Hotel Comments
As I mentioned in my first vacation post, we stayed at the Hyatt Place in Marathon while we were in the Keys. The night we flew into Florida and the night before we flew home, we stayed at a Hyatt Place right near the Fort Lauderdale airport. We stayed at both hotels for free by using points and we also redeemed a rewards night.
I don't really have much to say about the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Airport and Cruise Port because we didn't spend very much time here. We saw lots of families wearing matching cruise shirts so I assume this is mostly a quick stop hotel. The rooms were on the larger side, the breakfast was pretty good for a freebie and the swimming pool was a decent size.
I want to talk about the free breakfast at Hyatt hotels for a minute. As with most mid-range hotels, Hyatt offers a free breakfast. They changed their policy at the end of last year so that only Hyatt members under certain conditions could take advantage of the free breakfast. Not only do you have to be a Hyatt member, which we are, but you need to book your room at an eligible rate (this is a nice way of saying you need to book directly with Hyatt), book with cash + points, or redeem a free night or room upgrade award.
We did redeem a free night for one night of our hotel stay, but all the other nights were booked using points only and therefore not eligible for free breakfast under Hyatt's new terms. We weren't outraged over this fact but I do find it odd that someone using the benefit of points because they are a member, and obviously a loyal one to have accumulated points, would not qualify. Regardless, we were told at both locations that we were eligible for the free breakfast. (shoulder shrug) Note that if you are not eligible, it costs approximately $11 to add breakfast to the room and that $11 covers all guests in the room. We're not talking big bucks here.
So while the free breakfast certainly was convenient and saved some money, by the end of the week, we were ready to move on. However, we did not feel this way the three (I think it was three) times we stayed at the Hyatt in Sterling Heights, MI. That location actually had a really good breakfast.
Overall, the Hyatt Place in Marathon was decent and we don't really have any big complaints. The rooms were on the smaller side and with five people and five suitcases, it did become a bit crowded at times. We had two beds along with a sofa bed. Our room was on the top floor, which was awesome because we didn't have anyone stomping around over us, and it overlooked the main pool, which was perfect for people watching. This hotel has two pools - the main pool and the marina pool.
I used my wide angle lens for these photos and that can be slightly deceiving. I was a little surprised and disappointed that the pools weren't larger. After all, this is Southern Florida where you have at least nine months of swimming weather and this is a location where a pool really shouldn't be an afterthought.
I've never stayed at a hotel where the pool towels were not located near the pool. When we first arrived in our room, there were four pool/beach towels with a note that if we needed additional towels for additional guests, we could ask for them at the front desk. The note also stated that we would be charged $15 if any towels went missing. I'm not sure how they know if towels go missing because the hotel staff didn't really seem to be keeping track. If you needed fresh towels in the middle of the day, you had to give the wet towels to the front desk and they would go grab dry ones for you. It was definitely a little bizarre.
There was a marina behind the hotel (which is why one of the pools is called the marina pool) and we did enjoy walking back there in the evening to watch the sky change as the sun was setting and to check out the boats and yachts docked there.
Packing
Unfortunately, Jet Blue now charges for checked bags. You do have the option of paying for a more expensive ticket for a free checked bag. The girls and I all have carry-on suitcases and there's no need to overpack so we decided to check in only one suitcase. Rich packed his clothes in a larger suitcase along with all of our liquids that couldn't be carried on. We also packed a ton of Anna's supplies in that suitcase and managed to squeeze in a 9 inch fan for me and Emily. (The fan greatly helped with hotel sleeping for us light sleepers.) The checked suitcase is subject to an additional fee if over 50 pounds. In Providence, it weighed 45.5 pounds and on the way home, it was 47.5 pounds.
I cannot remember where I read this but one packing rule is that you should never need to bring more than three pairs of shoes with you, including the ones on your feet. I brought my running sneakers, a pair of flip flops and a pair of neutral sandals, and that's all I needed.
The girls do pack their own suitcases. They are capable and it saves me a lot of time. I tell them how many outfits, bathing suits, etc. they'll need and then I'll give their suitcases a quick look to make sure they didn't forget anything.
What I would do next time
When Rich and I visited the Keys (before kids), we also drove down from Fort Lauderdale/Miami. After our vacation, we drove back up and stayed at a hotel near the airport for the night. This is also what we did on this vacation. Back when it was just me and Rich, I specifically remember feeling like we were wasting time because once you pack up and drive out of the Keys, you start coming out of vacation mode and you just want to head home. But you are stuck in a hotel by the airport for the night. That's what happened with this vacation too.
If I had to do it again, I would try to find a flight out of Fort Lauderdale or Miami for later in the day. Coming home felt like it took forever, especially with the kids and packing up our hotel room in Marathon, driving, and then having to set up again in another hotel for the night.
I've driven through the Keys three times in my life and I don't need to do it again. And I don't want it to seem like I don't like the drive (I do) but it is time consuming. If we ever head back down there, and we would love to, I would fly directly into Key West and stay there.
When we left Marathon and drove back up to Fort Lauderdale, Rich suggested heading over to the beach after we ate dinner to check it out. That would have been an excellent plan instead of just sitting in the hotel room but it stormed and the storm just kind of hung around. We did drive over to the beach when it appeared to be mostly over for a little walk and ice cream. Not ideal but we made the best of it.
If you missed my other Florida Keys vacation posts, here are the links:
Our Florida Keys Vacation
What to Do/See in the Florida Keys
An Afternoon in Key West
Where/What We Ate + Key Lime Pie Review
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