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A beautiful, new contemporary 199 guest room luxury resort in the heart of the Florida Keys, Isla Bella is perfectly nestled in one of the most stunning locations in the country. It is surrounded by a mile of waterfront at the foot of the iconic Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Florida. The resort has five swimming pools, multiple dining options, The Spa at Isla Bella, a full-service fitness center, several watersports and a daily activities program.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Romantic
Languages Spoken
Spanish
Location
1 Knights Key Blvd Mm 47, Marathon, FL 33050-2002
Isla Bella Beach Resort
2,897 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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Nestled in a picturesque setting, Isla Bella Beach Resort draws praise for its prime location and stunning sunset views. The resort boasts a luxurious atmosphere and an array of amenities, including multiple pools and beachfront vistas, which guests have called out for enhancing the relaxing ambiance.
While the service receives mixed reviews, with commendations for friendly staff alongside accounts of inattentiveness, the resort's cleanliness and tranquil music often earn rave reviews. However, some travelers have expressed concerns regarding value, feeling that the costs do not fully align with room quality and overall service.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Tranquil
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Abundant
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Although when one does their homework well enough to find such a gem of a spot in the Florida Keys, they too must understand that the criteria that would typically apply to a “5-star high end” facility on the mainland may carry a different set of guidelines down in Isla Bella. For example… the literally paper thin, if not seemingly made of actual paper walls dividing guest rooms is probably not anything that can be addressed by the facilities management at this point, but other areas very well can be. At certain points of our stay I was positive the kool aid man was going to crash through our bedroom wall. The sound of children, neighbors and of course the wheels of one’s luggage ring out through the morning, each morning. Definitely could have done without that. Since I’m referencing 80’s nostalgia, I will add that the primary suite bathroom was mirrored directly from of a Howard Johnson’s motel bathroom. My pictures can certainly assist with the visual references, however rusted, misaligned shower curtain rods, and an antiquated bathtub, no shower handle, really?
Again, I am not as bougie or pretentious as my comment would suggest, but for the $1300/night price point (all in hotel fees only) over 6 nights, I would have expected a slightly more updated showering experience. Yes, showering, not bathing. Get rid of the tub, install some frameless glass walls, as well as a shower handle. This small investment will dramatically change the perceived level of experience to cost ratio. Mold, and rusting in many of the outer furnishings like the balcony rattan furniture, and the main entry doors, mold and rusting respectively. Again, simple attention to details and more vigorous maintenance routine will address this.
Next would be the availability of proper glassware in the room. Yes, there is a small coffee maker and a wine bottle opener, but only 2 paper cups for which to put your beverages in.
All in all, this is a wonderful location that needs constant attention to the details, and must listen to the comments of their guests. It seems that many guests are saying the same exact things. If that is the case, maybe take some advice from your guests reviews that are actually immersed in your service and hospitality. From your guests experiences you will receive the best advice and find where you need the most attention. Please remember that if your guests can see it, so can management.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Sit back, relax, and enjoy the view.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 6 Jan 2025
Hello 11scorpion11, Your feedback provides valuable insights into your experience at Isla Bella Resort & Spa. It is wonderful to hear that you found our location to be a gem in the Florida Keys. However, the concerns you've raised about soundproofing, bathroom amenities, and overall maintenance are truly important. We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences you faced during your stay. Attention to detail is crucial, and your suggestions regarding the shower experience and room amenities will be taken seriously as we strive to improve. Listening to our guests is essential, and your insights will help us focus on areas that need enhancement.
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We had an amazing time! The resort has so many activities that are spread out, so there is literally always something to do, but you never feel like you are swamped by people. There was multiple pools, bars, restaurants, water sports, ping pong, etc.
We really enjoyed the food at each location, the sushi spot was great and both the burgers and wings were delicious at the beach bar/burger bar. The drinks were very good also.
The wait staff was super friendly, as were the bartenders. Housekeeping was always attentive and nice and overall we really enjoyed the experience. Beautiful property with beautiful views, and the rooms were both very spacious and comfortable
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 26 Sept 2024
Dear SebasBli, Thank you for writing such a glowing review! We are delighted to hear that you had a memorable stay and were able to enjoy all of our world class amenities. We pride ourselves on having something for everyone. We look forward to welcoming you back.
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My stay at Isla Bella was one of the best resort experiences I have had in terms of amenities and value for money. I love the vibe of the Florida Keys and was looking for somewhere to stay outside of Key West that offered as much of a beach experience as possible since true beaches are a little less available in this area. The fact that every room offers a water view with a private patio or balcony is a huge benefit, the small beach is lovely with lots of chairs and umbrellas, and there are numerous pools (including a lovely adults only option) so that resort guests can spread out. I thought my room was beautifully decorated and very clean, and it is always great to have a soaking tub as a standard feature. Molton Brown bath products are always a delight. Food and drinks onsite were good even if resort-standard expensive, and the marketplace provided a nice option for a more casual to-go option and a beautiful selection of resort wear and home goods. Staff are friendly and work hard to maintain the high quality of the grounds and amenities. There are a variety of entertainment options for families, couples, and solo travelers. My only complaint is room noise. The patio/balcony doors are very heavy, and you will hear your neighbors upstairs open and close their doors. You’ll also hear housekeeping rolling their huge carts outside the rooms, which management should address with lighter carts or another noise reducing solution. But given the minimal amount of time you’ll likely spend in your room (other than on rainy days), this is a minimal issue and does not in any way overshadow the brilliance of Isla Bella. I look forward to returning and have already recommended it to others.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 3 weeks ago
Dear 79christined, Thank you for sharing your experience at Isla Bella Resort & Spa. We appreciate your recognition of our exceptional service, rooms, and amenities. The water views, private patios, and lovely beach area truly enhance the experience for our guests. We look forward to welcoming you back soon and appreciate your recommendations to others.
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The place is very nice, the rooms are comfortable, although the closet is very small, it is super well located, but the service is not that good. First I coordinated before my arrival that they help us with a room on the third floor with a king bed and near the adult pool, of which the latter they were going to try to help me, but the upgrade was supposed to be approved and I received an email about it, I also arranged for a bottle of champagne to be in the room on the day of my arrival as my wife and I were going to celebrate our anniversary, however none of this happened and the girl at the front desk didn't know anything. On the other hand, there were two days when they did not tidy up the room, and when they tidied up, they practically only made the bed. My wife and I purposely left a piece of paper on the floor so that we could measure the cleanliness of the room and that piece of paper was there throughout our stay. Without moving. Regarding the food, it is very expensive compared to the quality served, I do not recommend eating at the Mahina restaurant, for half the value you can eat much better outside. And worse, the Market prices are very high, it is better to go to the nearby Publix. A recommendation, at least one of the 5 pools should be heated, for cold days, all the pools have icy water.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Isla Bella has a lot going for it. Having 5 swimming pools to choose from means it never gets too crowded and everyone can find their own space, whether you're a family or a couple. There are lots of complementary activities for the kids. The location is great in the mid-Keys, so trips elsewhere are easy and it's walkable to the old bridge which has stunning sunsets and is a great place to ride the hotel's free bicycles. At first, you might think drinks and food are pricey but then you realise it's just about normal for this part of Florida. And we got to see manatees in the small harbour near the marketplace, where they line up after the fishing boats return. What lets the place down is genuinely poor customer service. We made our reservation about 8 months ahead, with a stated "pay at the resort" rate - but that still didn't stop the hotel taking over $700 from my credit card on a random date a few weeks later. They ignored repeated emails and I eventually gave up, seeing it as at least keeping the bill down when we stayed there. Sadly, they took another chunk of money from my credit card after we checked out and have so far refused to identify the nature of the charge. You can try emailing the admin, reservations or stay email accounts, even moving on to named individuals - but they just do not answer their emails and, after getting nowhere, I've had to start a chargeback process with AmEx. It's a real shame the customer service is so poor, as I liked our stay here, but I won't be rushing back any time soon.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Don't expect them to answer any email queries.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 10 May 2024
Dear Jct_9_M3, We are sorry to hear that your stay was anything but the best. The team has reached out to you so learn more about your experience. Please contact Alexia, Director of Front Office, at 305 481-9451 so that we can talk through your front office challenges. Thank you.
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From the moment you start driving into this resort you can sense its beauty. The grounds of this resort are gorgeous. You feel like you are in your own tropical oasis amidst the keys! The rooms are wonderful, so clean and bright and airy feeling. The balcony (my favorite part) is wonderful. Coffee in the morning sun and lounging with the slight breeze in the afternoon was so relaxing. The best part about this resort is EVERY room has a waterfront view. The resort is also positioned well that if you love to watch the sunset you will have your choice of beautiful viewing spots. The beach bar area is nice and hosts outdoor activities such as cornhole, outdoor chess and foosball. There are propane fire pits set up as well which also set up which are a great aspect. The beach area is nice but we are more pool people so didn’t utilize it much. Remember you are in the keys and many resorts dont even offer beach areas. I feel they did the absolute best they could with the setting. There is another area near the beach which is hammocks and palm trees and the best spot to grab a book and read or take a snooze, soo peaceful. The pools are impressive. I like that they have a resort pool which is large and has the shallow areas for little ones. The pool never felt overcrowded and I feel this is beaches they have four other pools along the front of the hotel. They also have an adults only pool which is great for those who don’t want to have little ones around. The food is good, we ate at the pool a few times during the day. The sushi was delicious. We did not eat dinner at the restaurant (Mahina) at night but I did talk with other guests and they liked it. We ate off resort a few nights as well. You can take a short walk to the Sunset Grille or drive to other restaurants on marathon as well. Lastly I have to say the staff here are so friendly and accommodating. I feel everyone goes out of their way to help you if needed. Our room was cleaned very well each day and they did not miss any small details (such as coffee refills). Annie was our absolute favorite at the beach bar!! We met a lot of wonderful people at the resort and our kids enjoyed playing with other kids they met here which is always an extra plus! We will definitely be coming back next year!! By far my favorite resort in the keys!!
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2024
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Rooms
Location
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Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 16 Feb 2024
Dear Emmie, Thank you for your wonderful review. We're thrilled to hear that you had a fantastic experience. We appreciate your kind words regarding the beautiful grounds, clean rooms, and friendly staff. We'll pass on your compliments to Annie at the beach bar. Hope to welcome you back in the future.
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We had a great time on our short trip to Isla Bella. The resort was easy to get to, check in/out was simple and even came with extras like water bottles and champagne. The resort is very easy to navigate and every turn is just beautiful. The sand is so well kept it's easy to walk on and very clean. We only visited the main pool but it was excellent and having a poolside restaurant was a big bonus.
Our only complaint is that there should be more transparency on food allergies on the menus and with the staff. Only one restaurant marked food as gluten free and that was only for dinner, none marked for dairy allergies which we also need to account for. The staff were also unaware of any allergy information and couldn't make recommendations or took our modified orders and those were not applied by the kitchen. More accommodations for people with food allergies would be appreciated.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 14 Nov 2024
Hi Michaelaakoehler, Thank you for sharing your experience at Isla Bella Beach Resort. We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the amazing views and excursions. Your feedback regarding food allergies is incredibly valuable to us. We are committed to enhancing our accommodations for guests with food allergies and will use your feedback to improve. We look forward to welcoming you back.
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The resort is beautiful. The views gorgeous. The beach bar burger is amazing. The wait staff are friendly and capable. Melissa at Mahons was especially good. Now why 3 stars. Sigh. It comes down to service. Well meaning but poorly trained staff and systems that don’t communicate well meant our spa appointments were canceled —no estheticians available on a Saturday afternoon—and dinner reservations the front desk said they made were not received by the restaurant. Also. The Sushi Cabana (just opened Nov 24) should close until they can improve the food, the drink and the glass/plastic ware. Room for improvement across the board. And they should make the effort because the resort is beautiful.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
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Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 4 Dec 2023
Dear Shanda b, Thank you for choosing to stay with us. We are sorry your stay was anything but the best. We are unable to use glass at our sushi bar due to the local health code of glass in the pool area, that will not be changing. We presume you understand the dangers of broken glass getting into the pool or beach when guests may not be wearing shoes. All major hotels brands follow this rule. Thank you.
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This was our second time choosing Isla Bella Beach Resort as our family reunion spot. While we were impressed with the resort last year, this visit left us disappointed.
The location is absolutely breathtaking, but the resort needs more shaded areas to make the outdoors more enjoyable, especially in the heat.
The food this year was terrible and outrageously priced. We had 13 people at dinner, and only two enjoyed their meals. It was an extraordinarily expensive meal, and breakfast the next morning was no better. We all ordered avocado toast with poached eggs, and they came out cold, with barely any avocado on the toast. The food was tasteless, not at all restaurant quality, and certainly not worth the price.
The weather was another issue, with storms in the area. Although our excursions were understandably canceled, the hotel was not accommodating when we requested an extra half hour for late checkout. This would have allowed us to rebook for the following day and still have enough time to return to our rooms to shower before our flights.
We also noticed a significant change in the staff, with many Hispanic workers who struggled with English, which led to communication difficulties.
Overall, the experience this year was a significant downgrade from our first visit. Given the high prices and our recent experience, we were left unimpressed with what is supposed to be a high-end resort.
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Date of stay: August 2024
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 19 Aug 2024
Dear DBS2700, Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us regarding your recent stay. I am sorry to hear that you did not have a positive experience. We are constantly striving to improve and ensure that each of our guests has the best possible stay, and your input will be shared with our team internally.
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We visited recently for my father's birthday. It's a beautiful location, and property. However that's the beginning, and end for Isla Bella.
All in our family are frequent travelers, and often stay at similar caliber resorts. First I will note that upon arriving at the front desk the attendant was unwilling to look up from her computer, and genuinely seemed bothered that we were standing in front of her. Nor could we get the attention of the other 2 people behind the desk. There were issues with the room being ready on time, and the location. These things happen. However, the complete indifference, and empathy expressed by the staff was beyond the pale. Not only were they unwilling to address our issues, they behaved as though it was our problem, and we should be grateful to have a room at all. Not the type of response one would expect when you're paying over $1,000 per night per room. This sentiment persisted with almost every interaction with the hotel staff. Ranging from uninterested to down right inconvenienced. The general tone of our experience was so unwelcoming, and unfriendly that we decided to check out early. Management needs to remind their staff that they're working in the HOSPITALITY industry. Additionally, while everything looks nice, it's clear things are done on the cheap. Think, "the look for less". For example, when paying these kind of prices one would expect nice plush towels. Theirs are more akin to the kind you get at your local gym. Or, when you order room service, and are charged $10 for 1 scoop of ice cream, you shouldn't have to go pick it up yourself, and bring it back to your room only to find out that they didn't even bother to give you a spoon. This is a very nice property, but there are many more hotels in the Keys that are just as nice, if not nicer that are happy to have you as a guest, and want to make sure that your vacation is memorable in a good way.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2024
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Nels, General Manager at Isla Bella Beach Resort
Responded 27 Mar 2024
Dear Adventurer200792, Thank you for sharing your experience at Isla Bella Beach Resort. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you faced during your stay. Your feedback regarding the level of service received is greatly appreciated. I wish to kindly ask for further information from you directly so I may thoroughly follow up on how this happened and understand what went wrong. Could I kindly ask you to contact us at Alexia, Director of Front Office, at 786 638-8096. Thank you.
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yes, but the water off the small beach is very shallow and nonexistent at low tide. it is marginally swimmable at best. That said, the resort is absolutely great.
There are more places to choose from in the Marathon area.
PRICE RANGE
$757 - $1,461 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesFloridaFlorida KeysMarathon
NUMBER OF ROOMS
199
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.