The Hostelz.com Review
Presently Key West Youth Hostel at the Sea Shell Motel is the only hostel in Key West, and this is reflected in the high room rates.
The Location
The location of this hostel is excellent. It is just a few blocks from the Southernmost point in America and from the beach. It is also an easy walk to Key West's main street (Duval Street), making it ideally placed if you wish to enjoy the many bars and restaurants. The hostel is easy to find by car and offers free parking to guests. However, guests traveling by Greyhound should note that the hostel is located a few miles from the Greyhound station, so it's not very accessible on foot.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm rooms are clean and minimal, however, the buildings are old and could use some modernisation. The windows and door locks do not inspire confidence in security and there are no in-room lockers. There are six bunk beds per dorm and one bathroom per room, which is not ideal during busy times. The bathroom itself is clean and functional but very small and with little room to change; there are no hooks or shelving space for clothes. Also, there is no soap dish or shelving in the shower cubicle to hold toiletries. As this hostel also operates as a motel, private rooms are available at motel rates.
Common Spaces
The hostel has a large outdoor common area with plenty of tables and chairs for dining or socialising -- this is also the best place to pick up the hostel's free Wi-Fi. Interestingly, the kitchen is also outside in the courtyard. Although there is an oven, a microwave, a fridge, and access to the BBQ, the kitchen is not very well equipped in terms of utensils and cutlery -- making cooking a meal quite challenging. The kitchen area is also very small and has no shelving facility for storing guests' groceries.
There are some lockers available in the courtyard but guests must pay to use these (and they charge each time you open them)! They are also quite small so may not accommodate a large backpack. There are bookshelves outside some of the dorms, so you can exchange books here. The atmosphere here is somewhat subdued and not overly friendly -- although we were here during off-season, so it may improve during peak times.
Summary
In general, although the location is very good, this hostel is overpriced for the facilities offered (of which we were offered no information and were also not shown around). Security here is a potential issue as the courtyard is freely accessible at all times by the general public.
The Location
The location of this hostel is excellent. It is just a few blocks from the Southernmost point in America and from the beach. It is also an easy walk to Key West's main street (Duval Street), making it ideally placed if you wish to enjoy the many bars and restaurants. The hostel is easy to find by car and offers free parking to guests. However, guests traveling by Greyhound should note that the hostel is located a few miles from the Greyhound station, so it's not very accessible on foot.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm rooms are clean and minimal, however, the buildings are old and could use some modernisation. The windows and door locks do not inspire confidence in security and there are no in-room lockers. There are six bunk beds per dorm and one bathroom per room, which is not ideal during busy times. The bathroom itself is clean and functional but very small and with little room to change; there are no hooks or shelving space for clothes. Also, there is no soap dish or shelving in the shower cubicle to hold toiletries. As this hostel also operates as a motel, private rooms are available at motel rates.
Common Spaces
The hostel has a large outdoor common area with plenty of tables and chairs for dining or socialising -- this is also the best place to pick up the hostel's free Wi-Fi. Interestingly, the kitchen is also outside in the courtyard. Although there is an oven, a microwave, a fridge, and access to the BBQ, the kitchen is not very well equipped in terms of utensils and cutlery -- making cooking a meal quite challenging. The kitchen area is also very small and has no shelving facility for storing guests' groceries.
There are some lockers available in the courtyard but guests must pay to use these (and they charge each time you open them)! They are also quite small so may not accommodate a large backpack. There are bookshelves outside some of the dorms, so you can exchange books here. The atmosphere here is somewhat subdued and not overly friendly -- although we were here during off-season, so it may improve during peak times.
Summary
In general, although the location is very good, this hostel is overpriced for the facilities offered (of which we were offered no information and were also not shown around). Security here is a potential issue as the courtyard is freely accessible at all times by the general public.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2009
Their Description
Key West Youth Hostel at the Sea Shell Motel Details
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Key West Youth Hostel at the Sea Shell Motel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Must Be New Management After staying at the hostel for almost 5 weeks here are my thoughts. The management must be new from the older posts, i found this hostel to be a great place to stay, the staff where VERY nice and they got rid of a few "undesirables" quickly. I would personally like to thank Jay and the rest of the staff for a great stay. Highly recommended. — Mike , USA (2011-06-27) Ya get what ya pay for It's Key West and if you want a cheap place to crash this is the place, the staff has been very nice to me, in fact i was running 6 hours late coming from Chicago on a greyhound bus (nightmare from hell). I was supposed to arrive at 4:30 PM and didn't arrive till 11:00 PM, I called the hostel and the woman said she would leave the key for me outside and i could register in the morning, to me THATS customer service, at least i didn't have to sleep at the bus station that night. i am here now, i paid for 7 days at a rate of 31$ per day, I would recommend this hostel if you are in Key West, sure you gotta watch your stuff, but ya gotta do that anyplace, the rooms are dirty and yes there is a guy here that has a bed bug problem, so far i haven't had any problems and i have been here for 5 days, the wifi works great but the upload is capped at 128k, download is over 3mbs. As i said, ya get what ya pay for, and I have met some very cool people from all over the globe staying here, its worth it just for the education on different cultures. — Bukowski , USA (2011-05-08) Horrible The staff is rude. Bedbugs. And way overpriced. Unfortunately for the traveler they are the only hostel in the area. RIDICULOUS. — Michael Ferrari , Italia (2010-11-27) It's ok for a bed Well, I was very hesitant to crash here after the reviews. I was traveling to Key West during peek season so I couldn't afford rates elsewhere. I got there early and had to come back in an hour, but come on, it's Key West! No shortage of things to do! Returned and was able to find a parking spot and a bed. The person in room 12 women's dorm was a longer stayer person and was super cool. Anyways if it was not for talking with her and getting mad good local travel tips I probably would have disliked this place more. I am the type of traveler who likes to see things and do things during the day and avoids the bars at night like the plague. I had no problems with loud guests at night or anything of that nature. There was a group of people who drank in the common outside area into the wee hours of the morning. Essentially don't come here expecting much and you won't be disappointed. It's a safe bed, clean shower, and it's Key West. Rates for me were $39/night. Go to website and reserve via e-mail, then call and confirm reservation as well. — Heather O. , Chicago -USA (2009-01-15) Rude manager and office staff I've stayed at many hostels before and you don't have to stay at a Hilton to get decent, courteous treatment. The manager and staff members here are very rude, low class, and simply don't make people feel welcomed at the hostel. You come to Key West to enjoy the relaxing, laid-back atmosphere and you encounter a bitter, unwelcoming staff. Although it could be cleaner, the place itself is not the main problem; it's the office staff. I would give it three or four stars if it weren't for the staff. — anonymous , USA (2008-05-30) Rude and Obnoxious I recently made a reservation at the SeaShell Motel in Key West. I emailed a reservation to the motel using a form available from their website. I never received a confirmation, so I called and spoke with a woman who confirmed the reservation. She said she had my name and my arrival date. Unfortunately, when I arrived on the day of my reservation, the office had closed an hour early. I located the on-site manager (Matt) who came to the door wearing shorts and no shirt. I explained the situation and in a huff, he went to the office to check my reservation. When we went to the office he looked in the computer and said he couldn't find my reservation. I explained I had confirmed it through a woman over the phone. He asked me for a reservation number which she never gave me and said without a reservation number he couldn't check me in. He was very rude and terse the whole time. The motel was not full and I asked if he could check me in and he refused. He said he didn't want to "open" his system because it was already closed for the night. This seemed strange because he already opened his system to look up my reservation which he claimed he couldn't find. I suggested some alternatives like holding a credit card until I could check in the next day and he refused. He was very rude. I explained I didn't have a reservation anywhere else and didn't know where to go. He said there are plenty of other hotels in the area and I could stay somewhere else. When I asked him why he was being so tough, he responded by saying I had interrupted his TV show and he was eating dinner. Keeping in mind this was around 8:15 p.m. and the office normally closes at 9 p.m. Matt was by far the worst hotel manager I have ever dealt with. In fact I have never received such rude and obnoxious behavior before from anyone. I am sad to see someone this rude and unfriendly working with the public. Even more so at a destination like Key West which has a reputation for being a laid back and friendly town. He has certainly tarnished that image. — Brian , USA (2008-05-23) Avoid like the plague. This place is filthy and the management staff are rude and elusive. I have stayed all over the world and this is by far one of the worst ever! The prices are extremely high for the conditions of the hostel which is a shame since it's the only hostel on the island. You would be better off camping illegally on a beach than staying here, sorry to say. — Anonymous , USA (2008-02-20) Too pricey Stayed in the "hotel" section a few years back and thought it was highly overpriced. Granted it's about the cheapest you're going to get in Key West, but the hotels aren't much more. Staff was very rude and there were some alcoholic, possibly homeless men hanging around. Room did have a TV, private bath, and mini-fridge. It was outdated, but not filthy. You can't beat the location -- one block from Duvall (main drag) where all the shops and bars are. It's set back far enough to be quiet, though. However, after a few days we switched to one of the hotels. For only about $15 more a night we had a really nice and clean room, cable, continental breakfast, pool. — lauren , USA (2008-02-06) Rude staff, very little hospitable I went there and was very enthusiastic at first because it's really a nice location. But when I went to bed, it turned out that my roommates, whom I didn't know of course, had been throwing up big time in the bathroom. I tried to call the management, but no one answered the phone. Then I tried to find a member of the staff and I found him smoking in the back yard. He was very pissed off, because I ruined his night by asking a question. I only wanted to be able to use the bathroom! I just wanted another room/key so I could move or a bucket so I could clean up the huge mess in the bathroom. I got neither. Instead he threw me out, repeating that I ruined his night. He gave me part of my money back and threw me out at 11 p.m.! This boy was very very rude. So I went "shopping" for a bed to stay in the middle of the night and I found another place where the people were really nice and took me in. I suggest they fire the guy and he should find a good psychiatrist, because he doesn't belong in a hostel. I've been traveling for years, always sleeping in hostels and I never, ever experienced his weirdness. So, never again in this hostel. — Annelien Scheele , Holland (2008-01-11) Dump dirty mold, all over. angry staff, drunks and homeless at times. one shower for fourteen beds, moldy and never clean. do not go there. — made a mistake , usa (2008-01-03) I stayed at this Hostel in 2005. After a night in the dorm a fellow traveler and I decided to split the price of a single room in order to get a decent night's sleep. We both felt very unsafe in this hostel. The dorms were terrible, people came in at all hours of the night with blatant disregard for others' sleep, and the bunks were very uncomfortable. The cleanliness was quite poor. The single room was a bit better. I was not impressed with the customer service and agree about the quality for the price. Now that I have traveled internationally and here in the U.S. to many more hostels I can see how lousy this hostel really is. This is too bad, as Key West is an excellent city. I had such a wonderful time visiting the city itself. — Wendy , USA (2007-04-21) If you want the Hilton, go to the Hilton. As a pilot I saw them all over the world but
now I found the Sea Shell Motel and believe me for me it was the best place I ever stayed. The management the crew -- they are very strict and correct. If you have a problem and they can help you. It's a cute, nice place, clean and perfect for your vacation. As a pilot and owner of a small private airline company will recommend everyone to try it out. Next time I'll have a flight to Key West I will go back to the Sea Shell Motel. You also meet nice people from everywhere -- from the states, from Cuba, Germany, Denmark, from Spain, France, Sweden, and many other countries. all nice people. — JO KUPPENS a Belgian Private Pilot (2007-03-23) I stay at the hostel every summer and winter vacation. I love it and realize I am getting what I pay for. If you want the hilton, go to the hilton. New management is very strict about keeping out the undesirables, and in a decade I have never had a problem with dirty sheets or bedbugs or anything. Yeah, there were a few thefts a few years back, but it's really my own stupidity for leaving stuff out. I love it here and love the people I meet. Matt's the best there is on staff -- he takes care of everyone and does his best to see that everyone has a great vacation. — Taniquelle (2006-12-18) Expensive for a hostel, but cheapest place to stay near downtown Key West/beach, overall. Actual hostel room was somewhat dirty -- three bunk beds and a bathroom crammed into a small room with no amenities (except linens). Made reservations and checked into an actual "hotel" room at the next night (at Seashell, part of hostel/hotel), Much better! Towels, soap, TV, fridge, and alarm clock in room, plus two full beds and one twin in one hotel room! This was a way better deal (eighty-five dollars) than thirty-plus dollars apiece for a tiny hostel room. I'd suggest to book a hotel room here with your friends, or find some people online to pool together that will be staying in Key West during the same time of your visit. Staff was friendly and helpful, reservations recommended for hotel rooms since they filled up fast during the "off season" summer months. — ray ray (2006-07-22) I have stayed at this hostel (only in the motel part) several times in the last year. Although I did not visit during previous ownership I have heard that the staff and ownership is much better and from my own experience the staff has been extremely friendly and helpful. There used to be Key West locals that would come and stay, who were most likely homeless but they are all gone now or have not been there when I was. I will say that it is not the place to stay for everyone, if you want something posh and beautiful then you will have to pay more and stay somewhere else. But if you are like me and you just want a nice, quiet, clean place to sleep at night (no bed bugs!) then this is an ideal place to stay! I will definitely stay there again. — Crystal (2006-06-28)