Casa Coquina del Mar Bed & Breakfast — Hotel in Titusville

We stayed here on July 2, 2020 for one night. Before we made the reservation, we called the owner, Ginny, to let her know that I have dairy allergies, specifically to milk, cheese and butter. Ginny assured us that she would make sure that anything served to me would have none of those ingredients.

On the day we were to arrive, I contacted Ginny to let her know what time we would arrive. That was when she informed us that her and her husband would be out of town, and that an employee named Christina would be there to greet us. When we arrived, there was no one there. We had to call Ginny and then wait about 1/2 hour for Christina to return from an errand.

The place itself wasn't horrible. It was very cluttered and smelled musty, as many older places tend to do. But it appeared clean, which we felt was the most important. In addition, the hot tub was not operational, and the garden was untended, and overgrown with weeds.

When we travel, we always bring a larger cooler with sandwich ingredients and snacks instead of stopping somewhere for lunch, as well as lots of water, my almond milk and any other beverages we want to drink. When we arrived, we joked about our cooler being full of booze, but in reality, it was mostly food and water, along with 4 wine coolers. We went out for the evening to a place Christina recommended for dinner, and enjoyed the food and atmosphere. We had one drink each.

The next morning we packed up and came down for breakfast. We again reminded Christina of my dairy allergy, and she assured us that there was no dairy in my eggs or apple crumble. The food itself was only mediocre. It did not have very good flavor, and the crumble was very dry and tasteless. However, we do not like to complain, so we didn't say anything to Christina, because we didn't want to hurt her feelings. We finished breakfast and went on our way.

About 1/2 hour later, as we were headed to the beach, I began feeling ill. My stomach was very upset, and I ended up throwing up throughout the morning. This unfortunately ruined the rest of our July 4th vacation. Whenever I ingest dairy, I am ill for at least 10 days afterwards.

I emailed Ginny, to ask her what ingredients were used during the preparation of my food. She sent me a screenshot from Christina, which said there was no dairy used in my food. When I very politely responded and asked Ginny if she could tell me the actual ingredients, so that I could determine what had caused my issues, she completely ignored my request and didn't respond at all.

I emailed her again about 10 days later and said, "I think that’s pretty sad, considering everything you told me about your establishment and how you said you are happy to cater to people’s individual needs." I told her since she had chosen not to help me, I would be forced to leave a review on our experience.

Here was her extremely rude response:

"Linda, I already sent you a complete reply from Christine as to what was prepared and served to you. Please do whatever you feel necessary in writing your review and I will repond fully. Please remember that you and Calvin carried in a cooler large enough to hold a small child and by your mutual admission, it was loaded with booze. Perhaps that had something to do with your illness. After receiving my previous reply, you basically responded by calling me a liar. You were served no dairy products whatsoever."

Her response speaks for itself.

In conclusion, we would recommend finding a place to stay that actually follows through with what they say they will do. We would never...

My partner and I recently stayed at Casa Coquina del Mar Bed and Breakfast in Titusville for 4 nights (Dec. 5-Dec. 8, 2024). It was simply delightful! We were warmly greeted and shown around by Anat and introduced to the Knight before Christmas before climbing the stairs to our room, the Emerald on the 2nd floor. There was a study across from our room with a variety of books, binoculars to borrow, various telescopes to use, a computer and printer, small refrigerator and a Keurig with supplies for coffee or tea, basically everything needed to be comfortable, entertained and feel at home. The study was lined with a fantastic display of antique toy trucks and vehicles, quite a “Wowsa!” to look at. There was also a variety of games available, including Parcheesi which I haven’t seen or played since my childhood 60ish years ago. That sure brought back fond memories!

The study opened out onto a deck with chairs, tables and lounges, a perfect place for viewing rocket launches, and one night during our stay we were lucky enough to see a Falcon 9 launch from there just after midnight.

Our room was very comfortable, and like the rest of this B&B, was furnished with antiques. We had a wonderful sitting area separated from the sleeping area. The bed and the pillows were super comfortable!

Breakfasts were varied and always tasty, usually some type of egg dish with a meat side for my non-vegetarian partner and delicious pastries. Fresh fruit, cereals, milk, yogurt, bread, jams and juice were also always laid out. It was so thoughtful that not only Half and Half was provided for the coffee, but also Almond milk.

We delighted in living among the antiques and quirky things like the Dr. Who meets Santa red Brit phone box, but it was the staff who truly made our stay so wonderful. Anat, Shelley and Crystal felt like old friends and took such good care of us! I really enjoyed all of our wide-ranging conversations and also appreciated the local sightseeing tips they gave us.

Built in 1927 as the Oleander Hotel (hey, Al Capone stayed here!), Casa Coquina was a unique experience in itself, but it’s also located not far from the Kennedy Space Center and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge with its wonderful Black Point Wildlife Drive. There’s also a really good Mexican and Cuban Restaurant, El Leoncito, right across the street from the B & B, and iconic Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant is only about a 5-mile drive away.

I highly recommend Casa Coquina. Considering all of the places I’ve stayed during my years of travel, it is firmly among my...

Staying as Casa Coquina del Mar is like staying with family. Ginny & Denny, the owners, are so friendly & hospitable that we felt like long-lost relatives. And I felt right at home with the vintage and eclectic decor!

Casa Coquina is an historic 8-suite bed & breakfast, built in 1927, on US 1 in Titusville, across from the Indian River. In the large garden, suitable for an intimate outdoor wedding, Ginny has planted flowering Florida-native varieties, and designed several seating areas. Inside, antiques alongside fun, artsy pieces decorate every nook. And yes, the wood floors creak delightfully.

We stayed in the Ruby Suite, which opens to a large deck that overlooks the Indian River and the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. I also spotted Launch Complex 39A - one of the former Apollo/STS pads, currently leased by SpaceX for launching their Falcon Heavy, and I think I saw LC-39B, the future home of SLS. I also think launches from LC-41 can be seen from here, but it was hazy during our visit, and even though United Launch Alliance had an Atlas V on that pad, I couldn't be sure that I saw it. The deck had lots of seating, including a rocking glider that I enjoyed. Our suite opened to a sitting room & large closet, complete with a full-length mirror. The bedroom area was roomy, with a very comfortable bed, plenty of pillows, a tv, and window A/C which was remote controlled. The large bathroom was newly remodeled, and featured a claw-foot tub plus a vanity area across from the sink & toilet. Everything in the suite coordinated with it's name... I loved the shades of red everywhere!, including the dark red walls!

Each morning, Ginny prepared an amazing breakfast for us, and all of their guests. We enjoyed quiches & berry pancakes on the first day, and an apple sausage bake plus berry pastries on our second day. Fresh fruit was available every morning, along with coffee, tea, orange juice & ice water. Ginny even takes special requests for dietary restrictions, and for returning guests with a favorite dish. Also, cookies & ice water are available in the hall all day.

Be warned, there's no pool. I don't even know where the closest beach is, although public parks line this area of US 1 along the river. Casa Coquina does offer free wi-fi, and library upstairs with a computer & printer, a telescope (!), and a small guest fridge for left-overs.

My husband & I thoroughly enjoyed our two nights here and we were sad to leave. For this rocket-chaser, Casa Coquina is the only place I will stay on the...