Fiesta Key RV Resort and Marina — Hotel in Key Largo

Every summer, my son and I look forward to our annual kickoff trip to celebrate the end of the school year—two weeks of waterfront camping, boating, and enjoying peaceful days on the water. In the past, we've stayed at beautiful campgrounds, creating lasting memories. This year, after purchasing a new camper, we received 100 free nights through Thousand Trails, and Fiesta Key RV Resort was listed as a "premium" location. Instead of being free, it was $20 a night—significantly less than the retail rate of $125+ per night. Despite initial hesitations about the tightly packed gravel campsites lacking privacy, I believed the resort’s advertised amenities—the pool, beach, marina, and restaurant—would compensate.

Our arrival on Thursday quickly set a negative tone. Immediately upon entering, an employee rushed out yelling, "Did you not see the sign?!" about where RVs should park for registration. I had seen it but was given no opportunity to reply before being hastily handed a clipboard and told to hurry. The designated parking area was poorly marked, cramped, and nearly impossible to maneuver out of due to rental cars surrounding it.

To ease travel weight, I always precisely schedule Instacart deliveries ten minutes after our expected arrival. However, at Fiesta Key, the gate refused entry to our Instacart driver—something unprecedented in all our stays at national, state, private parks, and KOAs. I was forced to abandon setup briefly to meet the driver at the front gate.

The campsite itself was confusing—a small concrete pad with no clear directions on camper placement. Although a helpful employee insisted on guiding me into position, his directions added to my frustration rather than alleviating it. Eventually, he clarified the camper's steps should open onto the pad.

Friday brought chaos. Instead of a relaxing Keys getaway, it felt like Miami had followed us down: loud music, intoxicated crowds, pre-teens recklessly speeding around in golf carts, and packed pools with competing Bad Bunny playlists blasting at maximum volume. The campsites were overcrowded, with barely an inch between our RV and our neighbors'. Oddly, large vacant areas were visible elsewhere, raising questions about management decisions or our "discounted" Thousand Trails status. Fortunately, the weekdays were calmer.

The amenities failed spectacularly:

Marina: Poorly maintained, with hoses providing barely a trickle of water. Astonishingly, there was no dedicated parking for those who rented slips, leaving us scrambling for limited overflow spaces near the crowded pool.

Beach: Though aware that beaches in the Keys are minimal, the resort’s small sandy area had its only ladder roped off, forcing guests to risk climbing slippery, algae-covered rocks—an undisclosed hazard.

Restaurant: Overpriced, tasteless food of shockingly poor quality. Despite the lovely staff, I suspect the gate policy blocking deliveries was more about boosting restaurant business than guest "safety," especially considering the unchecked weekend partying.

Rec Room: An empty, misleading space lacking even basic entertainment like foosball or seating.

To salvage our two-week vacation and avoid another chaotic weekend, we booked a hotel in Key West from Friday to Monday—easily the best decision we made. Returning to Fiesta Key afterward felt so uncertain that a friend half-jokingly questioned whether our camper would still be there.

On the drive back, we explored other RV parks and found numerous beautiful, clean, and spacious alternatives—some even featuring actual campsite layouts. At $20 per night, I got precisely what I paid for, but at retail prices ($125+), this campground is drastically overpriced and misrepresented.

We made the best of it because our annual trip means a great deal to us. However, had I known all this upfront, I would never have booked Fiesta Key RV Resort. It’s rare that I feel compelled to leave a 1-star review, but this experience warranted it. We certainly won’t...

Fiesta Key RV Resort and Marina Florida Keys (Layton FL,

I wanted to wait a few days before writing this review. I wanted to love this place. On paper it looks like exactly what you would want while visiting the FL Keys. Central location, On the water and plenty of amenities. Unfortunetley, I left very discouraged.

We booked one of their waterfront elite sites a year ago. We planned our whole 10-day trip around this RV Resort. I called while booking and spoke to a gentleman and asked about their pet policies, what waterfront meant and other random questions. Since these sites are over $250 a night, I really wanted to be sure. I was told the typical policy and waterfront was defined as on the water with a water view. A week ahead I called and confirmed my reservation. All was good other than they had changed their pet policy to not allow a combined weight of 50 pounds. We have a 4-pound Chihuahua and a 48-pound Shepherd so I was willing to risk the 2 pounds but it sat awkwardly with me that they would change it without notice. They never saw or looked at our dogs so not really an enforced policy. We also saw plenty of large dogs there well over 50 pounds. Really a non-issue.

We received an email with a site number of 189. We took a look at the site map and that looked great. When we arrived, we were told we were moved to site 571. I asked why and was told they do not guarantee any particular site but do guarantee the site type. Site 571 does not have a water view. Site 571 is literally a gravel storage parking lot. It was so tight the guy who led us to the site had to ask the neighbor to pull their awning in so we could squeeze in.

The next morning, I went to the office to talk about it. The first older lady I spoke with was quite to the point and really rather rude. After she realized I would not back down she got a “Manager”. The manager stated that was an Elite site. When I asked why I didn’t have a water view, why my neighbor had to pull in his awning and why I was moved she just stated they don’t guarantee any site. I asked what defines am Elite site and she could not answer. I assume the person they put there before me had the same complaints. I had studied the map and 571 was listed as an elite site however was right next to a standard site and it was clear the Mangrove tree had grown significantly since that map was made ( I assume years ago) which caused the site to no longer have a view.

Trying to solve the problem I said we have a couple ways to solve. Either move us to an Elite site or charge us for the standard site rate. After some huffing, she stated she could move us to the 189 but we had to do that right now. I said we were going into town and I was not willing to give up 2 hours of my family’s vacation however I would move when we returned that evening. I was told move now or wait until tomorrow morning and if they had something I could move then. At that point I had two options, go nuclear and ruin the whole vacation (my typical response) or go enjoy the rest of my vacation. I chose the second option.

Needless to say, I would not recommend this place. There are so many campgrounds in this area so...

Fiesta Key RV Resort is in a beautiful location with ocean views, tropical breezes, and a laid-back vibe when you first arrive. The daytime staff were friendly and helpful, and check-in was smooth. We were personally guided to our site, which we appreciated.||||However, the sites are extremely tight. Your awning may be just inches from your neighbor’s, and there’s no way to avoid having your neighbor’s sewer hose running directly through your outdoor space. There is no privacy, and no quiet hours were observed during our stay.||||Unfortunately, things took a seriously bad turn after dark, especially on the weekend.||||Security at night was minimal and ineffective. After-hours coverage was handled by very young girls. One told a group she was 19 and did not appear trained or equipped for the role. One night, we overheard one of them compliment a guest on how good their weed smelled while threatening to call the police on another guest for using a curse word. There was no aggression, just language. Meanwhile, we heard that same security girl cursing herself. It felt more like she was trying to look cool than provide any real safety. There are real problems here, and this park needs real security.||||Throughout our stay, we received multiple park-wide texts asking guests to control their children. One message even referenced kids stealing beer from the on-site restaurant. Unsupervised minors were driving golf carts late at night, many without lights, and loud music played into the early morning hours. The smell of weed was constant across the property, including at the beach. At the pool, people blasted music from separate speakers while others smoked cigars, all in clear violation of the posted rules. Staff and security were nowhere to be found.||||The young teens around the property were loud, unsupervised, and, according to the park’s own messages, known to steal. Many of the seasonal guests appeared to be locals who were closely connected to security, and the rules did not seem to apply to them. This created an inner circle feel that left the rest of us feeling ignored and unsafe.||||We ended up staying inside our rig most of the time to avoid the stress and made arrangements to leave early. It ruined our Keys experience. The other Encore property nearby may be better managed, but based on what we saw and heard, similar issues could exist there as well.||||To be fair, if you are looking for a loud, party-style RV experience with little oversight, this place might work for you. But if you are expecting a peaceful, family-friendly Encore stay, you will likely be very disappointed.||||Fiesta Key RV Resort has a lot of potential. The location is beautiful, and the daytime staff were great. But until management addresses the lack of security, inconsistent rule enforcement, and weekend chaos, it is not a safe or relaxing place to stay. We will not be back, and based on what other guests told us, we are not...