The accomidations were nice and the hotel staff was very accomidating during our stay. The dolphin and snorkling trip that the hotel works with was great. That is the upside.

The downside was that when we first booked the hotel, we were under the impression that it was a clothing optional / adults only location. We found that that had changed before we arrived.

That being said, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars only because my wife and I practice a clothing optional lifestyle.

My husband and I stayed at Banana Bay for 4 nights. We had a nightmarish trip down (we were supposed to get into Miami at 2:30 p.m. and drive down to Key West but ended up not getting to Key West until almost 2 a.m. due to various airplane issues and delays). I called to let them know that we were not going to be there by their 10 p.m. cut-off. They let me know that they would check us in and leave our key with the security guard so we would be able to get into our room without a problem. Although we missed a night in Key West, the remaining nights were fabulous! Banana Bay is a short cab ride to Duval Street (about $10). If you would prefer to stay off the beaten path, Banana Bay is for you; if not, I would recommend staying closer to Duval. It is extremely quiet and has a great pool and tiki bar (there is no restaurant, but you can get delivery from a couple of different places in the area). The room was above average compared to what we saw in the area. We would absolutely stay there again the next time we visit Key West!

The staff was very nice, the room was quite good (althought the cofee maker was missing some parts and did not work) with cool balcony. First place in the US I have seen who were so polite to smokers they put an ashtray on the table.

The pool is o.k., jacuzzi is o.k., the beach - let me tell you the beach does not exist. It is more like to port your boat than go in the water.
They tried to make it nice: white sand, hammock, rocking chairs to see the sunshine, but in the water - it is some kind of waterplant all around. This is not the hotel's fault though: on the shore is is kind of jucky all around key west.

All together: if you desperately want to stay at Key West this Hotel is a safe and comfy solution. But I don't see any reason after this trip why would anybody want to go down to key west?

Did alot of research for a very special trip with my 25 year old daughter. She flew in from Cincinnati (I live in Fort Myers, FL) and we drove down (5 hours on a good day)and arrived at the Banana Bay Motel at approx. 3:30 p.m. When we first pulled in to the parking lot, my heart sank to the floor, because at first glance it looked like a cheap roadside hotel. I had made reservations 2 weeks earlier and requested to be near a handicap spot, needed two queen beds, with the nicest view they could get. When we checked in, the young lady was working alone and was quite busy. She seemed almost robotic and my daughter didn't think she was that friendly. I think she was just busy, because she was alone working. I was really nervous, because I wanted my daughter to be very happy, since I had not seen her in a long time. She gave us a map of the premises and told us to drive all the way in the back by the swimming pool and that is where the surprise took place. It was just lovely in the back of the hotel. We got an excellent handicap spot right in front of the ramp going up to the room. There were two luggage carts available right there too. When we opened the door to the room....just beautiful. Nicely decorated with a Tommy Bahama theme, cute floor lamps with monkeys climbing on it. Very clean. Lovely balcony overlooking the pool and parking lot. Two very nicely made up beds with great pillows. (I usually bring my own pillows). A wet bar, an ice machine readily available. We put our bathing suits on and went down to the pool area. There was a jacuzzi and then a little beach area with very nice lounge chairs, hammocks and a lovely view of a bay. Non swimming beach, but lovely anyway. There was alot of shade trees and everything was immaculate. A giant outdoor chess board in the sand. One warning, this is tops optional and 18 and up only. A couple of gals went topless in the pool, doesn't bother me, but it may others. It was very quiet(off season)and when we got back from dinner that night (10:30) we put our suits back on and went down and sat in the lounge chairs and watched the stars. No one else was down there and I would think if it was just my husband and I, and not my daughter it would have been very romantic. There was no one in the pool, which was lit by soft blue lights and only one guy in the jacuzzi. The front desk clerk got us a taxi in 5 minutes (use the pink taxi company (forgot the name)and ask for Nicole as your driver, she was a hoot!) when we went to Mallory Square for the sunset earlier that evening. The reason why I was so impressed with Banana Bay was that 3 years earlier, my husband and I had stayed and the Comfort Inn in Key west and yes it was cheap then (July-off season $89.00) but it was also very dirty and the room was dark and dingy...almost like a smell of old beer and partying in it. The beds were awful etc. BANANA BAY IS MY NEW ECONOMICAL, CUTE HOTEL TO RECOMMEND IN KEY WEST. The room was a good value for $138. plus tax ($159.00 total) and I had looked at dozens and dozens of hotels, some running into the $500 range for one night (ridiculous). I would highly recommend this hotel also to honeymooners on a budget. It was a very pleasant surprise! Hope to go back soon with my husband. One thing to remember in Key West, it's a rock and I think there might be 2 little beaches for the public, so there are few hotels with the set up that Banana Bay had with the little beach and view of the bay. Hope this review helped you make up your mind where to stay.