The Mermaid & The Alligator Key West

Wonderfull stay! Already booked for same time next year.

I just returned from a 10 day stay @ the Mermaid & Alligator. It was wonderfull. The entire establishment was filled with beauty in every detail threw out the home. The relaxed atmosphere that the inkeepers have created was outstanding. They make you feel so special the minute you enter the home. Dean & Paul. (Inkeepers) Make a full breakfast every morning. From fresh muffins to what ever the hot item of the day would be. By the way. The homemade banana pancakes are great. Maggie, who takes care of all the guest services. Made our stay complete. She handled all our activity needs, dinner reservations. Even our bicycle delivery & pick up at the end of our stay. Plus the other 50 or so questions we may have had. She is great at what she does. There were things in Key West that we would have never known about if it was not for her. She really goes the extra mile to help if needed. We went back to our busy lives in New York. Totally relaxed & with wonderfull memories of Key West and The Mermaid & The Alligator. The day before our departure we booked for our stay next year. Anyone going to Key West, stay there. I will not stay any where else if I'm in Key West.

Maggie the Alligator

My husband and I decided to spend a romantic weekend in Key West. We made arrangements well in advance at the Mermaid and the Alligator expecting a relaxed, stress free weekend. A couple days after making the initial reservations, we had to make a slight change to our arrival date. When I contacted Maggie, the concierge, she said it would be "no problem" and if there was a conflict they would contact me. I never heard from them.

Being the anal retentive, Type A personality that I am, I called 10 days before our trip just to confirm the arrangements. Maggie informed me that they had sent me an email stating we would not be able to arrive the day I intended. I never received that email, yet Maggie was adamant she sent it. "Oh well you will have to pay for that night even if you arrive a day later. Our policy states you must call within 14 days". BUT I DID!!! After going back and forth several times I asked Maggie to read my email address to me......it was wrong....she had added an "e" to my last name. But that was not proof enough, you see. Maggie is never wrong apparently! Not only was she condescending and rude she was also stubborn!

I asked to speak to the owners but they were conveniently on vacation. Given the circumstances, I didn't want to stay at an establishment that treated its customers this way and asked to cancel the entire reservation, her response was she would be charging all three nights to my credit card. I was floored and still am. How could people do business this way? I threatened to dispute the charges with my credit card and the rest is history..... She almost ruined my weekend! I am not sure who the mermaid is but Maggie is most certainly the alligator!

Careful to all of you considering this B&B!!! I would hate for this to happen to someone else.

Unfriendly innkeepers

We just returned from M&A where we spent 3 nights. Prior to our trip, we had done extensive research on B&B's and decided to stay at M&A largely because of its great reviews. However, when we got there, things weren't entirely what we had expected and we were unpleasantly surprised by some encounters.

The place was undoubtedly well-decorated in eclectic style, but the innkeepers and Maggie (their assistant) were far from friendly.

1. We happened to be there when the hurricane was threatening to hit the east coast of Florida and we were anxious as to whether or not we should leave early to avoid delays on our return flight from Ft. Lauderdale. As we were discussing this with the innkeepers, they informed us that their policy of 3-night minimum still stands and that there would be no refund unless they were able to rent out the room on short notice. The next morning, the innkeeper approached us and told us that they had cancelled many of the flights out of Ft. Lauderdale and that had we left the night we were discussing about leaving, we STILL wouldn't have made the early flight. We were very upset over this issue, in part because the innkeepers seemed to care more about "saving their image" and their 3-night minimum than about our concerns with the hurricane.

2. My husband drank a bottle of water from the "guest" refrigerator, not knowing that it wasn't "common" water. He was immediately reprimanded by Maggie (the assistant), who asked him (in front of me and two other guests) to point out which bottle he drank from and whether or not he wanted to replace the bottle or pay for it. To us, this is EXTREMELY petty. It was a mistake for my husband to drink the water, but for Maggie to reprimand him in front of other guests and to treat us like children is unacceptable. Not only that, but we had every intention to replace the water. That afternoon, we bought 6 bottles of water to place in the refrigerator and to our dismay, two bottles were taken by the next morning. We never mentioned this to Maggie or to the innkeepers because we did not want to participate in their pettiness. Water is cheap and we don't mind if other guests enjoy a bottle.

3. The bathroom in the Sun Room has VERY low ceilings with a very weak shower water pressure. We would NOT recommend this room.

We would just like to get the word out to those of you thinking about staying here. We were heavily disappointed, but realize that there are some people whose interests involve only money.

We would NOT recommend this B&B to anyone who would like to have a nice, friendly atmosphere during their vacation. There are plenty of other B&B's in the area.

V. Liang, M.D.

Fanatstic place to stay

the mermaid and alligator was a lovely place ideally situated just off duval. We stayed in the Audobon room which was fantastic, amazing decorationand surroundings. The spa pool outside and the wine in the evenings just topped off what a fantastic place this is to stay.

The m & a is a relaxing place to retire to away form the hustle and bustle of duval street and even though it was busy when we were there it was very relaxed.

Dean, Paul and maggie are all extremely helpful and the pool area alludes to you being in your own tropical paradise.

rooms extremely well maintained and the double walk in shower and jacuzzi tub in our room just made our honeymoon!!

thankyou for a lovely time!!

Really Great Inn!!

We just got back from our stay in Key West. We stayed 3 nights at the Mermaid and loved every min of it. We had the Garden Room, which was decorated and appointed very nicely. We just loved the terra cotta tile floor and the glass block shower with two shower heads! Everything was freshly painted and in perfect working order. The room led out into the garden area, which was very nice for reading in the early morning. The breakfast was great with muffins, fruit, coffee, tea, and a different hot item each morning. We had pancakes, waffles, and kiesh. Valerie , the hostess was very helpful and cheerful. The grounds were amazingly landscaped as well. The only downside to the garden room, is that we heard quite a bit of noise from Truman avenue. It would be best to stay there during the week, when the traffic is not as bad late in the evening. Otherwise, it was the highlight of our trip!

Great Guest House

We just finished staying at The Mermaid and the Alligator. We give it a 99 out of a perfect 100. This is a very nice and clean place. The gardens in the back make you feel like you are in a rainforest with fountains, tropical birds in cages, etc. Mornings are incredible with a very nice breakfast in the gardens served to you. The wine in the evening is also a lot of fun too. Walking to Duval was no problem because taking the side streets can be fun seeing all the other homes there and meeting the locals. We would highly recommend this place for a true feeling of Key West.

A wonderful Place!

After searching through hundreds of b&b websites, we decided to go with the Mermaid and the Alligator. I could not have been happier with this choice. The house is beautifully decorated. The room was a decent size, comfortable and very clean. The most amazing part of the Mermaid was the wonderful patios and garden area outside. The pool is small, but the perfect size for a relaxing dip. It is a bit of a walk to the busy parts of Duval and Mallory Square, however it was easily done and it's nice to get away from the craziness of that area to relax. Overall, I thought the Mermaid was a great find and would definitly stay there again.

Avoid high season if you want to sleep!

My husband and I stayed at the M&A over New Years. We loved the bnb however, we would never stay in the Caribbean Queen Suite again. I had read a review from last year stating it could possibly be a bit noisy during high season. "A bit" is an understatement! After traveling 3000 miles, we were exhausted. For the first three nights we did not get to sleep through the night. Finally I decided to run the air conditioning all night just to drowned out the traffic noise, even though we didn't need to cool the room off. The M&A gardens and bnb itself were some of the best we had seen in Key West. The some of the breakfasts were repeated (we were there a week). The complimentary wine was a great touch, and very helpful in meeting other guests! Overall we enjoyed our stay and would recommend it in off season or staying in another room!

Romantic & Charming

My husband and I along with my sister & brother-in-lawspent several very enjoyable nights here. I much prefer this over the big hotel chains which we have also done in Key West. I had driven by the Alligator and the Mermaid on previous trips to Key West so we decided to try it. It's truly what Key West is all about. It's a very charming older Victorian style, 2 story home with a lush tropical garden filled with birds and small running fountains . Breakfast was wonderful every morning and the complimentary wine each evening was very nice. It's everything a B&B should be. The owners and staff were very friendly and helpful. We will definitely stay there again.

Perfect all around

My fiance and I stayed at the Mermaid & the Alligator for 2 nights on our trip through the Keys. I hadn't been to Key West before so can't compare to others, but this one was fantastic, The room we stayed in was very cute. The back breakfast area is gorgeous, so many plants and birds, you can't tell that you are in a hopping tourist town. Very quiet since it is away from the action. But, it is only a 10 minute walk or so from Duval and gives you time to exercise off all the vacation food. There is a bike rental place a block away as well if walking is not your thing. Staff was very friendly and helpful in planning events, making dinner reservations, or leaving you alone, whichever your mood. A glass of wine in the evening before hitting the sunset at Mallory Square topped off the experience.