It's overall a great destination, but it can also be frustrating. Dockage is the first problem we encounter. Portside is a beautiful facility, but I don't understand why the chose to make it so tight. The docks are built for 35 footers, but that doesn't stop them accepting boats well over 40 ft. The result is fairways that are dangerous obstacle courses full of protruding anchors. (I've seen collisions or very close calls every time I've been there)
They have space between the crib and the “L" portion of the floating pier that can accept large boats, but there's no protection on the crib and you can easily get trapped in there since it's only 2 boats wide. Now they're putting boats on the outside of the crib. Ouch!
The remodel of The Casino is nice, but their docks are setup with the go-fast set in mind.
I've never stayed at Unique Marker. They fill up pretty fast.
That leaves SeaWay. Talk about frustrating! Their “model" just doesn't work. They want transients to stop at the fuel docks and check-in first. The problem is, they don't assign spaces. On a busy day, there's a very real risk of stopping, tying up, leaving the boat, paying, and then untying to look for a spot to tie up, only to discover there aren't any spots. Many of their customers have “caught on", and cruise by the fuel dock, find a place to tie up, then go and pay later. The last time we were there, we took the cautious-but-abiding approach and scoped out the basin, then returned to check in. There was only 1 place for us, but while we were checking in, 3 boats cruised past us. I asked the woman at the counter if I could get a refund if there wasn't any room. She replied that they had lots of room, so I politely corrected her. She came back with “well if everyone did like they were supposed to, like you did, it wouldn't be a problem!" She's wrong about that – checking in first doesn't do anything but frustrate boaters when they don't make any attempt at organization. We scrambled onto the boat targeted the only boat big enough to raft up to. The guy next to us saw us go for the space, so he left.
Their infrastructure is pathetic too. Crumbling wooden beams hold back (barely) pea-gravel and dirt. I wish they had spent the money they used to build that big building to build a seawall and some floating finger docks instead.
Next we tried to rent a golf cart. There were none to be had, so we waited in line for carts to be returned. I guess they weren't prepared for a busy July Saturday. All the carts on the island were rented out. The restaurants were full and understaffed by tired, borderline-unprofessional waitstaff. Food quality was so-so – even at The Pump, where I've eaten very well in the past.
The prices are high as well. Not just “island pricing", which I can forgive, but lots of items are a LOT more expensive than they are on SBI.
I guessing that Kelley's has become an increasingly popular destination in the past few years, with marina expansion etc., and they just haven't caught up yet. I hope they do so soon.
They have space between the crib and the “L" portion of the floating pier that can accept large boats, but there's no protection on the crib and you can easily get trapped in there since it's only 2 boats wide. Now they're putting boats on the outside of the crib. Ouch!
The remodel of The Casino is nice, but their docks are setup with the go-fast set in mind.
I've never stayed at Unique Marker. They fill up pretty fast.
That leaves SeaWay. Talk about frustrating! Their “model" just doesn't work. They want transients to stop at the fuel docks and check-in first. The problem is, they don't assign spaces. On a busy day, there's a very real risk of stopping, tying up, leaving the boat, paying, and then untying to look for a spot to tie up, only to discover there aren't any spots. Many of their customers have “caught on", and cruise by the fuel dock, find a place to tie up, then go and pay later. The last time we were there, we took the cautious-but-abiding approach and scoped out the basin, then returned to check in. There was only 1 place for us, but while we were checking in, 3 boats cruised past us. I asked the woman at the counter if I could get a refund if there wasn't any room. She replied that they had lots of room, so I politely corrected her. She came back with “well if everyone did like they were supposed to, like you did, it wouldn't be a problem!" She's wrong about that – checking in first doesn't do anything but frustrate boaters when they don't make any attempt at organization. We scrambled onto the boat targeted the only boat big enough to raft up to. The guy next to us saw us go for the space, so he left.
Their infrastructure is pathetic too. Crumbling wooden beams hold back (barely) pea-gravel and dirt. I wish they had spent the money they used to build that big building to build a seawall and some floating finger docks instead.
Next we tried to rent a golf cart. There were none to be had, so we waited in line for carts to be returned. I guess they weren't prepared for a busy July Saturday. All the carts on the island were rented out. The restaurants were full and understaffed by tired, borderline-unprofessional waitstaff. Food quality was so-so – even at The Pump, where I've eaten very well in the past.
The prices are high as well. Not just “island pricing", which I can forgive, but lots of items are a LOT more expensive than they are on SBI.
I guessing that Kelley's has become an increasingly popular destination in the past few years, with marina expansion etc., and they just haven't caught up yet. I hope they do so soon.
...Okay...big Sea Rays too. LOL