Cheeca Lodge & Spa

Cheeca Lodge was a disappointment from the moment we drove onto property until we drove off. Valet: Arrived by rental car to Valet/Bell Hop area and was told he could park it or I could use the self-park and he pointed to the lot I could use. We planned to leave resort later that evening, so figured self-park would be easier. After driving around for 15 mins with no spaces available; I had to drive back to Valet. Hotel Check-in/Registration: Pretty smooth process. The staff sit at a standard height table so guests need to sit to unless you want to tower over them. Man and a woman in training checked us in, explained the lay-out of the property and all the activities that were included with our stay and issued our wristband room keys. Room: We booked a Lodge Double Queen Suite. The room location was awful. 2nd floor next to the elevator and main staircase. We got to hear every group heading back from Hotel bars until 11pm, and then every family heading to the pool at 7am. The balcony view was of the astro-turf covered first floor roof. Electrical equipment on roof blocked 100% view of anything other than the roof. Our balcony neighbor decided to smoke an evening cigar for a couple hours. Activities: When we checked in at 4pm, Reception Staff explained everything we could do: fishing, golf, tennis, pickleball, pool, and other water activities. All needed poles, clubs, rackets, and paddles were provided as part of our stay. We headed over to their water activities booth, and were told all fishing equipment was being used. Walked over to golf course and told no left handed clubs were currently available. Went back over to fishing 1hr later, and still nothing available. Walked back to golf, still no lefty clubs. Took my two sons over to tennis /pickleball courts a little after 5pm. Equipment shed locked, so no rackets or paddles. So nothing was actually available to do. Very disappointed. The next morning we were able to get on golf course with hotel provided left handed clubs. Still no luck with fishing as hotel provided equipment was in use or broken. Went back three more times and nothing was returned by other guests and broken equipment not fixed. Food & Drink: Tiki Bar – bartender friendly and attentive. Nikai - Tried to place a to-go order it didn’t go well. Nikai is located on 2nd floor off the lobby. I walked up stairs with my daughter and was met by a staff member half-way up. She said we could not place a to order to go from the restaurant directly. We had to go to lobby bar and the bartender would help. Walked over to lobby bar, and asked to place a to go order. Bartender said she wasn’t able to do that. She then left bar, and walked to Nikai on the 2nd floor. Came back and said she could take our order. Placed order and waited. To check on our order the bartender had to keep leaving and walking to restaurant. After 3 trips and 45 minutes we had our two rolls. The food was good, but the process and effort to get it was bizarre and a waste of time. Why not let us place order ourselves. Lots of extra steps that was not a good customer experience. Atlantic’s Edge- We ate breakfast here. Good food, service was friendly and attentive. Server was understanding of a food allergy and offered substitutions. Best interaction with Staff for our stay. Check-out: Our breakfast was running a bit long, and I went to reception to request a 12pm check-out instead of the standard 11am. Was told the hotel was very busy and they best she could do was 1130am. I know hotels aren’t under an obligation to provide late check-out, but was disappointed. Went back to reception at 1130am to check-out and hand in wristband room keys. I greeted Staff member with a good morning and a smile and asked to please checkout; and took a seat at desk. Got a response of “Ok”, and she printed out bill and slide it across desk. I handed over keys and looked at bill. Staff member just stared at me. I asked if she needed me to sign anything. She said, “No” and then just stared at me again. She never greeted me, didn’t ask me anything about how was my stay, no thanks for staying here, no goodbye. After an awkward moment, I stood-up. Staff member reached across desk took bill print out, crumpled it up and threw it in garbage as I was still in front of her. Just a final weird interaction at Cheeca Lodge. I would not stay here again.

There is nothing good I can say about our stay. We’ve been there before and had a wonderful experience, however things have changed. We booked a lagoon suite but the water feature was so incredibly loud we couldn’t even open the door to the terrace. The water in the pool was cloudy to the point we didn’t want to swim in it. The food was terrible. The last straw was we had no hot water in our room. Nothing like a cold shower. We left after two nights. It was interesting that the staff at the registration desk acknowledged that the hotel had serious issues and refunded our stay. What a shame cheeca was once an outstanding hotel/resort. Soooo disappointed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had an absolutely incredible experience at Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada. From the moment we arrived, the service, property, and overall atmosphere exceeded our expectations. The grounds are absolutely stunning—beautifully maintained, tropical, peaceful, and exactly what you hope for when visiting the Florida Keys. Our room was amazing as well: spacious, comfortable, beautifully appointed, and a perfect place to relax after enjoying everything the resort has to offer. What really made our stay exceptional, though, were the people. Edgar, the Front Desk Manager, went above and beyond for our family and made us feel genuinely welcomed and taken care of. His professionalism, kindness, and willingness to make our stay special did not go unnoticed. We also want to recognize Jeffrey from the valet team, who was outstanding throughout our stay. He was incredibly friendly, attentive, and helpful every single time we saw him. Employees like Edgar and Jeffrey are what turn a beautiful resort into a truly memorable experience. Cheeca Lodge is a special place, and we can’t say enough good things about our stay. Amazing room, incredible grounds, fantastic service, and wonderful people. We will absolutely be back and would recommend Cheeca without hesitation to anyone visiting Islamorada. Five stars all the way!

The resort itself was beautiful and our large suite had plenty of room for our family of five. Check in was a breeze and reception staff was very professional and knowledgable. The restaurant staff was a different story. For the amount you are spending on meals you would expect top notch service but the servers felt like they took their time and had no regard for yours. I would recommend eating off property. The golf course was fun but the greens were in terrible shape. Not sure if it was the time of year or not but we literally had to chip on the greens. We will be back for the beauty of the resort and its location but will be dining elsewhere.

It is a huge property so hard to summarize. Easy highlights, incredible service from start to finish. Everything about Pierre's is incredible and a must do for sunset. A very easy going vibe with kind and fun guests as well. Lastly, great location. Really easy to get to multiple different places and adventures. GREAT EXPERIENCE.