Marathon Cottages and RV Park

We stayed Dec. 9-Dec. 13. The cottage was very clean and Nikki was outstanding. We throughly enjoyed our vacation. Thank you Nikki and Dean.

Had a great time! Got kicked out due to hurricane evacuation orders. It is a great hidden little campground. No facilities, just a full hook up camping pad with picnic table. They do have free laundry machines by the cabins. They are closing down the camping pads due to construction on base on Jan. 01, 2021 for about a year. They are building new barracks onsite. It is not affecting the campsites, but the construction equipment will be rolling by all day, so they are temporally shutting it down till finished. Also they are building new reservation office so cabins 3 & 4 are now offices for the time being. Looking to head back down next winter when back open.

Stayed 3 nights with my wife, brother and sister-in-law. Great accommodations for the price, although very disappointed the boats that are available for renting were not in the water (new engines being installed). Although units have a roll-away bed, my brother (6'3") and his wife opted to sleep on the sectional couch and found it comfortable. Full size refrig / oven / stove and well equipped cabinets with dishes and utensils. There is a Publix and Winn Dixie about a mile up US1.

Book online at: http://www.uscg.mil/BaseMiamiBeach/mwr/mwrMarathon.asp Skip Key West and stay on Marathon Key, cheaper snorkeling better water, cheaper parasailing, cheaper everything and more to do. Full hook ups and only 4 RV sites makes it nice. Wifi is included in the stay. There is no bathhouse but that is why you have an RV. Rent a boat for almost half the price of Key West and there is clearer water. The police office (that pulled me over) gave me a tip to go to mile marker 61 and cross the street for snorkeling. One week in Key West and have had more fun in Marathon in two days for half the price.

Rick from MWR called in the AM to make sure we were arriving then greeted us at the gate. He gave us the internet code, rules, showed us the laundry and told us about Sombrero Beach 2 miles away, white sand and picnic tables. Good launching point for kayaks. We were in site #1, had a nice view of the water. Very quiet here except for the construction next door 8am-4pm Monday-Friday. We talked to some of the guardsmen but for the most part did not see them much. Only saw the dog from a distance, never by the RV sites. Only RV 4 of the 7 days we were here so using the free laundry was no problem. Internet is OK most of the time, no TV with the antenna. The rate is now $30 per day, a bit high for military, but the location is great if you want to explore the "Keys". The Mile Marker 48 sign is just past the gate - but look for the red & green markers at the gate -easy to spot.

We are located here as I write this review. Reservations were easy. Download the pdf form and fill it out on your computer and send it in via email with you credit card information or you can fax. The reservation clerk is very good and will send you a receipt and confirmation when all is complete. This is a great location midway out on the Keys. It is nothing fancy but worth the price as everything else around is $100 a day plus. We have a reasonable space but may be a little tight for some. The concrete patios are cracked and need repair. The 30 and 50 amp power is stable and good. Water quality great and free wifi is the best I have found across the USA as very fast speed and easy to get on. The free laundry is a plus. The front gate is not manned but you have to a call box which rings the command center office and you tell them who you are and they open the gate. You also need to unhook your toad/car before getting here as the turn and gate entry is short and narrow. Getting out all you need to do is pull up to the gate and it will open. They have a great deal on renting boats for the day for $98 from 8AM to 5PM for about $95 for the day plus what fuel you use. You will need to prove you have taken and passed a Coast Guard Aux. training course before they let you have it. This is not a resort but beautiful view of the bay and quiet. RV1 space is closest and faces water on passenger’s side of rig. RV2 space is OK. RV3 space has a tree in the rear that limits backing up all the way. RV4 space is OK. RV5 space is OK. RV6 space is OK and has no one on drivers side but lots of grass. Lots of grass to walk dogs on leash. Local restaurants are plentiful within a few miles for all meals. Gas and diesel are same price as southern Florida but I still topped off coming out here in Homestead FL.

This is just the right spot to explore the Florida Keys. Simple full hook up for your RV and a great base camp. If you want an RV Resort, then look else where. It is a secure site with a gated entrance so you have no worries leaving your rig there while you are out and about in the Keys. I found all the personal I came into contact with to be outstanding. My Grandson and I loved watching the Coast Guardsmen load up and take out their Patrol Boats each Morning. There is a small facility for rental of some equipment, but I did not check it out as I was there to explore, future trips may include activities such as fishing or boating, then this may become important to me. I was given a tour of one of the cabins available for Rent and was very pleased with what I saw. Again this is not a RESORT, it is a simple base of operations on a small "Law Enforcement" facility. This site is use by several "Law Enforcement" groups and that activity comes first, but I found it to be no problem in any manner and will return here again and again (if available).

Okay, hold onto your hat, this may take a while. For those looking for the "campground" experience; campfires, yucking it up with your neighbors, walking to the cantina for things, this isn't your place. The MWR "shack" is just that, a tool shed size bldg that you can reserve one of three 21-22', center control, outboard powered boats for $80/day plus gas. We had a great time renting one. Be prepared to show FL boating course and take a 20 question test before renting a boat. There is no ticket sales, and only the smallest of supplies, e.g. a few bottles of sunscreen, some t-shirts, but thats it. This station is 100 yds wide by 300 yds deep. Thats it. For those looking for a base of operations, this place is the heat! As a family of four, we had a blast traveling up and down the Keys from this Marathon location. Two miles from this station there is a Publix and Winn Dixie for groceries and a K-Mart, all in the same parking lot/across the street from each other. In the K-Mart parking lot there is also a Tom Thumb with the cheapest diesel in the area. A turtle rescue center is 1/2 mile from here. A dolphin research center is at MM 57 and is wonderful for the whole family. 7 Mile bridge is only one mile from here via a bike path (which parallels the complete US1) and it a great ride. Bahia Honda SP is just west of the 7 Mile bridge and is the spot for beach activities. There are also public beaches east and west along US1. Utilities are 50 and 30 amp and provide unwavering power. Water was a constant pressure and sewer provided no problem. As stated, there are only 4 sites and being a small station, not that much space to maneuver and back in rigs. The USCG personnel are wonderful and stay to themselves. They are friendly to talk to and did answer questions about the local sites and activities.

Sure the reservation process is not user friendly, but it is manageable. The location makes it easy to get to Key West and other areas of interest. There are two 30Amp and two 50Amp sites. Site three is tight against site two, but for the most part sites are very deep and spacious. Gate cards are a thing of the past. Gate combo is now in use. Rick and Randy do a good job of managing the sites. After a trip to look at Sigsby and how tight those spaces are, I am glad we stayed where we did. We would go back again. $25.00 a day in the Keys in November is a good deal.

This was our second visit to Marathon Coast Guard Station RV Park. Both times we were in site #4. Both times we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. There is enough to do in Marathon that we did not miss the usual on base amenities and facilities. After 70 days at Trumbo Point with no water, sewer or electric Marathon CGS is heaven.

The facilities for $25 in the keys is a deal. The staff was GREAT...... We had a site and a cabin and the site was great and the cabin had everything you would need. Had a full kitchen and was well kept. To rent a boat was $80 for a full day.. You can't find that in the keys. The gas was a little high $5.00 but great boats. Thanks for the great time. R&R

Like everyone else the enterance is tuff, driving a 40 foot motorhome with a toad is BAD, blocks traffic. We came with a friend and they were just behind us and we blocked traffic for a while, our friend had to move to the motel to turn around and then enter the CG Station. Parking is a little tuff also since there isn't much room to turn around and the big tree in front of spot 4, they finally fiwed the metal plates in front of spot 1, they don't slip around anymore so you can drive over them with out worry. Over all the stay was great. This is the 3rd time we have stayed here and would do it again. We would prefer Sigsbee but then you can't be sure of a spot there since it's first come first served. The main support is at the NAS and Sigsbee and that's a drive for washing/drying. The price has been raised to 25.00 and that's a little pricey for what you get, but it's the KEYS. The MWR staff is just GREAT.

We were suprised to find this facility was as easy to access as it was.
Reservations were much easier than we expected. You have to go through the Coast Guard in Miami to make the reservations, but it was a breeze. Of course it was the middle of summer? DuuH!!!! Very enjoyable stay. We rented 2 cabins and 1 RV site and we were the only people there for the 4 days.