Isla Bella Beach Resort

Beautiful resort on 64 acres of lush gardens and coastal vegetation that we happened onto after a disappointing first night of our vacation at the local Marriott franchise (I’ll be reviewing that too). The next morning, we called Isla Bella, they had availability AND a suite promotion. They let us preview the property after the previous night’s experience before we committed to the booking, courtesy of bellman Orlando - thank you sir! We showed up later in the day for the 4pm check in and bellman, Chris, helped us get our week’s worth of luggage to our suite, which had a great view of the bay, and side views of two of the four pools and the beach bar. The resort offers many activities and experiences, but really we just wanted to rest, and that’s what we did. We ate at the restaurant, got room service, hung out at the beach bar, which was a guaranteed cool outdoor spot on 97F days. The property was quiet, the restaurant staff was flawless, and the food was better and comparably priced to some of the tourist dives outside the property. Add the Marketplace, which has a cafe with sandwiches, coffee, ice cream and beverages, you don’t really have to leave the property. But leave we did, occasionally. We took the train tour to Pigeon Key, and visited the EAA Aviation museum, and I checked out Sombrero (public) Beach, which I hear has a great sunset. I wanted to drive over to Islamorada, about 45 minutes away, but I got lazy…. I highly recommend a rental car. If I have a peeve about the stay, it’s around housekeeping amenities. Note I did not say the housekeeping, because the rooms were flawlessly clean! The suite had a new dishwasher and was stocked with pots and pans so heavy I was quite impressed. However, they didn’t persuade me to do any cooking. There was 16 oz filet mignon and whole snapper at the restaurant, Mahina, after all! But back to the housekeeping- when I travel, and if the resort is 5-stars, I don’t want to have to ask for extra towels and washcloths and I’m not using them twice. I want to live just like I live at home and I change towels daily and sheets every few days. I had to ask for these, and that’s my peeve, but when I did ask, I got them promptly. I think the resort has a European flair and might even be a European brand. If so, this level of haberdashery is probably normal there, but we Americans do love our excess! It didn’t hurt my feelings that there weren’t a lot of little kids around, it made for a very sedate stay 😊! There was pretty decent soundproofing too, I only heard them once when we were out on the very large walkout porch that was attached to our suite. A great way to see the sunrise and bask when the days got too hot. I laid out like an iguana in the sun and forgot that I had a real job with loads of demands! Anyway, I’m not kidding when I say the place is gorgeous. My husband is already making plans to return. I actually felt sad to leave. Thank you Isla Bella for taking us in off the street, and for the lovely stay!

Some places make you slow down the moment you arrive. For us, Isla Bella Resort in Marathon was one of them: a beautiful, peaceful retreat where the views invite you to pause and enjoy the moment. The rooms are spacious with breathtaking views. One of the loveliest parts of our stay was simply having no plans and taking in the beauty and tranquillity around us. The restaurants made the experience even more memorable. Our only disappointment was the sargassum in the Keys during our stay. We left wishing we could stay a little longer. It was beautiful.

Amazing experience, beautiful place and the service was fantastic too.

We had an absolutely spectacular stay, and a huge part of that was thanks to Alan and the exceptional service he provided. My girlfriend, my mom, and I had booked two rooms through Expedia. The night before our arrival, my girlfriend called the hotel to make sure everything was in order, only to discover that the hotel had only received a reservation for one room, despite us having paid for two. It turned out that Expedia had sent us a confirmation email without actually confirming the second room with the hotel. Thankfully, my girlfriend was able to speak with Alan, the receptionist supervisor, and he immediately went above and beyond to help us. He was able to arrange both rooms for us at the same rate we had originally booked, turning what could have been a very stressful situation into a smooth and worry-free experience. But Alan’s exceptional service didn’t stop there. Throughout our stay, he continued to make sure we were taken care of and went above and beyond to make our experience special. He even provided us with a $100 complimentary credit toward dinner at the resort, which was such a generous and unexpected gesture. The resort itself was beautiful, and we had a wonderful stay, but Alan truly made the experience memorable. His professionalism, kindness, and willingness to go the extra mile are a perfect example of what outstanding hospitality looks like. We would absolutely love to come back, and especially hope Alan is still working there when we do. He deserves recognition for the incredible service he provides to guests. Thank you, Alan, for making our stay so special!

This resort is absolutely beautiful and exceptionally well-kept. Alan went above and beyond to accommodate us throughout our stay, and you could genuinely tell how much pride he took in his new role and in representing the resort well. He was attentive, thoughtful, and made a real effort to ensure we had a wonderful experience, which truly made our stay one to remember. The entire staff was warm and welcoming from the moment we arrived—we were greeted with champagne and enjoyed the most beautiful sunsets, along with thoughtfully curated daytime activities. I only wish we could have stayed longer, but we’ll definitely be back!