Guest reviews Hawks Cay Resort, Duck Key

by Venture584646

Overpriced and pictures don’t reflect reality

I’m writing this review for the sanctuary townhouses which rent for upwards of $1000. If you’re staying at one of the hotel rooms for under $200, go for it by all means, it’s a great deal. Nothing in the resort look like the pictures. Really, nothing, which should not be allowed. Sanctuary townhouses are very old and bare. Kitchen cabinets were empty when we arrived, we had 4 glasses, were a group of 8, planning on feeding the kids breakfast at least. There are pictures is a real pool which is private, the pool is the size of a hot tub. Again, dining for 4, one small table and 4 chairs, the house is supposed to accommodate up to 10. It’s VERY crowded in the common areas, you can’t get a lounge chair by the beach or pool if you’re not up laying towels by 7am. Oh and we got strawberry lemonade for the kids, they all drank it until one said it tastes weird. They all had vodka in them. When I went back to the bartender, I got schooled, I was supposed to say non-alcoholic while ordering lemonade! He charged me for another round. Good luck!

by OsmanyC_12 Miami, Florida

excellent, little overpriced.

super atmosphere, awesome pool, great views awesome food and great customer service, 4 stars because of the price could be better, Dolphin swimming are a plus but expensive too! the entire family loved and we have an amazing Valentine weekend!

by traveler56327452 Nashville, Tennessee

average

The location is the best attribute of this resort. It is significantly overpriced. The accommodations need updating and the service was severely lacking. The grounds were well maintained and the dolphin experience was worthwhile for our teenage daughter. The resort was overcrowded and the servers at the restaurants could not keep up. The request made upon arrival to fix a sink was never done. No privacy on the cottage balcony or deck. But the views were incredible. Perhaps when Covid subsides, the service will improve. However, the carpets, blinds, and appliances need updating.

by TaffieV Falls Church, Virginia

Crowded, Villa Needed Lots of Updates

Our family of 7 rented a villa on the lagoon at Hawks Cay for a week in early April. The place was overcrowded with lots of families. This did not allow for any social distancing or space for anyone. They required masks only in the Main Building and restaurants. The also have a system of allowing people to leave towels on chairs at the pool and beach area as early as 7 AM. At 7:30 they were all filled, some groups of 7-9 reserved at once. We were told that if no one showed up within an hour to claim the chairs the towels would be taken off. That didn’t happen once during our stay. Definitely not an equitable situation. Our biggest complaint is the condition of our villa. Each one is individually owned and the owners furnish it themselves. We were told that the villas were inspected regularly and if they didn’t meet the resort standards they would be taken out of the rental market. We paid $12,000 for a 3 bedroom unit that didn’t have a dresser, closet or any furniture in one of the bedrooms. This was required. There was paint peeling on the ceiling of one of the showers and in other areas. Several of the sinks had rust spots around the drain. The caulking and paint in all of the bedrooms needed to be redone. There were stains on the couch. On one wall in the sitting area there was a wall with 3 holes in it. Obviously at one time there was something hanging there at one time The kitchen was furnished with 8 of everything. The unit was supposed to sleep 10. There were only 2 little pots and one small frying pan. I know you are supposed to eat out, but we didn’t every night. We had to ask repeatedly for a pot big enough to cook pasta. At first we were told the resort didn’t furnish them. We could go to the dollar store. After several conversations up the chain of command one was brought to us. This unit definitely needs to be renovated and brought into some sort of standard. Looking on VRBO there were many units renting for much less that were very luxurious. Not worth the $12,000 plus fees that we paid.

by 762audraw

Not what we expected from 4star resort

Overall the grounds were beautiful, and the kids loved the pool. However, not worth the price we paid. At the time we made the reservations there were rooms available only at the main resort building, so we got the standard two queen room. We paid about $750 per night plus fees. For a standard room at this price our expectations were high, and those expectations were based on our past experience at other 4star resorts at this price point. This resort fell far below the 4star. It started with arrival. Unfortunately our rental new car broke on the way from the airport to the resort. We are family of 5 with three little kids. The rental company arranged us an Uber that cramped four of us including the car seats in the back seat. Upon arrival to the resort we were tired, little kids tired, getting out of the Uber with asleep kids, language, car seats - obviously struggling. None of the three service guys at the front door offered us help. The check in was fast; however we were not told that there is no daily room cleaning. It is understandable why, but why would you notify your customers to set your trash outside the door and request for towels when needed? Also, we had to wait for the requested towels for an hour and a half, and they were finally delivered after the second call to the front desk. Pool: we were told it’s open from sunrise to sunset. Not true - sunrise at the time was at around 7:20, our kids were in the pool shortly after. We then found out that pool towels are not available till 9am! We were not notified On that either. The adults pool was really nice and clean. The main pool not so much. The service around the pool was very slow, and the waiter not friendly. The staff at the market place was not friendly either even though we approached them with a smile and hello. Room: it was clean. However, we had a security issue. We found our door left opened a couple of times without us being in the room. It appears that the door does not fully close and latch unless you forcefully do that. The lotion dispenser was completely empty. There was a noise above our room as if someone was pushing around furniture. It was loud enough to wake us up a few times a couple of nights. Restaurants - why would you not provide enough restaurants availability for your guests?? We only were able to get a reservation for one dinner during our stay. The selection at the market place was poor. The market place was also confusing - where do we order and where do we pay? No clear signage, and the staff was rude in response to our confusion. Kids club - we thought it was nicely set up with pool and splash pad, and different activities. One disappointment - they only offered kids care from 7pm till 11pm. That’s pretty much bed time for little ones. We would have loved to enjoy a couple hours at the adults pool or spa, but by the time care was available those were closed. Finally check- out: the cleaning crew showed up about half an hour before we had to leave the room. That made us feel rushed and stressed out. Overall it is a nice place, but definitely not what we expected from a 4star resort, and the price we paid.