We checked in on the 24th of April 2026. The cabin looked like it was falling apart on the outside…read more The inside was clean and okay. But the office is also a bar and it says it closed at 9:00pm . We were up probably until 3:00am because the bar was still open and a lot of noise. And also the boat slips are really small. It broke the light off the top of the booat. The people were friendly but las night and early this morning everyone there was intoxicated. We were afraid to say anything. Didn't get much sleep at all. And we have a 4 hour drive home.

From the owner: Bait/Tackle - Cabin/Boat rentals - Beer/Wine Bar Directly on…read morethe St. John's River in Astor Florida Cabins are fully furnished and sleep 2-6 people. Each unit has a kitchen and bath, flat screen TV with cable and internet. 100 yards to public boat ramp. Quiet, friendly atmosphere.

I had an amazing adventure at The Castaways on the River. They are dog friendly and don't have an…read morecharge extra. They make things so much easier by renting boats and pontoons, and convenient accommodations. They went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable. We originally booked room 100 (see photo of map). However they had a bad storm and they had to move us to cottage #3. It's perfect for a small group of 2-4. You can still see the lake from the balcony while you rock in your chairs. The cottage has everything from a coffee maker to toiletries. Check out their website. It's resourceful and it explains the layout of the cottages very well. We got there late but just in time to meet Cindy at the front office who already had a lock box ready with our key and all instructions just in case we got there past 5pm. The next morning we woke up and walked up to front desk to pick up all the instructions from Cindy to our pontoon. They give precise directions in navigating the lake and getting to the springs. It's about 30-40 minutes to get to the springs. We took our time since it's such a beautiful trip. The only thing that was I inconvenient is that you have to stop and fill up the gas tank at a specific place before you return the pontoon. Astor is a small town. We stopped at Buc-ees in Daytona Beach and purchased everything for our trip. It's great for all those snacks and drinks you will need. After a day at the springs we drove to a restaurant called Castaway. It was packed but a great atmosphere with locals watching college football with their families. I plan on making this a yearly vacation!!!!

RIP OFF BUSINESS! GREEDY and IGNORANT! The office staff was…read morenot very friendly to start out. The room we rented was old and needed alot of work,cleaning,painting, furniture, appliances. A good pressure washing would be nice. Above all that the price was very high and then they overcharged me for an extra night ! I called to advise them but they were not interested in listening only about the money for them! I would NOT reccomend this place to anyone! Alot of better businesses in Astor then Castaways.

Booked this beautiful river trip for my daughter's birthday gift, the experience exceeded our…read moreexpectations. Nigel was our gifted guide.. eased us into paddling skills and techniques, very knowledgeable on the history of Kings Landing, as well as the spring water origins. Will definitely revisit in the future!

I reserve two single kayaks a week before I wanted to try this place. Emails and directions are…read morevery clear. When I arrived staff was helpful and guiding me along the way so that I could see otters. It was a very quick process to get in the water, but it did get crowded toward midday and on the way back in. I would highly recommend clothes that can get wet, bringing snacks and water and a hat or sunglasses. A dry bag if you have it but if you want one, they do sell them where you check in.

No one answers the phone and the voice mail is full. It has been that way for months so don't waste…read moreyour time.

We had an amazing time doing the 2 hour Silver Springs river tour with Captain Debbie and Captain…read moreAdam. They were both very informative and made it a super relaxing and fun tour. They were also really prompt with getting back to us on scheduling and very accommodating to our schedule. We saw several different birds, alligators, manatees and monkeys on the tour. Thanks so much for making our last day in Florida a wonderful one!

Had a great experience ~ would highly highly recommend. McCoy was extremely knowledgeable and…read morefreely shares his knowledge! You know you have a great guide when he is as excited about the fish you catch as you are!! Caught lots of fish and the whole experience was extremely professional beginning to end! Had a super time ~ well worth the cost!

Spent a foggy morning with Capt McCoy on the lake fishing for bass. Despite the weather, Captain…read moreMcCoy was able to guide us to the fish and we pulled in several bass and a couple of pickerels. A very personable and knowledgeable guide, Capt McCoy had several tips and tricks of the trade he shared with us that made our experience fun and interesting. Highly recommend him!

Went today with my family from Texas on the Airboat ride. Josh our Boat Captain was great and very…read moreknowledgeable. Brittany help us with our reservation and was very professional. We were very happy we book our trip and glad we went in the early morning with the cooler temperature. Everyone had a fun time.

Absolutely incredible tour. So much fun and Josh is very informative and quite personable. I…read morehighly recommend the 90 minute tour. We saw a lot of gators as well as other wildlife. Fun airboat ride to boot.

We were camping in a RV Park nearby so it was a short bike (e-bike) ride to South Moon Fish Camp…read more This place was pretty much what I expected being it's at the end of the road and dead-ends at the St. John's River, there are a number of residential homes along the paved road and when the road turns to rock and sand there's a boat launch, a few boat slips and a number of cabins to rent. The narrow drive is lined with pickup trucks still connect to their boat trailers so proceed with caution it can get pretty crowded and the trucks create some blind spots. This section of the river is a "no wake" zone so it a great place to watch the boat and jet-ski traffic under the giant oak and cypress trees or from a bench just above the water line. If you ain't fishing or enjoying your watercraft there's really not much going on here but it is a very peaceful setting to soak in the sun and enjoy a cold beer if your brought them with you I didn't see any retail businesses but it's definitely a small piece of paradise...

I booked the 10 pm bioluminescence kayak tour on Merritt island…read more They had different options available on-site of clear 2 people transparent Kayaks, also on person transparent single Kayaks. It was easy to see the company truck by the launching area on the on the Indian river lagoon. There were life vest and small lights for us to be able to see the other members of the group while paddling in the dark. We paddled to horseshoe crab island and got to see dolphins a couple of times. Overall is pretty dark so mostly you see them around. Our guide was Jordan. He was great! We could not have asked for a better guide. He gave us instructions on how to stay safe, and what to expect during the tour. He also worked hard to communicate with the group while in the water, and made sure that the group stayed together the whole time. He has the right personality for the job making our experience easy and fun. We could see the bioluminescence phenomenon what was pretty incredible. I wish we could have Good pictures of it but unfortunately they don't turn out good. Bring bug spray ! Lots of mosquitos!

We did the 10 p.m. bioluminescence clear kayak tour, and OMG... I loved it so much! The first time…read moreI ever saw bioluminescence was in Puerto Rico back in 2018, and it's still one of the most beautiful nighttime experiences I've ever had--right up there with seeing the Northern Lights. There's just something so magical about watching the water glow around you. We drove about 50 minutes from Orlando to Merritt Island for the tour, where we launched from the Indian River Lagoon, and it was absolutely worth it. This is one of those experiences that's really hit or miss, so keep in mind that the amount of bioluminescence you see isn't something the tour company can control. We got lucky because there was so much activity that night! We actually didn't kayak very far since the bioluminescence was so active right near the shoreline. We spent most of our time enjoying it from that area because there was no need to go much farther. Also, don't expect your phone camera to do it justice. It's incredibly hard to capture on camera, and it's so much more breathtaking in person. I highly recommend this experience to everyone, and I already can't wait to do it again!