Marathon Cottages and RV Park

Stayed 3 nights with my wife, brother and sister-in-law. Great accommodations for the price, although very disappointed the boats that are available for renting were not in the water (new engines being installed). Although units have a roll-away bed, my brother (6'3") and his wife opted to sleep on the sectional couch and found it comfortable. Full size refrig / oven / stove and well equipped cabinets with dishes and utensils. There is a Publix and Winn Dixie about a mile up US1.

Read the Nov 13 comment so called , had reservations for Mar 26-31, 2021. which was accepted on 1Aug 20, 2020. They did not call me or send me an e-mail to let me know the will be closed and my stay has been cancelled. had tp rush and find another place. make sure you confirm all your reservations.

Had a great time! Got kicked out due to hurricane evacuation orders. It is a great hidden little campground. No facilities, just a full hook up camping pad with picnic table. They do have free laundry machines by the cabins. They are closing down the camping pads due to construction on base on Jan. 01, 2021 for about a year. They are building new barracks onsite. It is not affecting the campsites, but the construction equipment will be rolling by all day, so they are temporally shutting it down till finished. Also they are building new reservation office so cabins 3 & 4 are now offices for the time being. Looking to head back down next winter when back open.

Don't go here! Especially the cottages, you have to clean the cottage after you leave, I'm not talking just pick-up, I'm talking mopping the floors and scrubbing the bathroom. You better bring your own towels, the ones provided are about 100 years old and totally worn. You cannot move around the very small complex, everything is off limits. This was just a bad experience.

Okay, hold onto your hat, this may take a while. For those looking for the "campground" experience; campfires, yucking it up with your neighbors, walking to the cantina for things, this isn't your place. The MWR "shack" is just that, a tool shed size bldg that you can reserve one of three 21-22', center control, outboard powered boats for $80/day plus gas. We had a great time renting one. Be prepared to show FL boating course and take a 20 question test before renting a boat. There is no ticket sales, and only the smallest of supplies, e.g. a few bottles of sunscreen, some t-shirts, but thats it. This station is 100 yds wide by 300 yds deep. Thats it. For those looking for a base of operations, this place is the heat! As a family of four, we had a blast traveling up and down the Keys from this Marathon location. Two miles from this station there is a Publix and Winn Dixie for groceries and a K-Mart, all in the same parking lot/across the street from each other. In the K-Mart parking lot there is also a Tom Thumb with the cheapest diesel in the area. A turtle rescue center is 1/2 mile from here. A dolphin research center is at MM 57 and is wonderful for the whole family. 7 Mile bridge is only one mile from here via a bike path (which parallels the complete US1) and it a great ride. Bahia Honda SP is just west of the 7 Mile bridge and is the spot for beach activities. There are also public beaches east and west along US1. Utilities are 50 and 30 amp and provide unwavering power. Water was a constant pressure and sewer provided no problem. As stated, there are only 4 sites and being a small station, not that much space to maneuver and back in rigs. The USCG personnel are wonderful and stay to themselves. They are friendly to talk to and did answer questions about the local sites and activities.

Book online at: http://www.uscg.mil/BaseMiamiBeach/mwr/mwrMarathon.asp Skip Key West and stay on Marathon Key, cheaper snorkeling better water, cheaper parasailing, cheaper everything and more to do. Full hook ups and only 4 RV sites makes it nice. Wifi is included in the stay. There is no bathhouse but that is why you have an RV. Rent a boat for almost half the price of Key West and there is clearer water. The police office (that pulled me over) gave me a tip to go to mile marker 61 and cross the street for snorkeling. One week in Key West and have had more fun in Marathon in two days for half the price.

We are located here as I write this review. Reservations were easy. Download the pdf form and fill it out on your computer and send it in via email with you credit card information or you can fax. The reservation clerk is very good and will send you a receipt and confirmation when all is complete. This is a great location midway out on the Keys. It is nothing fancy but worth the price as everything else around is $100 a day plus. We have a reasonable space but may be a little tight for some. The concrete patios are cracked and need repair. The 30 and 50 amp power is stable and good. Water quality great and free wifi is the best I have found across the USA as very fast speed and easy to get on. The free laundry is a plus. The front gate is not manned but you have to a call box which rings the command center office and you tell them who you are and they open the gate. You also need to unhook your toad/car before getting here as the turn and gate entry is short and narrow. Getting out all you need to do is pull up to the gate and it will open. They have a great deal on renting boats for the day for $98 from 8AM to 5PM for about $95 for the day plus what fuel you use. You will need to prove you have taken and passed a Coast Guard Aux. training course before they let you have it. This is not a resort but beautiful view of the bay and quiet. RV1 space is closest and faces water on passenger’s side of rig. RV2 space is OK. RV3 space has a tree in the rear that limits backing up all the way. RV4 space is OK. RV5 space is OK. RV6 space is OK and has no one on drivers side but lots of grass. Lots of grass to walk dogs on leash. Local restaurants are plentiful within a few miles for all meals. Gas and diesel are same price as southern Florida but I still topped off coming out here in Homestead FL.

Not a place for me. Smelly sewer less than ten feet from door of slot 2 convinced me to forfeit payment for three more nights and move after one night. Pretty waterfront about 150-200 feet away was off-limits to RVers. No wi-fi or cable TV. I also got the $250.00 for lost card speech. In-brief/welcome consisted of do nots, but the guy - Rick - was pleasant. Different guy on duty the next morning was a jerk. Sometimes you feel like a second-class military person. I moved to Jolly Roger, about ten miles away near MM 59and paid $8.50 a night more with PassportAmerica. I highly recommend Jolly Roger. For sure I won't go back to the CG station.

Overall not a bad little Coast Guard MWR campground. The $30 rate per day is not bad for the keys. Although Sigsbee is cheaper. Sites are a little narrow for a motorhome with 4 slides. Water and electrical are on the top of a 4 foot cement pillar at the rear of the site. A large oak tree near the rear our our site (RV3) limited how far I could back in. I used almost 40 feet of water hose to reach the water faucet. Our neighbor's sewer connection is almost in our site and is about 6 feet from our patio. They are very strict here. EVERYTHING IS OFF LIMITS TO ANYONE IN THE RV SITES and they mean everything. This morning I walked the dogs, had a poop bag with me, to the RV gate entrance. It's about 400 feet from the RV sites, not near any building or equipment. Within minutes of getting back to our motorhome there was a knock at the door. It was the person from the MWR office telling me the commander here saw me walking our dogs and he was here to tell me NOT to leave the RV sites area again. Wow! I had no idea the road to the gate to get in and out here was OFF LIMITS. Getting in here is not easy either. When making the reservation and reading the reservation package there was NO mention that the RV gate is locked at all times. You are suppose to call ahead to get the gate open. They don't tell you that and don't provide the phone number either. You will not get that number until you get to the locked gate and find it posted on the EXIT gate. OK that's bad enough but when you pull into the entrance there is not enough room to park without you blocking one lane of the Overseas Highway. So while you are trying to find how to gain access you are in a very unsafe condition. I understand the need for security but this procedure needs to be told to you when making a reservation. After getting in here I was told I should have called before getting here. I told the guy I would have but no one told me that. BTW the number to call to open the gate is 305.743.1991. Overall it's OK here, but I get the feeling we are really not welcome here and they just tolerate us RVers. That's fine but We will NOT return here.

This is our first day at this facility, and I hope to write more later, after we get a better feel for the place. But I just had to write about our experience with the boat rentals. One of the reasons we came here was the easy and relatvely inexpensive access to boat rental. For a year, my husband and I have looked forward to leisurley days out on the water hunting for lobsters and doing underwater photography. I was aware the cottages got first dibs on the boats, but I figured there would be some days available to us during our two-week stay. Right after checking in, I asked who we should talk to about renting a boat. I was immediately asked if I had sat through the 9.5 hour Coast Guard Class. No, I spent a couple of days doing the online Boat U.S. course which I was told was required--I had my card and a certificate. Well, the rules had "just" changed and now you needed to take a 9.5-hour course in a classroom, that was offered nowhere in the Keys. It's not the fault of the MWR folks here--they are frustrated that their boats are now sitting at the docks. Here is the real irony. My husband is a licensed boat captain able to pilot 100-ton vessels. His license is issued by the COAST GUARD, yet he is not allowed to rent a recreational boat here at the Marathon COAST GUARD station. He spent 96 hours in a classroom and a minimum of 500 days at sea to get this license. When I made our reservation, I was told this license could be used in lieu of the Boat U.S. course which I took. Carol Cox, CMSgt Retired, USAF

We have stayed here before and enjoyed it, having learned you are basically on your own for activities. We happened on it previously and just happened to grab 5 open nights. This time we wanted to be sure, so we reserved. A rigorous procedure - you call the Miami phone number; we got a helpful guy who confirmed our dates were OK, and then took my Visa to hold it, but I had to MAIL the application, because he said the Coast Guard does NOT honor a fax'd signature. OK, fine, we abided by their regs, I took our laptop to a Kinko's, printed the application from their website, and invested $.42 and mailed it. Got a cell call from Miami confirming receipt of same and we were good to go. Got there afternoon of 8 December, got our site. Five days later we went to Key West to scope out Sigsbee since we wanted to go there next, and also did laundry and went to the Navy Exchange (NEX). Headed back to Marathon and I fumbled for my gate card to get access back to the USCG Campground, and could not find it. Punched the intercom on the gate and we got in OK. Next day we searched long and hard for the card, no luck. Being the honest soul that I am, I went over the the Camp host and told him I lost my card. He flatly said, "Hope you got your checkbook, because that will cost you $250." I had remembered being warned NOT to lose the card, but $250? Scheeez!!! Decided to go back to Sigsbee the next day and look in the laundry for the key. There IS a God because there, on the shelf above the washers, was THE card!! Some good soul had found it and just put it on the shelf, rather than throwing same away! LESSON LEARNED: Do NOT, repeat, do NOT lose your gate card! It ain't a Holiday Inn keycard!! These guys are SERIOUS about the replacement cost and they said in no uncertain terms that if you walk away with it or lose it, the US Coast Guard WILL find you and you WILL pay! You have to sign a statement to that effect, which we did, to pull into your space. Final thoughts....rules is rules is rules. Would I stay there again? Certainly. Just a bit more difficult to reserve, you're on your own, and FOLLOW THE RULES. Remember this is the 'real deal'. These guys can and do go out on missions 24/7, sometimes with the .50 cal mounted on the prow, ready for whatever they might encounter. They are serious about their mission, and expect you to seriously honor their rules.

I initially did a review when we arrived on 6 Feb concerning issues with renting the boats. After staying 2 weeks at Marathon, I am posting some updates. When we arrived, we were greeted by one of the MWR folks and given a letter from 2005 that explained the rules; many of them were currently out of date. We hardly ever saw someone from MWR again, unless we hunted them down to ask a question. About half the campers received the internet codes when they arrived and half did not. We had to get it from another camper and passed it on to at least one other camper. I learned from reading reviews on this site about the free laundry, but another camper went into town and paid $4 a load because they didn’t know. The facility has one large-capacity washer and dryer near the cottages and I never had to wait the two times I used them. The washer and dryer each take about 45 minutes to run through their cycles. The best thing we found about this campsite is the location. We towed a trailer, so it was easy for us to get around in our truck. We loved the close location to several State parks, especially Bahia Honda. For those who don’t have a seperate vehicle to get around, it isn’t a great place to stay since there isn’t any recreation available on the station. Our neighbors rode their bikes around, and said when they got tired the local taxi company would haul them and their bicycles back from anywhere in Marathon for $5.00. Yes, the dog Roscoe was allowed to roam. He’s friendly and I’m an animal lover, so I didn’t mind. When I saw him “dumping” in the camping area, I simply let one of the coastguardsmen know and asked them to please have someone police the area. As far as renting one of the boats, we never saw them leave the station. Here is an update we received on current rental policy in an email from Casey Malloy, the regional MWR director: “Required documentation: up until Dec 12, the only requirement to rent a boat was a specified online boat safety class. However, after the inspection the requirement is to attend a AUX (8 hour) boat safety class in person. This is the process we are currently addressing. As to the specific documentation, completion of the class should be signed by the local flotilla training POC. Again, we know that is a strain for our customers and that is why we are going forward to request a change to that requirement based on Florida Law and the lack of available classes. In addition, our plan (nothing is completed) to waive the Auxiliary course to anyone with a qual letter from their OINC certifying them as coxswains for small boats. For cutter men they have to present a Deck Watch Officer or coxswain certification. For both they have to be either assigned and/or no more than 3 years from their last underway assignment.” If you want to rent a boat, I suggest you contact them for the current rental information. Give yourself plenty of time because most of the Coast Guard Auxilary courses are taught over a month-long period. Also, I don’t know if “the local training POC” in this case means the course has to be taught in the Florida Keys so you need to get clarification on this before wasting your time. If anyone has the answer, it would be much appreciated if you posted an update.

Rick from MWR called in the AM to make sure we were arriving then greeted us at the gate. He gave us the internet code, rules, showed us the laundry and told us about Sombrero Beach 2 miles away, white sand and picnic tables. Good launching point for kayaks. We were in site #1, had a nice view of the water. Very quiet here except for the construction next door 8am-4pm Monday-Friday. We talked to some of the guardsmen but for the most part did not see them much. Only saw the dog from a distance, never by the RV sites. Only RV 4 of the 7 days we were here so using the free laundry was no problem. Internet is OK most of the time, no TV with the antenna. The rate is now $30 per day, a bit high for military, but the location is great if you want to explore the "Keys". The Mile Marker 48 sign is just past the gate - but look for the red & green markers at the gate -easy to spot.