Tropical Cottages — Hotel in Marathon

We felt this motel was a good find. The price point was affordable and they allow 2 pets of any size for an additional $20 a day per pet. We stayed over Christmas and our families had 4 different bungalows across the property.

#2 was the most updated and nicest of the bungalows. It had a truly private patio and was tucked in a corner. Parking was probably about 30 paces away across a little courtyard. They have abbreviated kitchen in there which is a refrigerator with freezer, a toaster oven and a sink. One of the nights it rained my father in law got dripped on while in bed.

#4 was the one my husband and I stayed in. It was right next to the bar and you had to go through a maze of hedges to reach the door from the parking lot. The plants and property were manicured very nicely but it was hella annoying to go around those plants every time. The room itself was nice. The bed was old and sunk in. The room was mostly clean. There was a refrigerator with freezer - and bread popup toaster and a sink. Felt dated compared to #2

#5 was next to us and our family was in there. It's a mirror or #4 but the kitchen counter was super high and slightly different. The bathroom door would get stuck when you try to open and close it. Also, dated. Felt dated compared to #2

#11 was the last one our family had. Closest to the road - so you will potentially hear cars coming in and out but also furthest from the bar. It was small and dark inside. The bathroom door was a inset door and was stuck, so they had to use the bathroom with the door open the whole time. It had a minibar type fridge and sink.

The bar just served beer and wine. They had happy hour beers and regular priced beers. They let you bring your own beer, wine or alcohol to the bar as well.

The foodtruck was not open on Tuesday and not open on Christmas day. We had onion rings from the food truck the first night and they were pretty good. I didn't have anything else that I could comment on. It smelled good when we left.

The motel does not have a pool nor does it have any views. We walked our dogs on the side of the road, around a bank, and along the drive next to the motel. There was trash all along the parking lot for the motel and it was quite unpleasant to walk them. I would recommend heading towards the main road and bank where they keep it pretty clean.

You can walk down to the water where a boat ramp used to be. They closed it off and there is a building under construction at the end of the road. It was nice to stand and look at the water from that location or maybe even fish if you wanted to do that. But there were definitely nicer spots to go to as well.

On Christmas Day, there were no staff at the hotel. There were two sets of guests that arrived and were left to fend for themselves for check in. They also were staying in hidden rooms (not bungalows) which are next to the office through an unmarked door. These guests were just wandering the property trying to find their rooms because they had no idea where it was. They also mentioned that there was another key left in the box for another set of guests set to arrive that day. I understand it was Christmas Day, but it just seemed sketchy and unsecure.

It was great for us because of the price and the fact we could bring our dogs. But in the future, I would probably stay at a place that had a pool or at least views of the ocean.

Great for big family events! We were able to have 4 family come to this place and stay. They have a grill and tables and a couch. Very nice for hanging out...

We enjoyed our stay at Tropical Cottages in Marathon, however some of the amenities that were advertised on the AirBnB page were not what they stated. It is a nice setting, and having a Tiki Hut Bar and a Food Truck on site was very convenient. The Food at the truck was delicious, and the bar-staff at the Tiki Hut were friendly and provided great service. The cottages offer a maid/cleaning service every day, however we did not use it during our stay. We brought our dog with us, and pursuant to their rules, the cleaning staff would not come into our cottage when a dog is present. We could have, if we chose, made arrangements with the cleaning staff, however, our plans were always up in the air, so we could not really set a time where we would definitely be out of the cottage.

There are, however, some points of concern that could have made this stay top-rated. We stay at AirBnb's because we like to cook our own meals most days. This ensures we eat some-what healthy and it keeps our spending down. The Tropical Cottages AirBnb page states that there is a kitchen. This is not really true. There is a kitchen area with a sink, but they only provided a toaster oven and a microwave. There was not a full-size oven or stovetop. Unfortunately, the toaster oven was very dirty, and the microwave wasn't much better. The cups, dishes and sparse set of utensils were stained also, so we opted not to use any of them. I ended up going to a local store and purchasing coffee mugs and paper cups and plates. There also was not any type of cleaning supplies to clean dishes or wipe down counters. They did provide two (2) dish towels, but I purchased a cleaning sponge to wash my own dishes and purchased a multi-cleaning solution, so we could wipe down our counter and table. Since we could not actually "cook" in the cottage, we had to eat out for all of our meals, and that ended up costing us an additional $1,000. That is a lot of money that we were not planning on spending.

Since we were not using the cleaning services, it would have been nice if there was a broom in our cottage, so we could sweep up the floors ourselves. There was not any type of entry rug or mat, so we were bringing in debris from the outside.

The Tropical Cottages also state that there is a hair dryer to use. What that actually means, which I found out on my last night there, is that you have to go ask the bartender to get it out of the office for you to use and then return it when you are finished. Also, there were not any outlets in the bathroom, so I could not plug in any hair appliance to style my hair - unless I used an outlet in another room, which would be difficult without a mirror.

Two days in a row our water was turned off without any notice. I understand emergency repairs come up, but it would have been nice if the staff would text the guests, so they knew before getting into the shower, or using the toilet.

Again, we did enjoy our time here. It was unfortunate that this was advertised with amenities that in reality were not there. It was more like staying in a Motel Room - which in hindsight, would have been a cheaper...

We enjoyed our stay at Tropical Cottages in Marathon, however some of the amenities that were advertised on the AirBnB page were not what they stated. It is a nice setting, and having a Tiki Hut Bar and a Food Truck on site was very convenient. The Food at the truck was delicious, and the bar-staff at the Tiki Hut were friendly and provided great service. The cottages offer a maid/cleaning service every day, however we did not use it during our stay. We brought our dog with us,and pursuant to their rules, the cleaning staff would not come into our cottage when a dog is present. We could have, if we chose, made arrangements with the cleaning staff, however, our plans were always up in the air, so we could not really set a time where we would definitely be out of the cottage.||There are, however, some points of concern that could have made this stay top-rated. We stay at AirBnb's because we like to cook our own meals most days. This ensures we eat some-what healthy and it keeps our spending down. The Tropical Cottages AirBnb page states that there is a kitchen. This is not really true. There is a kitchen area with a sink, but they only provided a toaster oven and a microwave. There was not a full-size oven or stovetop. Unfortunately, the toaster oven was very dirty and the microwave wasn't much better. The cups, dishes and sparse set of utensils were stained also, so we opted not to use any of them. I ended up going to a local store and purchasing coffee mugs and paper cups and plates. There also was not any type of cleaning supplies to clean dishes or wipe down counters. They did provide two (2) dish towels, but I purchased a cleaning sponge to wash my own dishes and purchased a multi-cleaning solution, so we could wipe down our counter and table. Since we could not actually "cook" in the cottage, we had to eat out for all of our meals, and that ended up costing us an additional $1,000. That is a lot of money that we were not planning on spending.||Since we were not using the cleaning services, it would have been nice if there was a broom in our cottage, so we could sweep up the floors ourselves. There was not any type of entry rug or mat, so we were bringing in debris from the outside.||The Tropical Cottages also state that there is a hair dryer to use. What that actually means, which I found out on my last night there, is that you have to go ask the bartender to get it out of the office for you to use and then return it when your are finished. Also, there were not any outlets in the bathroom, so I could not plug in any hair appliance to style my hair - unless I used an outlet in another room, which would be difficult without a mirror.||Two days in a row our water was turned off without any notice. I understand emergency repairs come up, but it would have been nice if the staff would text the guests, so they knew before getting into the shower, or using the toilet.||Again, we did enjoy our time here. It was unfortunate that this was advertised with amenities that in reality were not there. It was more like staying in a Motel Room - which in hindsight, would have been a cheaper...