The Grand Guesthouse — Hotel in Key West

This was a last minute trip to meet up with family who was visiting Key West. We booked this B&B on our way across from the west coast of FL to Key West the day we checked in. We were trying to determine if we wanted to book a "chain hotel" (which you cannot really find right in town) or a locally owned place. We were glad we booked here!||The location is GREAT. It was a 12 minute walk to Higgs Beach, which is perfect for snorkeling. Beaches in Key West are nothing like beaches in many other parts of Florida, but my husband was so happy we could just walk there so he could get his snorkeling in. We were able to walk to Duval Street within 15 minutes, where we enjoyed a great dinner at Martin's. In the morning, we took an early walk to the southernmost point buoy; maybe 17 minutes. We got there before any crowds! This location is very quiet. There was a little bit of construction going on next door but I heard them for ten minutes. It appears that the home they are working on is nearing completion, as it was just listed for sale. So any construction noise in the future should be very minimal and appears to be stuff they are finishing up on the inside. The area felt very safe to us, as well. We walked back around 10:30 at night from Duval Street and felt perfectly safe.||It's so tough to find parking in Key West, and they actually have six spots in front of the guest house for guests staying there. There are ten rooms, and some people don't even bring cars, so we were able to park our car and just leave it during our one night stay, which was great. I noticed a few guests were using bikes that they must have rented. Lots of poeple fly in, get an uber to their place and then just walk or bike around. So, if that's your plan, it's especially convenient.||The house, as pretty much the vast majority of the ones on the island, was built in the 1800's. It was originally some type of boarding house for people who worked in the cigar factories. There are ten rooms and ours was small but very comfortable. The king sized bed was awesome, as was the bedding, including pillows. We slept SO well. There's a small closet with shelves and hanging. We were able to easiy fit our duffel bags in there. A nice sized fridge/freezer is there, which is convenient for those who are travelling for a few days or more. The bathroom was nicely done and had plenty of space for our toiletries and beauty products. It has a shower and the water temp and pressure were good. We loved how they finished the courtyard. It's a really wonderful use of the space. There is no pool, which I did know when I booked. So, if that's an important amenity to you, keep that in mind.||Breakfast was very good. It's a "continental" breakfast but there were several items. Cheese, English muffins, bagels, butter, cream cheese, fruit, Greek yogurt, assorted cereals, pastries, milk and various juices. My husband loves his morning coffee and gave it two thumbs up (I'm just making that up, but he enjoyed it). They have coffee, ice and water available at all times. Convenient! We enjoyed sitting at a table for two in the courtyard. They have the tables spread out for privacy and there was even a table with seating outside our door. ||We were on the second floor and the room AC worked so well we had to turn it down. There's a nice powerful ceiling fan, too. I liked how the flooring was not carpeting; hardwood in the bedroom and vinyl in the bathroom. The room was incredibly clean. It smelled really nice, too. My socks didn't get dirty at all, so I could tell that the cleaners did a nice job of mopping, which I appreciated. ||The manager was very nice and helpful in giving directions and info as needed. We were able to get our keys earlier than the check in time, but were asked to wait an hour as they were cleaning. The checkout time of 11 is reasonable, I think. We stayed almost until that time. We'd most definitely stay here again. As I said, it's a great location in a quiet area and is very comfortable....

Our stay was fabulous! Upon arrival we were greeted by a gentleman, who was warm and welcoming. He immediately offered us water bottles before proceeding to the check-in process. He whipped out a map and showed us every single possible attraction (including the cemetery, which was totally worth the visit; lots of history a perspective) on the island.

The Room: We stayed in a single queen bedroom. The décor was beautiful and very clean. The room was fairly spacious with a mini fridge and an chair (no dedicated closet space though). The bathroom had been recently renovated so it was very nice and super clean.

The Amenities: There was breakfast every morning, baked goods, bagels, cereal / milk, orange juice and fruits. One of the owners brought in mango bread from a local bakery which was delicious. Don't expect bacon and eggs; expect simple, but delicious. There is also a a 24/7 coffee machine which is a huge plus. In the evenings, there was a happy hour with a small selection of beers, hard seltzers and a cocktail mixed up by one of the staff members. Don't expect full bar, but it's a wonderful addition and another opportunity to meet other guests. Additionally, they had beach towels, chairs, bikes (for rent) and few other things available along with discounted offers for activities and entertainment for with various places on the island. They offered to set up the bookings as well.

Location: Not in the thick of the action (party) on Duval St, but the perfect distance (10 min walk) which lets you go back to the quite and unwind if you need to. There was plenty of parking; if not in front of the building, street parking was available.

Overall, the staff was very friendly, everyone down to housekeeping was very conversational. This was definitely more intimate (classic B&B) than a typical "hotel experience". If you want to be loud and party in your room, this is not for you. We would definitely stay here again. Great value for the...

I have been sitting on a review of this hotel because I never want to slam a small business, but my stay at the Grand Guesthouse was wildly disappointing. ||We stayed in the King Deluxe Suite, which looked nothing like any of the pictures I saw before booking the hotel (and trust me, I scoured the internet looking for pics of this room once we were there—-I couldn’t believe I picked a room that looked like this). ||When we arrived, we were greeted by a very musty smell. The woman at the front desk chalked it up to the room being closed up for a week and said that it should clear up as we moved around. When I asked if there was any other options to help the smell, she offered to run an oxygen treatment in the room while we were out, which did help some. ||The smell, however, was the least of our problems with the room. The walls were cracked and had visible mold on them—especially near the bedroom AC unit and in the bathroom. The caulk on the tub had rust spots, most likely bc the shower curtain rod was rusty. The toilet moved when you sat down or got up from it and on our last night there, our pillowcases were also stained (with what, I don’t know).||When I asked after our first night to switch rooms, I was told that they were completely booked. When I complained at the end of our stay, the other owner (?) said that he was surprised to hear any of this and wished he had known earlier. It is not our fault that the staff doesn’t talk to each other. ||To his credit, he did refund us the resort charge we were given (since we booked through Expedia, that was the only charge from the hotel itself).||This hotel is located in a more quiet part of town but it was easy to walk anywhere we wanted to go. The breakfast was very basic, but nice to have. ||Would I stay here again? No. There are better options for the price, but maybe their other rooms are not in as bad of shape as the King...