Dove Creek Lodge, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member

I love this place! We wanted to take 2 days to drive from Miami to Key West, and figured we’d spend the first night in Key Largo. Luckily, we picked Dove Creek Lodge for that first night. It’s an absolutely wonderful lodge! It was like a cross between a victorian bed and breakfast in Cape May, NJ, and a ski lodge in Vermont. It was the best of both worlds. It’s clean, modern, the staff is friendly yet very professional. I couldn’t have asked for more. And the sunrise. Oh, that sunrise! Right from our balcony! Oh, yeah, we really enjoyed Snappers — the restaurant that shares a parking lot with Dove Creek. Good food, good drinks, and the music that night was pretty good, too! I highly recommend it (and can’t wait to stay there again!)
I almost forgot; I LOVED THAT BED!!! Each room has a Natural Sleep mattress. One of the best night’s sleep of my life!

We where the summer of 2014. Clean, upscale rooms. Very nice bed! Pool was large and clean. Small boat dock with kayaks that are included in the room. Would stay here again anytime we are in the area.

I can’t say enough nice things about this place. Our room was beautiful and the relaxed atmosphere was fantastic. We will definitely stay here again!

everything was great

My Husband & I stopped here for a night on our way to Key West. We got in late & were pleasantly surprised that we had been upgraded to a room with a balcony & view of the ocean. The room was clean & nicely furnished (the bed was a very comfy memory foam type). It was nice having breakfast included — we just grabbed a quick bite before hitting the road — I had the Key Lime tart & it was very tasty. My only complaints would be the pillows were quite uncomfortable & the shower dial seemed broken & it was difficult to control the temperature.

Amending the review below to mention that the maintenance guy did come by and fix our A/​C which was indeed broken. Not just «what you get» which is what we were told…
Giving it 2 stars for the location and cleanliness, but hard to give it anymore when we are staying in a hotel in the Florida keys that has non-​functioning air conditioning. It may be January, but it still hits 82 in the day and didn’t drop below 75 last night, and the room was hot as a sauna. Upon informing the front desk, the response was «oh it’s a ‘chilled water’ system, so it rarely gets below 74 in the rooms.» Our room didn’t get below 76. Whatever during the day since we weren’t in the room much, but dripping sweat does not make for good sleeping.

My husband and I stayed here in April of this year, and we really loved it! The room was spacious and clean, the waterfront was lovely with hammocks and places to rest, and the pool was a nice size. We spent a lot of time by the pool, which was never crowded — I suspect folks use this as a home base when they tour the keys. But we enjoyed all the amenities and really got the most from our stay. Breakfast was amazing, especially the key lime custard! I took a postcard with the recipe and just ordered some key lime juice online. Can’t wait to make them myself. Staff is great, restaurant next door delicious!

We have stayed at this place several times. It’s really nice and in the middle of everything. The property is kept up very well. It’s a very quiet small lodge so not over crowded. The only noise is from the restaurant next door at night but no biggie. Service is always great. Wish their breakfast hour ran a little longer. Our room had a screen porch area this time which is nice to sit and relax without getting eaten up alive by bugs. The pool is nice, small but it fits well with the lodge. Kayaking and paddling boats are free to use which is cool. We enjoyed the views around the mangroves when we went kayaking. Definitely would stay here again and again.

Stayed here in the beautiful oceanfront townhouse thanks to a nice upgrade from Ann, the friendly lady who checked us in yesterday. We have really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere here, and loved the cleanliness and amenities here. Next time, when I am not 9 mos pregnant, we will take advantage of the kayaks! It’s definitely pricy, but the setting is lovely. Our living room even has a large balcony facing the water.
The only thing I would say is that I feel slightly cheated that breakfast ended at 9:30. Why, I asked? Because Snapper’s restaurant next door opens for breakfast at 10:00. Guess what? They don’t have 4.5 stars and there are other places nearby that do, so that little maneuver was a fail. :) On a Sunday, breakfast should be open until 11 at least. When you love to eat the best food possible, you’re not going to simply go next door out of convenience.
Also, the phone flat out didn’t work. That was odd. At least we had our cells and the free wifi works well.

Friendly staff and clean accommodations. Great restaurant next door and live music at night. We had a great mini get away here. The complimentary kayaks and paddle boats are lots of fun to use and so relaxing to be out there on the water with. The hammocks surrounding the bay are so amazing to lay out on. Will definitely go back! A little pricey but worth it.

We held our small company sales meeting here this week, and there are many great things to say about Dove Creek.
The staff is very accommodating and friendly, with lots of good information on things to do in the area. Very nice people on the whole, though the afternoon front desk manager was not a ray of sunshine.
Breakfast at the hotel was included, but fairly basic with some cereal, bagels, etc. A typical continental breakfast on par with most hotels and nothing to write home about. Always fresh hot coffee, which was a nice touch, and the staff was very quick to replenish anything so it was always full and available.
The rooms were very nice (only 19 on this property), with nice flatscreen TV’s and comfortable king sized beds. The housekeeping staff did an exceptional job in straightening and cleaning the rooms quickly and thoroughly. We were very pleased with the cleanliness.
The grounds are quite small, but there’s a nice sand area with a gazebo, two hammocks, and plenty of seating around the clean, warm pool. No complaints here at all, we were very pleased.
The restaurant that shares a parking lot, Snappers, had excellent food at a reasonable price (considering you’re in the keys). Mahi, grouper, hag fish sandwiches are awesome, as are the fish tacos. We did lunch several times here to save time, and dinner twice due to the convenience and the quality.
Free use of kayaks, paddle boats, and a water trike on a come-​and-​go-​as-​you-​please basis was fun for my wife and I one day.
In short, if you like a chain hotel with tons of staff and huge grounds that are loud and crowded, avoid this place. If you want a small, privately owned and quiet little quaint hotel with a beautiful view of the sunrise that has all the amenities in the world, this is a great place. You won’t be disappointed in any way here.

On the whole, the lodge is good. Nice free brekky, free use of kayaks, pool & spa (I’ve seen cleaner) and pretty friendly hosts.
Good location for getting to Pennekamp Park for snorkelling. About a 2-​hour gorgeous drive from here to Key West.
THE BAD: Room 405. This room has some fairly noisy machinery (related to air-​con, I expect) inside a closet. It wasn’t intolerable, but annoying enough to wake you up 2 – 3 times in the night, or have to wear ear plugs.
RECOMMENDATION: Explicitly request not to be given room 405. Other than this room, I enjoyed the lodge.

$ 180 was a little pricey for a one night stay. But, the place was immaculate and so was the room. The mattress on the King Size bed was pretty damn awesome.
Wife and I are from Ft. Lauderdale. In-​laws came in to town to watch our kids so I took advantage and booked us a night here. Didn’t take long at all to get there. This place is at mile marker 94 I believe.
Snappers restaurant is directly next door. We had lunch and dinner there. They play live music at night too.
We’ll definitely go back.
This place offered a free breakfast but we ate at Harriets Kitchen on the way out of the Keys. Nice little hole in the wall. Quick service and good food.

We recently became boat owners and were looking forward to boating to the upper keys from miami. We didn’t realize that it was not so easy to find clean, updated accommodations with an accessible dock/​marina for our boat. We then discovered Dove Creek Lodge. It is perfect, the suites are large, very clean and updated. The staff is very friendly, the pool is perfect, marina maintained, and the restaurant next door is great for drinks, dining and live music. There are even larger units with two bedrooms and kitchens for multiple families. This is now officially our home away from home and the only place we will stay. We can’t wait to bring our extended families to enjoy Dove Creek Lodge with us.

This was a lovely little oasis after the heat and unpleasantness that is the rest of Florida. There’s a gentle ocean breeze, the lanai is great for beating any insects and drying snorkeling gear, and the rooms were very comfy and the beds especially so. The breakfast is an elegant offering of fresh fruit skewers, little key lime tarts in small martini-​shaped glasses, bagels etc. Snappers next door is ok and convenient. The water is not good for swimming but they have a pool, and there are nicer beaches nearby. We liked it very much!

Amazing resort on the water with a wonderful breakfast with eggs, antipasto salad, fruit and greek yogurt parfait. You can sit on the veranda and look over the sea while having breakfast. We often walked out and sat by the water in the adirondack chairs. Being next door to snappers was a huge plus. Snappers was some of the most delicious food we ever had. The rooms were very clean and the staff was super courteous. We Loved it!!!

Great spot to stay if you’re driving to the Keys from the mainland. It’s about an hour and a half to Key West from there, which beats driving the whole length of the Keys when you head back.
The hotel is a three-​story pair of connected buildings that, together with the Snappers bar/​restaurant, circle a small semi-​private bay. The view is beautiful and you can also swim in a pool just off the water or relax in a gazebo on a sandy spot overlooking the bay. Breakfast is included in the mornings and more quality than quantity. My only complaint was the foldout bed in the suite we were in. The mattress was extremely uncomfortable, even for a hideabed.

This was a great experience. We got a reasonable rate and a nice big clean room. The staff was very nice and helpful. Under cover parking was especially nice when the rain hit.
What I really liked was the fact that they had complimentary kayaks to use for the guests We went out twice and that alone made the stay a value. I have nothing but good things to say and would stay here again.

We’ve been staying here for years and still enjoy it but I’ve got a couple of bones to pick.
First, my wife booked the Sunrise Suite for us. She was very excited and when we checked in she went around the room opening doors looking for the «two private balconies» advertised on the web site.
Well, there are no balconies in the Sunrise Suite. There are however two stair landings with views of palm fronds and stairs. They don’t even have a view to the east so you can’t possibly watch the sunrise from them. But stair landings are not balconies.
I went downstairs and mentioned it to the manager who was surprised and said it was a mistake. Unfortunately she made no effort at accommodating us.
There was no «what can I do to make it up to you?», no «let me discount your bill», not even a real apology.
Something else that makes me crazy is that they don’t use fitted sheets on the beds. I have no idea why this is but as someone who rolls around a lot at night I can tell you it is very annoying. Imagine waking up at 3 with a big wad of sheets under you.
The bathrooms are also showing signs of needing attention with discolored and missing grout and caulk.
We’ll still come to Dove Creek again as we love the location and the amenities. We enjoy taking the complimentary kayaks out for a spin or popping over to the bar bext door.
Overall it’s a great place and I hope they make a few minor improvements to make it perfect.

I have mixed feelings about this place. Let’s sort them out.
The good:
The grounds were immaculate and beautiful. The views from our room on the 3^rd floor were awesome. The room was clean and the furnishings were adequate.
The not so good:
Our room number was 405, yet was on the 3^rd floor– this was confusing. The signs at the bottom of the stairs did not help.
The sheets would not stay on the bed. The bottom sheet was not fitted, often exposing the mattress. No one wants to see a hotel mattress. Our bed was very squeaky. You could not SIT on it, much less anything else, without making noise.
Our room had an adjoining room downstairs. I learned this by going down the stairs in our room thinking «where does this go?», opening the unlocked door at the bottom, and walking right into someone’s room. This was creepy, since there was no lock on our door, only on the one at the bottom.
The staff did not seem overly helpful or friendly.
Overall:
We only stayed one night. If we had planned to stay longer this place probably would have grown on me. For only one night, if I had it to do again, I would stay at one of the big resort hotels.