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Marlin Bay Resort & Marina - Marathon, FL
Last visit: December 2025 - January 2026 Marlin Bay is a resort style marina on the Gulf side of Marathon and hosts numerous extended stay boats through the winter. We chose to make this our home base for two months on recommendations from other boaters. Many of the boats in the marina return year after year and use Marlin Bay as their winter home. It books up very quickly, so reservations for long stays need to be made well in advance. Transient boaters are welcome if slips are available. The resort includes a number of very nice condominium type units that surround a beautiful heated pool with an onsite bar and hot tub. There is a large clubhouse with bathrooms, gym, sauna, another bar used during inclement weather and a large lounge area. The clubhouse is only open from 7:30am to 7:30pm, so the only bathroom facilities available after hours are two bathrooms at the pool. There is a boaters' lounge with TV that is open 24 hours, but the bathroom and attached store is inaccessible after hours. The resort has free laundry, but you must sign up and reserve the single washer and dryer which are only available during office hours. The laundry is books days in advance when the marina is full. Free weekly pump out service is available to long term boat guests. There is no fuel available onsite, however fuel is available nearby and in Boot Key Harbor. The marina has free WiFi, which worked well for streaming, however it was unreliable for other uses. ATT service was good and was our goto for internet connectivity. There is no over-the-air television in Marathon. The resort offers a variety of activities and games during the week, and has bikes that can be checked out with the on-duty concierge. There was frequently live music at the pool bar. |
Marathon is one of the larger areas in the Keys and has many services. Publix and Winn Dixie are about one mile from the resort as well as Walgreens. There are many restaurants and bars providing a good variety of food options. We took advantage of the local bus that goes to Key West a few times each day. It generally runs every two hours and for senior citizens, the fare was $1.00 each way. The fare was $4.00 for non-seniors. The bus has a number of stops in the most popular areas of Key West and has passenger stops about two blocks from Marlin Bay. Sombrero Beach and the attached park are about a mile beyond Publix and not a bad bicycle ride. On a nice day you can take your boat out to Sombrero Key, take a mooring ball and enjoy snorkeling around the reef.
This is a beautiful resort and reasonably priced for monthly stays. Water is included however electric is metered and charged at the end of the month. The staff does a great job maintaining the grounds. Trash cans are conveniently located and emptied multiple times each day. Grills, chairs, tables and bicycle racks are all around the property.
Most days feel like paradise at Marlin Bay, however wind is pretty constant and the north winter winds blow straight into the marina. Strong winds for a few days straight is not unusual. Good fenders and/or fender boards are a necessity on those really windy days.
This is a beautiful resort and reasonably priced for monthly stays. Water is included however electric is metered and charged at the end of the month. The staff does a great job maintaining the grounds. Trash cans are conveniently located and emptied multiple times each day. Grills, chairs, tables and bicycle racks are all around the property.
Most days feel like paradise at Marlin Bay, however wind is pretty constant and the north winter winds blow straight into the marina. Strong winds for a few days straight is not unusual. Good fenders and/or fender boards are a necessity on those really windy days.
