I have been putting off writing this review for a while now, because I hate writing bad reviews and there are enough bad reviews for this place that I almost feel like why bother. But this is the absolute worst hotel experience I have ever had, so here goes. One of my friends had stayed here before and had a good experience, we're not picky, and it is about the cheapest thing there, so we went for it. Let me be VERY CLEAR. I have stayed in a multitude of hostels, motels, and low-cost hotels. So this review is not about the fact that it's a dorm situation, that the room is sparse, that there is no tv, or that you bring your own towels and shampoo, etc. That is normal for a youth hostel, and I totally expect it. There was nothing normal about this visit. Two of my friends arrived a few hours before me and my boyfriend. They asked for us to be put in the same room (since we had all bought dorms beds) and was told we were pretty much in the same room. The dorm is a few rooms split by a small bathroom area, so we were in the same big room, but on either side of the bathroom from each other. As we found out later there were open beds all in the same side, so I have no idea why they wouldn't just put us together. On checking in my friends noticed that the other person in the side that my boyfriend and I were checking in to was in his sixties and appeared to be homeless. Since this place bills itself as a youth hostel my friend was understandably wary and said something to the front desk. The man shrugged off her concerns and told her the man had been staying there for a while and "they had not any problems with him." By the time we arrived he was out. We dropped off our stuff in the room and went out for dinner and see the sites. We came back that night and he was asleep, so we tried to be very quiet as we got in to bed. I dozed off for a couple of hours, but at about 4 a.m. I was awakened by his constant, death rattle coughing and trips outside to smoke. Literally. Every. Ten. Minutes. He would get up to go smoke and leave the door to our room, which faced the outside street, not the courtyard, hanging wide open. My boyfriend is a smoker, and the smell even woke him up. Not to mention that he would leave the door hanging wide open so you could hear all the traffic starting at about six a.m. I probably got up 20 times to close the door. I tried the office around 5 to see if we could be moved to a private room, but no one was there. I knocked and called, but nothing. I have stayed at plenty of hostels where the desk is not staffed all night, but I have never been anywhere you can't at least call someone in an emergency. There is a sign above the office window bulletproof glass with an "emergency number," but the number is whited out. They probably got sick of hearing complaints all the time. Again, this dude was in his sixties and super sketchy looking, so I did not feel comfortable confronting him myself, especially since there were no employees on the grounds. It continued this way all morning, until about 8:30, when he finally left for good with the door still hanging wide open. If I hadn't gotten up to close the door that time it would have stayed open all morning. Seriously, every ten minutes. At that point why would he not just get up for the day? All he was doing was getting up and down to go smoke. Ridiculous! Just go outside and start your day and let the rest of us sleep. The way the front desk handled things really sealed the deal for me NEVER staying here again though. I understand its a dorm style room and these things happen, but they were completely unhelpful and rude. The desk was supposed to be staffed starting at 9:00, so I was out there waiting by quarter to. No one appeared until 9:30, when I finally started knocking on the glass and calling the desk number. After hearing someone rustling around and ignoring me for several minutes, I finally got some lady claiming to be the manager on the phone. I explained the situation and asked if we could be moved, but she told me they were sold out and couldn't move us. Later that day all of the other people in my friends' side of the room had checked out, so she absolutely could have moved us over there. But, since she wouldn't help we just told her we would check out, but that we wanted a refund. She told me she couldn't refund the night we had stayed since we had already slept there. I informed her I hadn't slept a wink, but she didn't care and told me I knew when I checked in that it was a dorm room and that I wouldn't be able to reach anyone at the desk at night. Since there is a giant sign on the front gate advertising a 24-hour office, no, I did not know that. She then offered to "refund" me for the coming night. Yes, the one that we were checking out at 9 a.m. before. As if she was doing me some kind of favor by not charging me to not stay there. Awful service, terrible safety concerns, and way overpriced for a hostel. Never again! read more

Seashell Motel - What? - Hotels Near Me - Key West, Florida

My stay was okay, Doors are thin and it doesn't feel safe to let your luggage at the room, this would be all okay for a hostel. What is NOT okay are the bedbug bite I had all over me after a visit. Would not stay there again! read more

Ick! Noisy and an embarrassment to hostels worldwide. Makes the ones in Spain look like a 5 star resort suspicious stains on bed skirt. Peeling paint on ceiling and dirty dirty tile. Plus 150 key deposit read more

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Ommmgggg you'd be better off sleeping in a bush on the street than here. It's probably more sanitary. I love to travel and explore new places (on a budget since I am a student). I've never seen anything like this. If you like hostels Key West does not offer any of those sorry better off in San Fran or Manhattan...Stay away from this place and pay like 40 bucks more to stay somewhere a little more comfy and much more cleaner. By the way Key West is BEAUTIFUL!!! :) read more

Be careful when you reserve a spot at this hostel. A friend and I had to reschedule a trip to Key West. This place does not give refunds for cancellations, and they were completely unhelpful with moving the reservation. I was treated not like a paying customer, but like some sort of crook or cheat. I was polite at all times, but it was obvious that once they had my money, they could care less about me. I can't say anything about how nice it is to stay there, but based on my experience with them so far, there are many better places you can do business with. read more

because there are so less reviews and just bad ones everywhere I wanted to make a real review about all; check it: PLACE - the MOTEL/HOSTEL is in a pretty ok-safe area - near the main DUVAL Street (but not too close to have the noise) - 5 min to one of the free beaches there HOSTEL / MOTEL - the beds are not that comfortable, like army-beds, but you get new sheets and they are clean! (---- that's what HOSTEL means) - the Rooms are OK and are airconditioned, the shower, toilets etc. are FOR SURE not new, but you can manage to do your business etc... in the 10 Bed rooms is enough space to move(more than in some NEW YORK hostels!!) - Staff was pretty friendly, (speaks also german), if you complain; they give you another room [- that's what I've seen when I was there...] - wifi worked pretty good all the time - you have to give your credit card details in advanced with a WORD-Sheet, this is kind of "unsafe" but.... :-) - you may have also a BED if you just go there by chance (out of season; season is all what is not SUMMER :-) ) REMEMBER: this is key west, that's pretty close to cuba (you do not see cuba! :-) ) etc.. so the CLIMA there is TROPICAL so you WILL see for sure a lot of insects, bugs, lizards etc.! In the outside area [which is pretty ok to sit, eat, and relax] you may meet rats! :-) my stay in this hostel was cool, but (because it is the only one) seriously overpriced :-) I was there at a weekend for 3 days and had a good time! - a lot of german people in this area, I met about eight german guys in this hostel :-) if you want the cheapest key west experience; go here! if you are scared about all moving animals; stay at home! xD read more

The floor is so sticky. The beds are are harder than rocks. Mosquitos feast on your flesh all night long. What, no towels? 3 bucks to rent. Better off sleeping outside. read more

Court yard is lovely and room is clean. We were only there for a night. Great location. We walked right down town for sunset. After we checked out, the cleaning lady came running out with my necklace. I'm so grateful!! read more

I stayed here in the dorm over the weekend in October. I was mainly out and about and only slept here. I arrived about an hour before check in and the bed wasn't ready. When I finally checked in it was a pretty smooth process. The rate was above average. Turns out it was a popular weekend. Anyway theres one bathroom for a 10 bed dorm however i never had to wait to use it. Each bed has an electrical station with a reading light, USB plugin, and outlet. The dorm was a bit gloomy and not your traditional social atmosphere that you would expect from a hostel. There were no windows but the air conditioner worked perfrctly. Everyone does their own thing. They offer coffee and tea in the morning but it was out by the late AM. The outdoor space is nice. Theres a hammock to sleep on and get some sun. If I'm desperate for a place to stay then this is perfect. From what I hear it is very affordable on off peak periods. read more

More expensive than most hostels but the cheapest bed in town by far. Outdoor kitchen is okay, plastic spoons and forks and styrofoam plates and bowls are a turn-off but at least they have a fridge and a teapot so that i can make my own breakfast in the morning. My room was small, not dirty exactly but very dingy, with scribbling as all over the bunks from as many as seven years ago. You know what I mean, "Debbi boinked Kevin twice and then got f*cked from behind 04-03-02." The people that work there are very nice and were helpful every time that i had a question or wanted a recommendation. Seems to attract mostly a Euro crowd but then again this is their low season. I wouldn't want to be here during spring break. read more

This is not the Ritz Carlton but if you want a place to crash and which is close to the big Key West attractions, this motel is a great place to stay. Unfortunately, key west is an expensive place and this is the cheapest hotel that we found for the July 4th weekend. When you check in, go to the main desk to pick up your room key. They have limited free parking but there is free street parking across the motel so it shouldn't be a problem. We stayed in a private one bedroom but you do have an option of staying in a shared hostel type room. The room had all the basic amenities except their hot water was only lukewarm. You get daily maid cleaning service and the lady at the front desk was helpful and answered all my questions. It is located close to the major attractions of key west (southernmost point, Duval street, sanders beach) and was in a relatively safe area. There is an outside seating area with a kitchen and a hammock to relax in. In a Seashell, not a bad place to stay. read more

Not worth the money. It's a better idea to rent a car and find some place to camp. Extremely overpriced. Inconsistent rates. Spotty wifi. One bathroom for 12 people. Don't waste your money here. read more

Bathrooms are designed for tall people Rooms need better window treatments Clean Courtyard had a kitchen Needs more parking spaces Convenient location Good neighborhood No pool (which stinks) Friendly employees Bring an air conditioner read more

Long Story Short: This Place is a Scam (With Termites!) We booked a room here expecting a no-frills, affordable motel within walking distance from the attractions, but I guess you get what you pay for. Upon opening the door, we noticed a few small bugs crawling on top of the sheets and HUNDREDS MORE ON THE FLOOR. It turns out that these were TERMITES and we reported them to the front desk. The person at the front desk immediately gave us a second room, but after opening the door to this one, within seconds, we spotted a few larger bugs on the beds and a small lizard sitting on the window! Choosing not to play roulette with the place we were going to sleep, we asked for a refund and left for a different hotel. They made us wait until the morning to talk to a manager and the manager ONLY gave us a PARTIAL REFUND on the first night that we didn't even stay and a full refund for the other nights booked. THIS PLACE PUNISHES YOU FOR THEIR SHORTCOMINGS. The manager kept making excuses that the termites came in through the open door, but they were there before - Not to mention the wildlife in the second room! read more

If I could give it 0 I would. I ended up handing them my keys the second night of my stay with NO REFUND and literally had no where to sleep. I luckily was able to rent a car and stay there. The place was absolutely disgusting... The entire night I couldn't move, I thought the bed was going to cave in on the guy below me. The room was hotter than some of my tours overseas... The blanket had a combination of food and God knows what... BURN THEM. I had to go buy another blanket the first night. Seriously. Trust me, I'm not hard to please but if you can't afford a hotel, buy or rent a tent and camp somewhere. Totally ruined my Key West visit :( read more

It's a nice small room,quiet area walking distance to literally everything. The room is cooled by a smaller A/C unit so it's not as cool as a resort,but for the low price you pay it's not a bad place to sleep read more

The map location is incorrect. This is at South Street and William. Pleasant three night stay in female dorm that consists of two connected rooms, 6 beds(3 bunk sets) and 4 in the smaller sharing a bathroom. Clean and KW for under 50$/night!!.The courtyard is simple with a kitchen including ice in the freezer, no one is allowed in courtyard after 10pm and no alcohol either ;) A television is located up in a corner at the table. There is a store nearby but the walk to fort where the best beach is then back to hostel and Duval later had my dogs barking loud! Get a bike. Met some nice people which is one of the reasons I like the hostel experience. Glad I packed my microfiber travel towel and clothes pins as the curtains on the bunks didn't close completely. read more

I very much enjoyed my stay here. The staff were very pleasant and helpful. They seemed to be always taking steps to improve things. Months long guest, James, certainly added to the vibe. The A/C and fan worked fine for me. No complaints on my end. read more

This place was the worst! First of all there was a foul odor....I have no idea what it was. The room was filthy and the shower was covered in mold. When I woke up the first morning, I looked above me at the ceiling and there were 2 HUGE spiders in their webs. I did not stay in the hostel I stayed in the motel. They said they were the cheapest on the island which is by far not the truth. I went to a place right up the street and got a room for $129 compared to the $149 at this place. Plus, their bike rental was only $10 a day, they had a pool and a nice grill and the room had a kitchenette. Please please please don't waste your money at this place....it is horrible! read more

This was a nightmare. We booked through a third party and our experience was STILL terrible. When we booked the hotel we booked for one bed and put in our notes that we were a married couple who needed one bed. We booked at 1pm and arrived at 9 pm and were told we could not both stay. They couldn't have called and let us know? We were unaware it was per person not per bed. The staff was less than helpful. Per COVID guidelines they can only allowed 5 people in a room. But they said they can charge us double for one bed... which is not safe and not financially practical. So we told them we could not stay. I requested a refund through our third party and the hotel DENIED it. They said that because we opted not to stay and because of their policy they could not refund us. We did not even get to stay there and they still kept our money. I have never been so upset with a hotel in my life. They are a total SCAM. Also, while we waited for our uber to pick us up (because remember, we walked there) a man came out and told them that there was no more hot water. The woman at the desk said that they had to wait for the hot water to refill and he said they had been waiting an HOUR. Poor family could not even take a shower. Don't waste your money. Spend your money on one of the respectable hotels on the island. read more

Was really impressed for the price of the room! We stayed in the hostile and it was very clean, very safe. Check in Associate was very helpful with planning our excursion and restaurants nearby. There are lockers outside the rooms and a full kitchen in the courtyard. read more

the hostel was on point for what was paid. it was not the best but it was definitely worth what we paid for it. they have a cute little common area with a fridge and bbq pit, hammocks, and tables for hanging out. they have both private rooms and shared rooms with bunks. great for bargain traveling or if you're on a tight budget. read more

I stayed here for one night and I was counting the hours until I could leave. My room gave me the creeps! We rented a room with 2 double beds and an extra bed. But the extra bed was in the closet, which was a long dark hallway type of thing. I felt itchy while sleeping, if you can stay anywhere else do it. I think camping would even be better. The worst part of my experience was reception. The man working was the rudest person I have ever encountered. He even said to me "cut your sh** out", because we had a disagreement over the price. That is no way to talk to a guest!!!! When I got there, he decided to charge me an extra $70 because I was not 25. But I checked the website and my hotel receipt and it said nothing about having to be 25. Especially since this is a place that caters to the youth, it is a hostel. I am 22. All of the other hotels were booked for the weekend, so I was forced to cough up the $70, I think he knew exactly what he was doing. read more

The Sea Shell Motel was a great place to stay for a single traveler on a tight budget. I was in Key West for four days, and didn't have any problems with the facilities or security. The location is a little bit of a walk from the main action on Duval street, anywhere from .5 miles to a mile, but it's obviously doable. The hostel has bikes to rent for about the same cost as other places around the area, but they broke down on me every time. I switched out bikes three times in one day and the chain always kicked off. Never once was my money offered to be refunded, but neither did I make that big of a deal out of it. The hostel offers a kitchen area and an outside covered patio area where you can smoke. There is no alcohol allowed on the premises, but that wasn't such a let down considering alcohol runs like water in Key West. Probably for the best. read more

Stayed in the 10 dorm room for 2 nights New Years Eve & day. Very chill and pleasant. Pros : Safe, friendly front desk staff, guests staying in dorm were friendly & considerate. Close to the action on Duval St, the beach and the southern most landmark (which isn't, the Naval Station is Southernmost landmark but out of bounds to the Public). Outside Hammock is cool. Cheapest place to stay if going alone. Otherwise book a 'motel' room in the same place with your partner to solve the shower problem discussed below. Bed has curtain for privacy and I did sleep well both nights. If you can, try and get a bunk away from the doorway. Caught the Blue public bus to this place from the airport and the bus stop is 1 block away. Cafe close by has nice coffees and cuban food and seating. Cons: 10 room dorm has only 1 shower. In other hostels the showers are outside the room which is better. Outside night lighting is poor when using computer, reading but the courtyard is pleasant. My top bunk bed had no ladder & so I had to jump on. It was squeaky, squeaky as I moved from side to side always out of sync with the humming of the air conditioner down below which kept the room cool in January. read more

This place is so bad. I didn't wait to get home to write a review. There are Mosquitos everywhere. Huge giant roaches. The place smells bad. The paint is peeling off the walls. The shower curtain is full of mold. I think that if the right authorities see this place, they would shut it down. My wife opted to sleep in the van, I followed here there a couple of hours later. Yeah it's that bad. Will be taking pictures to forward to the right authorities. Avoid at all costs. read more

Want to save money? Sleep in the car and shower at the state park. As far as hostels go it's not horrendous (at least the sheets were clean) but way way too much money for what's available. The best aspect was probably the guy at the office who checked me in. He was quite friendly. read more

DORM: I booked a dorm bed in Nov 2013. I walked right back out and switched to a private room (which was better, but see below) because the dorms were awful. Here's why: 1) Mattresses werent real mattresses. 2) It was cold, hard, felt unsafe, not a welcoming feel at all. For 40+ bucks, I expected a lot more. PRIVATE + COMMON AREAS: 3) No free Locker. Pay Locker cost money every time you wanted access. Pay Locker cost more more every 24 hours even if you don't access it. They were old and half were broken. 4) Laundry machines were old, rusty, dirty. Not a good place to clean clothes. I went to a nearby law do mat instead. 5) Towels had holes and rips in them. 6) Staff at front desk wasn't rude, but not nice either. He wasn't welcoming. 7) Decent location, but a bit of a walk to Mallary square where all the action is. 8) MY PRIVACY WAS NOT RESPECTED. This was the thing that made me most angry. I left the "Do not disturb" on the door of my private room. But that didn't stop them, when I was gone during the day they came in and unplugged the AC, put things in the garbage that weren't garbage, move my things around. I was furious. 9) Kitchen and dishes were a little suspect. Not clean. 10) Remote control didn't work properly. 11) WiFi was sporadic at best. Very weak and slow when it did work. A friend recommended this place from years ago, but it has obviously gone down hill. It has potential but needs new management, spruce the place up, and I don't like being nickel and dimed when I want to keep my things safe. If they don't respect the Do Not Disturb door hangers, don't provide them. I would think twice about staying here again. read more

The Good: nice neighborhood, close to Duval, friendly staff, sociable courtyard, way-slow but free wifi, ac, tv, mini-frig, lowest priced. The Bad: small room, no clock, no phone, no chair. The Ugly: nearly ever-present German cockroaches in bathroom. read more

The first room we checked into was covered in ants. The hotel clerk was apologetic and nice about it and gave us a second room. However, one hour into our new room, and bedbugs emerged from under the mattress! We killed 4 bedbugs in less than 10 minutes. We killed one and put it in a tissue to show the clerk. The clerk confirmed it was a bedbug and apologized. We were offered another room, but considering there were bedbugs, we declined. We ended up getting a refund and checking out immediately. I highly suggest not staying here. There is a reason this place is so much cheaper than everything else in Key West. read more

Seashell Motel - Bedbugs! - Hotels Near Me - Key West, Florida

I stayed at the hotel from 4/27//15 fot three nights. It was absolutely beautiful. It was every thing I imagined and more!!!!!!! Thank you for a great vacation read more

All I can say is this hostel sucks I am a person that prefers to stay in a hostel versus a hotel but I wanted my money back so I could stay in a hotel for not that much more read more

For forty bucks I wasn't expecting much, but there was no wifi in the room at all, and the bright light bulb outside my window all night was like being in hell. The door to the street had gaps all around it making the street noise loud at night, too. Oh and you can't put soiled toilet paper in the toilet you have to put it in a garbage can next to the shower. I won't go into the girls coming in at three am, whispering and rustling around and flushing for forty minutes and their alarms going off at six thirty am. Or the plastic mattress and pillow. Yikes. read more

Stayed in the hostel portion for two nights in the off-season, and found it perfectly fine. Of course it's bare-bones, but you have to know what to expect when you're spending less than half of what you do most other places on the island. We had 3 roommates in the bunk room, and shared a bathroom with another bunk room. Everyone was very kind, courteous, and respectful of each other's things and space. I found the staff very kind and helpful (especially when my mom lost her watch). I also enjoyed the communal area, took a book out there to enjoy the beautiful weather at night, and had a lovely chat with a fellow guest. I also liked how it was walking distance from some of the places that I wanted to see. One thing to note is that I could see it being loud in the height of the season, so be wary of that if you're a light sleeper. Otherwise, if you're low maintenence and OK with a typical hostel/motel, this is a great place to spend your time in Key West! read more

This was by far the worst hostel I have ever attempted to stay at. I have stayed at hostels all over Europe that were in better shape, had better service, and were cheaper. We booked to female beds and upon arrival found out we were in two separate rooms. The point of booking together was to be in the same room, so I went to the front desk and ask to have our beds changed which they did willingly. We went back to our room closed the curtains on the bed signify that someone was already in that bed. When coming back to the room after hanging out on Duval Street we found that there was already someone sleeping in one of our beds. The response from the other party was because it was 3 a.m. we should just go sleep in the other room. It wouldn't have been an issue if the room they wanted one of us to go to had an air conditioning that actually worked.The front desk was no help at all, after an hour of sobering up and disputing a refund we decided we would just drive home (Marathon) and call in the morning to deal with the issue. When I called I was informed that they could do nothing to help us. Their justification was "this is a hostile, and we can't control what other people do." The other party was in the wrong room and didn't even know there was a second room in the female dorm. What kind of establishment doesn't inform their guests where to go to get in the correct room/bed? So, you pay $55/nt to stay in a room that may or may not have working AC, you may or may not have to switch beds in the middle of the night because the front desk doesn't inform people properly of which bed and room they are supposed to be in, has only a pillow and a top sheet no blanket or comforter, and has horrible customer service. I will not be staying at this establishment again, and I will be sure to let everyone else know how bad of an experience it was! read more

THIS IS THE WORST OF THE WORST. I wasted $167 for a 9X9 room with a little bathroom that was disgusting. Furniture falling apart. The rooms doesn't even have a phone. There is a common area in the middle of the hotel that was full of people laugh and clapping until 3:30am in the morning, and of course the office was closed. I would recommend this place to my worst enemy. Stay away!!! I would stay here again even if they gave me the room for free!!! read more

I was disappointed greatly. I usually don't care much about the room but they were really tiny. There was no closet. Only 3 drawers in the room. The a/c filter must have never been cleaned i literally have a brochyol infection after staying there. We were sitting on the porch outside room after 10 pm and were told we needed to go inside as not to disturb any one. The was no music or loud noise just normal conversation. They acted like we were in an old folks home if we laughed too loud someone would die. Really a bummer. Room was other wise clean. There is a sign saying no alcohol on premises. This should be on the website. Was also charged a security that wasn't expecting. Made it hard to enjoy the place. Not what we expected read more

I want to review this hotel based on two stays there a couple of years ago. I just got through reading all of the negative reviews and frankly people, what the___???? First of all Key West is insanely expensive. Second of all, why did you come to Key West in the first place? Are you there just to sit in a hotel room? You should be OUTSIDE enjoying the sunshine, snorkeling, riding a bike through town, doing the "Duval Crawl" or eating Key Lime pie down by the wharf. If you are on a budget or like me, refuse to pay exorbitant amounts of money for a place to shower and sleep, the Seashell Motel is a perfectly fine place to stay. And you know what? South Florida has bugs - palmetto bugs (roaches), mosquitoes and the like. It is a sub-tropical climate. Bug heaven! If you don't want to see a bug stay in Canada where they are all frozen! I want to thank all of the negative reviewers here because thanks to you I can get a room here and the price stays reasonable. I will stay here every time I visit Key West. The location, the free bike rentals and free parking are amazing amenities. I really love this place. If you are looking for a 4 star hotel go down the street to the Casa Marina and pay 5 times more and sit in your room and look out the window. :) read more