Ibis Bay Resort

Location: Good and excellent location, with a beautiful area and old-school Key West feel, surrounding environment is comfortable(based on 2 reviews)

Good price and good location

The reviews for Ibis Bay Waterfront Resort in Key West are mixed, understandably, but it may be perfect for you as it almost was for me. This is not where I’d stay with my wife especially if we were looking for an upscale romantic experience. I’m here alone with plans to explore the old city. I’m not here for the comfort of the room, the quality of the beach, or the local environment - gas stations, supermarkets, fast food outlets abound. Ibis reminds me of the iconic Thunderbird Motel on Treasure Island near St Petersburg, Fla. Except the Thunderbird is on a fabulous beach and it’s surrounded by a variety of good restaurants. It’s a quality family experience but don’t expect too much in the way of comforts. Same for Ibis. I’ll give you an example. Reviews mentioned room cleanliness as a problem. My room is clean. But it’s old. The bed is comfortable but the chairs at the lunch table - very uncomfortable. The shower - it’s small and the shower head should be replaced. The sink looks crappy but there’s hot water. So if you stay here don’t expect too much. There’s no beach with sand that leads into the bay. But there’s a hammock and plenty of outdoor seating. You could get a tan out there - but it smells a bit! There is sand but there are also rocks. You can park right outside your unit and the pool is huge with lots of chairs. There’s an over priced gift shop but the people are friendly and everything everywhere in Florida is over priced. The Stoned Crab restaurant is adjacent and gets good reviews but I’d skip it. I got ****** in by a reviewer who made it sound like a bayside table at night with lobster and melted butter - forget it. You’ll get more lobster at a walk up joint in the old city and for less money. I got an appetizer portion of lobster for an entree price. There are better options in the area. There are bicycles and scooters and golf carts to rent. $18/day for a bike is fair. They feed sharks twice a day - but I went to watch this afternoon and the sharks didn’t show up! The front desk people are helpful but not always knowledgeable. The lady told me the trolley tour stopped at the nearby Fairfield “just a ten minute walk north.” Ha! Glad I checked with the bike rental guy. The Fairfield is south! (And looks like a good place to stay). Breakfast is included but you’re not getting bacon and eggs. There were boiled eggs. There were rolled up slices of ham and cheese. Cereal. Bagels and toast. Peanut butter. So it’s okay and, hey, you can get a table at bayside. I think the word is “tacky.” It’s not a bad place. And if you want to keep the price reasonable this may be your best choice. Meanwhile, the Courtyard by Marriott next door looks nice.