My husband and I were to stay here for our 2 days in Key Largo, but upon our arrival, decided to make other arrangements. **Just so we do not sound like uneducated travelers, we are very familiar with the definition of boutique and have stayed at a number of bed and breakfast type hotels in the past** OK The beach is TINY. To give you an idea, when we arrived there was another couple sitting on lounge chairs on the beach and seriously, the beach was full. There is no way 10 people would fit on the beach. There were not even 10 lounge chairs outside. The water access is non existant and the rest of the small common area is either grass, dock or stone. As my husband said "you'd have a hard time getting out of your own way" Our beach front room was musty and humid and although you could kind of see the water, you had to look past a common tiki hut area. In order to eat, you either have to go food shopping to fill your room fridge and cook all your meals on the outside grills, or you need a car to get to the very few restaurants nearby. Key Largo is not a walking friendly town since it is mostly on a highway which is filled with police. As far as quite and peaceful, the running airconditioners from the property next door (basically on the other side of the fence) were very loud and took away from any sence of peace we could have felt. We arrived after 7pm so our key was taped to the office door with a short note. But since our room key and the plaque outside our room had two different room spellings we spent 20 minutes walking around the building to make sure we were going into the right place. Not everything is terrible--The property is well kept and our room was clean with a comtemporary feel and a good size fridge. There is tropical music played under the tiki huts and the sunset was pretty from the dock. It is also at the north end of Key Largo so it is not a far drive from the main land. Overall however, I would not recommend. We could not see how food shopping, cooking every meal or worrying about driving home after a drink or two at a restaurant and then fighting over lounge chairs and beach space the next day could be relaxing. I guess if you only need a place to sleep it would be OK. After an hour of contemplation we decied to stay at the Mariott.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Management Response
AzulKeyLargo, Owner
(Management representative)
May 27, 2006
Azul del Mar is a six-suite boutique hotel catering to a small but sophisticated clientele. This guest arrived after hours and left a note stating it was not what she expected.
While we are the first to admit we are not for everyone, this reviewer has some specific complaints which need to be addressed.
Our capacity is only 12. We have six chaises lounges on the beach and dock, two recliners on the lawn and seating for four in each of two tiki huts. That makes 16 seats - four more than our maximum number of guests. So, let's assume evryone was watching the sunset that night, they couldn't all have the best seat in the house. And it's fair to say as yet we have never had to break up any fights over seating arrangements.
Azul del Mar has an excellent restaurant with a bar just 25 yards from our driveway. A further 50 yards and you arrive at another. And just 100 yards
on are two more restaurants. Both have bars and all are within easy walking distance. Which brings me to the reason for the presence of police on our highways.....
Some visitors to the Keys spoil the enjoyment of others by excessive alcohol consumption. And since Key Largo is the gateway to the Keys it should be reassuring to know our troopers are an effective deterent to drinking and driving - not disconcerting. Their presence is what makes Key Largo one of the safest places to vacation for those here to enjoy watersports, wildlife, our coral reefs or National Parks. "People driving home after a drink or two in a restaurant" will have no problem.
The kitchens and BBQ grills at Azul are a super option for guests who prefer to throw their own catch of the day on the grill, toss a fresh salad and uncork a bottle of wine. For this we provide all the dishware and utensils necessary. But we don't force you to use them "everyday". Plus we also have mini-dishwashers so you won't have to wash up. In fact our daily housekeepers will even run the dishwasher for you, lest you forget. In our experience guests on an extended vacation are happy to have this option available.
Of course, if I was only staying two nights someplace I would probably eat out too. In fact Azul recommends only the best local restaurants to assist our guests in their choice and if you read our reviews it's apparent this service is highly regarded.
It's also a pity that our split system air-conditioners are so quiet we have to listen to the neighbor's. I wish they would repair it.
In short we don't have everything covered but if you arrive after hours you may miss out on the personal service that makes Azul del Mar so welcoming and special that first night. But come morning we will more than likely deliver freshly baked pastries and tropical yogurt to your door. You can make a pot of coffee or herbal tea in your kitchen, shower or bathe with our Aveda bath products and lotions and then go fight for a beachfront chair!!!
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
