Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Marathon Florida Keys

Last month, we decided that we would take our kids to the Keys for the first time. We chose to stay at the Fairfield in Marathon for our first stop for 2 nights, then head to Key West for a few nights. The day we arrived at the Fairfield, it was only about 72 and very windy -- not great for all of the outdoor activities in the area. Surprisingly, the pool was heated and very pleasant. The kids loved it. Our room unfortunately had a plumbing issue that arose the morning after we checked in. The manager on duty, Susie, tried to help and maintenance come to fix the issue (while the family was at the free breakfast, which they enjoyed). He was unable to do so on the first try. We had to wait a bit for him to come back, so I asked to switch rooms instead, which Susie was able to help with. After our 2nd night we checked out and headed to Key West to stay at another Bonvoy property. 2 hours into seeing Key West, the kids hated it and the new room (which was not nearly as nice as the Fairfield). We called Bonvoy to get out of the room with plans to head back to Marathon, which they allowed us to do. As soon as we received that confirmation we checked the Bonvoy app and it looked like most of the hotels in the Keys were sold out. We called the hotel and asked to speak to Susie and explained what happened and asked about potential rooms. While the hotel was booked solid at that time, she said that they were likely expecting last-minute cancelations due to the wildfires that were causing road closures. She said that she was leaving shortly and would have the person coming in call us if a room came up and we would have the first available. A room did open, it wasn't what we needed but (it was a king and we needed two queens) we were determined to make it work. I asked the front desk that if we went to restaurant (which had a great happy hour with cheap wings and cheap shrimp) before using the room if we could see if a 2-queen room opened up and she said sure. And less than an hour later called with a 2-queen room where we stayed for the next 2 nights. I was very happy with this hotel. From the heated pool, other amenities, but it was really the service. Everyone was helpful, but on 2 instances Susie went above and beyond, and kept us from not having a room on a night where the road out of they Keys may have been close. Looking forward to staying there again soon..

The Fairfield Marriott in Marathon, Florida Keys is a lovely property surrounded by a bay. The rooms are light and airy with tons of space for the entire family. Our room had two queen beds, a queen sized sofa bed, and a table for two. It also had a nice balcony overlooking the bay and the rear pool. Another bonus is that the room included a kitchenette with a full sized refrigerator and microwave. This hotel provides a daily free hot breakfast that includes eggs, breakfast meat (sausage or patties) and make your own waffles. In addition to breads, muffins, oatmeal, cereal, fruit, and yogurt. The breakfast is hardy and there are enough options for everyone. Coffee and tea are also available as well as juices. The property itself is quite nice, it has a private dock offering a variety of boat tours, fishing excursions, and jet skiing. There is a gym facility for working out, a laundry room, a small shop with swimming gear, booking tours and souvenirs. There is are also two swimming pools. One by the main hotel building that has a small tiki shack with drinks and ice pops. The second pool by the back building surrounded by mangroves and the bay. The second pool is zero entry and goes up to four feet. Both pools were nice and a short walk from one another. One of my favorite parts about the property is Sparky’s restaurant. This bayside eatery serves delicious seafood food, brick fired flatbreads, sandwiches and salads. The views are great and so is the service. It even has a cute airstream shop right up front where you can buy a sticker for $1.00. Overall the Fairfield was wonderful! Danielle the manager is hands on and makes your stay as welcome as possible. I will definitely recommend and return here again when visiting the keys.

We rented two rooms. One of our rooms was disgusting. It smelled like bad mildew or a wet cat that had died. Went back to lobby and the receptionist came to our room and agreed it was very bad. How could they rent that room out? We had to settle for a handicap room. Rooms are decent size but bathroom counter space is extremely small. Getting in and out of bathtub (no shower) was very difficult. Bed is lumpy and very soft. Not terribly comfortable. Floors are fake wood and transmit sound, so if you are mot on third floor, you will spend all your time listening to the people above you.

Pros *Wonderful pool and outdoor lounge area - including hammocks! *Convenient location *Good breakfast with some healthy options *Comfortable room and updated furnishings Cons *Our room was a double queen, with a nightstand and charging console between the beds. However, the “outside” side of each bed provided no light or charging option. *At check-in, we asked that our room be refreshed on the second day of our stay. However, this wasn’t done.

Very clean hotel. Nice pool area. Comfortable beds. Breakfast was terrible and not edible. Charging extra for parking not appropriate for nightly rate paid. Decent restaurant in parking lot of hotel which was great because we were tired from traveling.