Flamingo Marina — Local services in Key Largo

We stayed on a Thu night in late Dec 2024.

Check-in was a bit of cluster. We did let them know ahead of time that we would be arriving late. We first went to the Visitor Center which was closed. Then we went to the Flamingo Lodge/Restaurant and they said we are supposed to go to the Marina for the late check-in. We drive over to the Marina Store which closes at 7PM. They needed our email confirmation information and there is NO CELL service for Verizon here, only AT&T. They said that there is wifi but after struggling for about 5 mins another staffer tells us that the wifi only works OUTSIDE the store. So we go outside. By that time the original staffer has called the lodge manager and they confirm our reservation and basically told us that the houseboat is all ready for us and the info and keys are at the houseboat itself which is on the other side of the marina. There are no lights so be cautious while driving around. We were also warned NOT to let children roam outside alone at night. We find out the next day there are multiple HUGE crocs who just hangout at the boat launch in the marina.

There are mosquitos everywhere (dusk). We pull up next to our boat "Osprey" and quickly do a bucket line for all our luggage to get everything inside ASAP. We don't have time to read the large instruction binder that was left for us but luckily we have experience with boats and with campers and it's kind of a hybrid of the two. We were only staying one night and didn't pay the extra to drive the houseboat around. We also weren't told where to park our car, so we parked it in the adjacent boat trailer parking area.

Biggest complaint is the lighting on the boat. There are very few and it's very dark. The worse was the bathroom where only 1 of the 2 lights were working. We had to use cellphone lights to take showers. Tip here is to bring flashlights. We weren't really prepared for camping conditions. We did have propane for cooking and a microwave and a fridge. There is a queen bed in the back room with it's own balcony out back and chairs. There is a full size bed in the middle across from the bathroom and there there is like a 1.5 sized softbed that pulls out and then the single lounge chair also pulls out into another bed. So you could sleep 6 officially but if you have smaller humans you could squeeze one more on the sofa bed.

The boat does rock while you're on it even though you're tied to the dock and have shore power. One of the annoying things was the number of people who were walking around the marina all night with bright flashlights shining them into the water all around our boat. It woke me up more than once. I'm guessing they were trying to spot crocodiles but I didn't want to get out to ask.

The shower was great for what it was but the only downside was how loud the water pump was. Every time someone used a sink, toilet or shower, it would go off and if you're in the back room, be prepared!

The exterior doors did have magnetic mosquito nets which was fun. We had the AC on but it was only in the main room and the air in the back bedroom got stale and humid. If you close both the sliding doors you essentially get no air flow so we crack all the doors open. The kids in the main room said it was freezing at night and the wife and I in the backroom said it was a bit stuffy.

There were plenty of towels and linens for everyone which was great. We chose the houseboat because with 6 people we would have to get 2 eco tents or 2 lodge rooms and both were more expensive than just renting the 1 houseboat. The houseboat gave us the most room, privacy and a full kitchen.

Biggest tip is to try and check-in when the staff are there at the activities booth so they can walk you through everything. We had to sign all the waivers etc. the next morning as we were checking out.

We would stay here again but also would like to try the other flamingo accommodations. We did this so we had time to explore the Visitor Center in the morning and do the early Boat Tour without having to rush and drive all the way...

I can't speak to the actual boat tour because we didn't get to go on it. We arrived on 1/25/24 at the check in booth after 3pm to check in for our 4p tour. I was told our tour was cancelled with no reason or explanation given as to why, and that someone tried multiple times to contact me via telephone to let us know. I informed the rude person behind the counter than I received an email reminder of our reservation the day before and showed him my call log of missed calls and voicemails-all of which showed no attempts were made from this establishment to contact me and if they did call the 1 time from a blocked number-they did not leave a voicemail. He said they did not control the emails that were sent out and that there was nothing he could do except refund me or reschedule us for another tour the following day. We were on a timeline to see everything we could see, so this was the only day we could have completed the boat tour and we drove over an hour to get to it. Not one email from this establishment. Not one phone call. No attempts to let us know before we drove over an hour to do this tour. I booked this tour on 12/29/23, and apparently this establishment knew the ride was cancelled since 1/23/24 because that's when the guy at the booth said his boss attempted to call me, but no one attempted to contact me on the days leading up to the tour-if someone would have at least attempted to call first thing on 1/25/24 we could have potentially made a different tour that day, but we missed out entirely. I asked for a refund and was not given a receipt of this. I went back to ask for a receipt and was told it was emailed to me-i showed the same rude person at the booth that I had no emails from them. Clearly their system is not up to par to keep up with reservations or contacting people as needed to ensure they know what is going on. I would advise if you book with this company to call the day of to see if your scheduled event is still happening prior to you driving down there. Save yourself some time and stress. I did at least get my refund. I would not attempt to book through this company again based on the way I was treated at the booth and the lack of communication. It is clear this business has created a monopoly system and they don't care how they treat their customers because they are the only place in the south part of the park licensed through the park to do the tours. So they just treat people however they want. I also emailed the email provided on the website to explain the situation and have not heard back, no surprise there though. I have screenshots of everything if anyone wants to reach out and show me proof that they attempted to contact me. I would love to know when and how...

Tips for a wonderful Everglades houseboat rental

We had a wonderful 3-night rental on Dolphin, but it comes with some caveats which I’ll share along with some tips.

The staff were very helpful, however there is significant inconsistency in the info you get, and some of it just wasn’t given in advance at all.

•No kayaks rentals allowed. Although we were told we could rent by email and by phone on 2 occasions, when we arrived they said they stopped 2 yrs ago. Fortunately they stood by their word and made an exception, but this would have dramatically devalued the trip for us as it was the primary means of fishing and up close sightseeing. Frankly I’d be hesitant to rent the houseboat without them, or would get creative and rent elsewhere and paddle out the long canal to meet the boat. You’d have to enjoy a pretty sedentary trip to not have a way to explore off the houseboat. •Where you can go is vague on the map they provide, and again you get conflicting info. We asked in advance if we could go on Joe’s River and also told the Capt during the briefing that it was our plan. Once in the river I noticed the book on board says not to. We went anyway without any problems with gusts to 26mph. See the map for 3 great anchorages, though we were prepared to move out of South Joe River if the chickee had gotten occupied. Basically anywhere on the chart that is 4’ is safe, and 3’ was plenty of water at anchor and while motoring at mid to high tide. •The generator and A/C worked well in April. Starting it very full at dark, it ran all night through early coffee. They don’t give you enough gas to run during the day.

Things to bring: •enough water for coffee, cooking, and brushing teeth. They said not to drink the tank water. •Fillet knife •Rope and line for various uses like dropping a bucket into the water to pre wash dishes on the back deck and to make a clothes line. •12v cigarette/USB port so you don’t have to run generator to charge phones. •Books and games. Even with AT&T we had very little usable internet •40% Deet. 2 of us went all week with no bites. The 3rd chose not to use bug spray and stayed inside or on the windy bow most of the time. Also, Don’t turn the lights on at night until the windows are closed...