Heron House

We were in room 9 for 4 nights. As we checked in, I struggled to carry my suitcase up the narrow steps while the young clerk stood and watched. The room was nice with the following exceptions. The two sinks in the room had no pressure and to get warm water they had to run 15 minutes. We fetched our own clean towels at the front desk except for the last night. The soap dispensers in the shower were empty. One of the chairs on the deck broke apart when sat on. Told the clerk about it but nothing was done. Pool has 2 lounge chairs, the rest regular chairs. More lounge chairs up on the sundeck. Breakfast was mediocre at best. Had to warm everything in the toaster. The room was clean when we got there but basically no maid service until the last night. I expected more and will not return here.

Avoid at All Costs – One of the Worst Stays of My Life Rating: 0/5 I’m not a luxury traveler — I’ve stayed in plenty of basic accommodations, but this one crossed the line from “budget-friendly” to “completely unacceptable.” This small house/hotel in Key West was difficult to find, with no signage or check-in area. I received a handwritten note with my name on it taped to the door. No host, no welcome, no explanation. i called to ask where to park, a man pick up the phone drunk telling me this is not an emergency, it was for me! therefore i parked right on the front of the house. at 9am the owner came and tow my car! whem i asked him why, he said you should have ask, wich i did but the employee was drunk so..... The room was tiny, damp, and barely furnished. The bed was unstable, squeaky, and literally held up with an old book. The walls were moldy, the AC unit was ancient and smelled bad, and the only window didn’t open. The bathroom was awful: the shower sprayed everywhere but down, the faucet leaked, and the water temperature fluctuated wildly. I found a used bar of soap with hair on it and half a roll of toilet paper. Unacceptable. Bugs were everywhere — ants, roaches, and something scratching in the ceiling all night long. I didn’t sleep for three nights. When I tried to contact the owner, I got no response. This is not an “authentic” local experience — it’s a neglected, unclean, and frankly unsafe place that should be reported. I left early and booked a chain hotel just to feel normal again. Do not stay here, no matter how cheap or “quirky” it seems online.

The hotel is lovely, quaint. The window AC in my room, however, was insufficient and the ceiling fan only operates on low. Housekeeping consists only of trash and towel service. I made my bed myself. On check in the person at the front desk simply drew a circle on the map to show where I could park. He was very vague. I had to call the office for the wifi PW. Twice he said it was in the black book in the room. I explained there was no book. I went to the office to get one and he simply said, "it's just full of stuff around here". I had to specifically ask for one. The book has breakfast hours, pool hours, etc. I had to ask another guest where breakfast was the first morning as it's in a closed room. The front desk person had vaguely pointed in the direction where breakfast is available, he seemed in a hurry. The ice machine is insufficient. I reported to the same desk person that the machine wasn't working and that the temp showed over 80°. His response was that someone must have used it all. Lastly, very tiny ants. I had purchased a box of fudge earlier in the day and laid it on top of the dresser. When I went to open the box it was swarming with these ants. An ant trap or two in each room would likely make a difference.

Not impressed. To level set and compare against other hotels in the area, we stayed in June 2025 for 4 nights, Wed. - Sun. for $1502.22 (included tax, room, and breakfast). Maybe this is a great deal. Not sure. Desk and breakfast staff were not friendly. Taking out the garbage and providing clean towels is the only service included in room cleaning (we were told). We had to ask for clean towels most days and clean the sand/grit off the hotel floor ourselves. Shower was dirty. I showered with my flip flops on. There was at least a 1 inch space between the room door and the floor allowing all of the AC to escape to the outside. You could see light coming through the bottom of the entryway door. We had to put down a towel to cover up the entire space between the floor and the door at night. We were there with several friends which is the only reason why I am giving a 2 (poor) and not a 1 (terrible). The AC worked well.

They must have some decent rooms at Heron House but I'm afraid ours was not one of them. It's hard to describe just how terrible it was. Everything was dirty/soiled. Upon arrival we noticed nail clippings on the rug. We asked front desk to have it cleaned but it never was. Room service was hit or miss, finally I saw someone outside another room and asked that they please bring us fresh towels. The lamp above the bed was hanging by a thread, there were slats and rods missing from the blinds, the curtains did nothing to block out light, the outlet covers were broken, the walls were filthy with dust, bathroom lights rusted, water pressure in sink was non-existent and hot water only from shower - if you waited long enough. Patio furniture was just aweful. The pool was decent however there were only 2 lounge chairs and the regular chairs didn't have any padding.