As of June 2011

After a long drive from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West we arrived at our next location: Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, which is located on North Roosevelt Bouldevard, one of the main roads of Key West.

Approaching the hotel the building looked very nice and inviting.

The check-in went smooth and efficiently and we not only were presented with a cool welcome drink but also received a map of the island and many good suggestions for dinner or sightseeing. The entire staff was ultra friendly and helpful.

Our room – No. 206 – was … well, a bit on the super small side, although clean but very tiny with two beds, a side board with TV, a little table and a chair. There was no wardrobe but a tiny little open thing where we could hang / store a small part of our luggage. Not the least sufficient. The sink was placed on one side of the room, toilet and shower in a separate little adjoining space.

As we had to walk past other rooms to get to ours, other people had too, so we needed to close the blinds in order to prevent them from looking inside. And again, we could not open the windows. So this was doubly inconvenient.

The room itself, though quite small, was painted and decorated in warm and nice colors … quite tropical style: crème, blue, green hues.

We found a coffee maker, coffee and cups, but no tea, no water kettle and no refrigerator. Internet access was available but quite on the slow side. There was no safe in the room, but we could use the one at the front desk, which again was not big enough for laptop and camera equipment. A/C worked efficiently but was very noisy, so we either had to switch it off during the night or cope with the noise.

The USA Today and a local newspaper were available either in the breakfast area or in the lobby where you also have access to a microwave and where you can buy little things like dailies or postcards etc.

The hotel is built around a vast and very nice and clean pool area with lots of chairs. In the morning you can do some laps to get ready for breakfast or just get those nice pool towels and take a rest in one of the comfortable chairs. But as soon as they switch on the music it gets very noisy and uncomfortable. I asked a few times if it is possible to reduce the volume, which they did once, but the next day it was the same again. What a pity.

Breakfast was served outside in a nice setting on the verandah. The selection was good, almost identical to the one at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Tamarac. Every day we were greeted in an ultrafriendly way, which –too me- sometimes was a bit too much. But rather ultrafriendly than grumpy, isn’t it?

You really need a car to get from the hotel to the sights of Key West as this hotel is not in walking distance to the Old Town, but at least 2 miles away. There is no beach access in the vicinity. And the hotel is located right on the main road.

Scooters or bikes are for rent at the hotel, but this is not very reasonable. So I would rather consider paying for the parking of the car at e.g. Old Town than renting a scooter or a bike instead.

If you want to find a place just to rest after partying in Key West´s Old Town and do not mind a small room, then I would really recommend this hotel. Rooms are clean, staff is friendly and helpful and the pool area is nice. Sufficient parking without charge is available as well.

In case you need a bigger room, just check out the other four available room categories. But please keep in mind the location of your room. If it faces the pool area it could get quite noisy during the day and early evenings. Our room faced the parking lot in the backyard which was a bit more quiet, although most of the time we could listen to the conversations of our next neighbors through the walls.

Anyway, this place was nice. Of course there are much nicer hotels on Key West, but if you have to watch a certain budget, check out the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott on N. Roosevelt Blvd.