocean view bungalow, and the website is clear that it is a water view, not ocean. If you look at the website and see pictures it is clear it is a marina/gulf side vibe. They are also clear about room service being an additional charge. Read the FAQ page and the policy page and you will not be disappointed. It was everything it said it would be AND more! | |Pros:|It truly is a unique property that we learned was bought and redone with manicured beautiful gardens, bungalows with white sand roads… it felt like we were on an island. |“Welcome home” said the valet as we arrived. They offer you a beverage as you hop on the golf cart limo for your tour of the property and delivery to your bungalow. We stayed in a Garden King and it did not disappoint. It was quiet and intimate and just a few short steps to the entrance to coconut beach. We showered outdoors almost every day and took advantage of the outdoor tub. Super unique. The rooms were always clean and turn down service was nice with the little treats they leave you - yummy. We aren’t big night owls, so we were tucked in by 10pm each night and I can say, I don’t get up early for pretty much for anything if I can help it…but for some reason, this environment was so relaxing that I was ready and excited to start the day every morning at 6am to bike the trails or just walk on the docks and enjoy the serenity. My husband even commented “who are you? LOL”|We went in June, and it was not overly crowded…it felt like a perfect amount of occupancy. I can’t say what it would be like in peak season Dec- May, but June was great. I read some reviews that you had to get to a beach/pool chair early, but we didn’t find that to be the case probably because of the season. Everyone was super friendly and accommodating. We stayed 3 nights and probably could have used one more…but we were super happy with the mix of activity and relaxing. We did yoga on the beach (bring bug spray – there were a few little guys nipping at our ankles), we did Kayak, swam out to the water float, rested at sunset pool and Zen pool. We booked a snorkeling trip, and the crew was awesome. Captain (Steve (?) and mate Hallie were great, we chatted a bit with them, and he took us to such a beautiful spot! For my first-time snorkeling, it was perfection! I had a spa treatment, and that facility was really clever with dark bamboo and stone paths to your private massage room. |As for the food, I was prepared for the possibility that it wouldn’t be good based on the reviews, but we must have dodged the bad meals somehow because most of our meals were very good. With that said, we did not eat at Bogies because of the upcharge or Sea Senor because we weren’t in the mood for Mexican so I cannot review the food there. Honestly, we really enjoyed the Sunset Tiki and FishTales options so much that we went back there.|||Cons:|Sunset Pool music – we really were not fans of the music that was played at the sunset pool. It seemed like the management didn’t read the clientele well and I think maybe rotating music genres to match the vibe and age of the guests might be helpful to the experience. I am sure the demographic changes fairly often, but on our trip, it was hip/hop lounge everyday all day, which was a little too NY club for being in the Keys. I did hear one woman ask about changing the playlist, but it didn’t change…not sure if the pool staff were allowed too or not? |Spa service - My only drawback on that was my treatment felt rushed, like the masseuse was a bit speedy it felt more clinical than relaxing. So, for the price, that was a little disappointing. But since we had just come from snorkeling (a lot of swimming) I benefited from the treatment either way.|Cash/Change – We were prepared to tip throughout our trip, but it was very difficult to get change, and we weren’t going to tip $20’s for small things…so I can see that backfiring on the staff because someone might just not tip because they don’t have change. We asked around but bar, spa, etc. no one had change so we had to bike to the front desk twice to get change. The first time they didn’t have any and asked that I come back later so I did, and they were able to get me change. Since the staff relies on tips, I think the resort should make it easier for guests to be able to properly tip them.|||Overall, we were very pleased with our experience so much so that we kept talking about it on the second half of our vacation, it was somewhat funny…like we were reminiscing a fun time with a friend and comparing it to where we were. |We would definitely go back to The Bungalows, we were actually planning it out while we were laying around...

Stayed at Bungalows and deeply regret it. I feel swindled and ripped off. I wish I would of read all the violation on the florida department of health food inspections website prior to staying here. This explains why I got sick. See all the violation against Bungalows below. This is very concerning and everyone needs to be made aware that your food and beverages are not safe. Violation Observation||22-20-5 Basic - Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin. Observed soiled interior on both ice machines next to walk in cooler, at first floor.||40-06-5 Basic - Employee personal items stored in or above a food preparation area, food, clean equipment and utensils, or single-service items.||16-46-4 Basic - Old labels stuck to food containers after cleaning. Observed in clean plastic containers in shelves next to dishwasher area.||42-01-4 Basic - Wet mop not stored in a manner to allow the mop to dry.||08A-05-6 High Priority - Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed raw fish stored above cooked demi glazed sauce bags in freezer at fishtale kitchen, employee stored properly during inspection.||01B-02-5 High Priority - Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed cooked shrimp (48F - Cold Holding); seafood soup (51F - Cold Holding) in reach in cooler on second floor, food was dated on 11/01/2023. Kitchen Manager discarded during inspection . Also cooked pasta (49F - Cold Holding); tomato bisque (48F - Cold Holding); in reach in cooler at preparation area. As per Kitchen manager over 24 hours.KM discarded food during inspection.Corrected On-Site Corrected On-Site||03A-02-5 High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed cooked shrimp (48F - Cold Holding); seafood soup (51F - Cold Holding) in reach in cooler on second floor, food was dated on 11/01/2023. Kitchen Manager discarded during inspection . Also cooked pasta (49F - Cold Holding); tomato bisque (48F - Cold Holding); in reach in cooler at preparation area. As per Kitchen manager over 24 hours.KM discarded food during inspection||22-02-4 Intermediate - Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed soiled white cutting boards at pizza station.||31A-09-4 Intermediate - Handwash sink not accessible for employee use at all times. Observed plastic rack blocking access to hand wash sink next to ice machine at first floor.|| Basic - Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin. Observed in ice machine next to chef desk. Employee start to clean it during inspection. Corrective Action Taken||16-46-4 Basic - Old labels stuck to food containers after cleaning. Observed in food containers on reach in cooler next to bread shelves.||36-27-5 Basic - Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed behind dishwasher machine.||21-08-4 Basic - Wiping cloth quaternary ammonium compound sanitizing solution not at proper minimum strength. Observed sanitizer bucket at 0ppm. at preparation table. Chef replaced solution during inspection. Corrected On-Site||02C-01-5 High Priority - Ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety food marked with a date that exceeds 7 days after opening/preparation. Observed tomato soup,marinara sauce and homemade cocktail sauce dated on 11/19 inside walk in cooler. Chef discarded during inspection. Corrected On-Site||03B-01-6 High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed cheese sauce (119F - Hot Holding); marinara sauce (108F - Hot Holding) as per employee over 20 minutes. Employee proceeded to reheat food. Corrective Action Taken||53A-05-6 Intermediate - No currently certified food service manager on duty with four or more employees engaged in food preparation/handling. A list...

This ALL INCLUSIVE place is a paradise! My wife and I spent 6 nights in a garden view bungalow(210) and it was bliss. The room- amazing! The patio with outdoor tub and shower was lovely and so relaxing. Taking a bath outside at night with your significant other under the stars is perfect. Showering in our private patio area after being at the beach or pool was lovely. The room had excellent AC and a wonderful ceiling fan. Shower inside the bathroom was excellent as well! We got little cookies or biscotti or chocolates each night when we came back from dinner. The bicycles to ride around were a cute idea but we were so close to the main building we only used them for a bit of fun a few times. Zen pool was so peaceful and worth spending a day at. There are day bed bungalows, clam shell coverings that go over 2 lounge chairs, and umbrellas everywhere offering options for people who don’t want to sit in the sun the whole time. The view of the water was always amazing! We saw manatees and dolphins along with tropical birds and fish. Picture perfect and the atmosphere creates a bubble experience that feels like paradise. The wait staff had it figured out! If you were by the pool or beach, you could guarantee someone would be by to offer bottled water and take your drink orders every 15-30 mins. We had 2 spa experiences each- a couples massage by the water, a facial, and a seaweed wrap. Those services and the spa facilities were top notch! Steam and salt rooms were very nice. We borrowed the tandem kayak and some paddle boards on different days and those were fun and easy to grab. **Here’s our only “dislike” or thing we would like to see improved upon- food was good. It really was! BUT it was only GOOD. Not great. As we look back on our week of time at the Bungalows we really did have a wonderful time but the food was not always “worth eating” to be honest. The breakfast buffet was identical each morning, but what they had was delicious. You could order an omelet or pancakes or whatever separately and it came in reasonable time! Fish Tails and Sea Senior had a different lunch and dinner menu. We found that we liked the lunch menus MUCH more than the dinner menus. In fact Sea Senior’s dinner menu was difficult for us to make 2 selections we actually wanted to eat:/ Bogie and Bacalls, the steakhouse, we went twice. EXCELLENT FOOD AND SERVICE BOTH TIMES! This restaurant was at the level that all of the restaurants should have been at for a resort of this quality. We got 2 included visits since we stayed 6 nights. The Hemingway bar was also a wonderful experience with a great bartender. The tiki bar was fun but sometimes slow because one person would come up and order 5 drinks and 10 different food entrees all at once for 2 people! So this is an amazing place to come and relax and enjoy! It’s facilities and amenities are beyond excellent! But the food was just ok. My wife and I are NOT foodies or high maintenance when it comes to meals… we love getting dinner at places like Texas Roadhouse and BW3s even will maybe once every 2 years go to a place like Ruth’s Chris. The steakhouse at Bungalows is where I would hope all the restaurants could be… the other 2 restaurants and the tiki bar are sometimes on par with what you might expect from an Olive Garden or Buffalo Wild Wings… but a few times we felt like they were not even at that level of quality of food or service frankly. So I would still recommend Bungalows Key Largo as long as you’re aware and understand the dinning is their weakest point. And if you’re a foodie or food critic-you may just want to move along:/ Final thought-gratuity. Each time you get a drink or meal, there is a receipt you get which requires your room number, name, signature, and a place for tip. We felt pressure to give, but the main problem is we paid a lot(understatement) to stay at the ALL INCLUSIVE Bungalows Key Largo and a fair portion of that should have gone to the staff. If they are being paid well, there should be no reason to push gratuity at every turn. Large Tip for our spa was...