First impressions are very important and our first impression of this property was of a horrible smell and a property needing maintenance. The smell from the seaweed that was in the ocean, next to the pool, smelled like rotten eggs. It was so strong that it burned your eyes and nose. We could also smell it inside the house. The Property Manager said that the seaweed was disclosed in the listing description, which it was but it didn’t say that the area of seaweed extended across the entire front of the pool area and half way out along the dock. It was also very thick. I have photos that I wish I could add. The other main issue was that the back patio has 3 doors. 2 do not open and the other does not lock. I also reported this immediately. No response…so there is no way to protect yourself and your belongings because the house cannot be completely secured. There were many other problems but these were the most troublesome. We did not enjoy our stay and left 3 days early to finish our vacation at a nice resort with a warm and inviting pool area. The listing photos of this property are beautiful and I was so excited to stay there but the photos are not what I found. It was very disappointing and makes me very afraid the book other properties in the future.

I was extremely disappointed with this property and would urge potential travelers to stay away from this property until it is managed properly. My wife and me with our two children rented this house for a short trip to bring two parents down to the Keys for a weekend. We booked this house based on its advertised pool and its advertised 5 beds, as we needed the fifth bed given the number of guests. Upon booking, I immediately wrote to the manager to confirm that the pool was heated, as Florida had just gone through a cold stretch with temperatures in the 40s. The response was that the pool was heated, but currently broken. At that point I asked for a refund (within minutes of booking), as the pool was a main selling point given I was traveling with kids. This was refused, and the owner said that the pool was still usable. Upon arrival, the pool was completely unusable, with the temperature well below an acceptable swimming temperature. In addition, the pool tile had cracked and there were missing tiles from the side. The front of the dock was also covered in seagrass, making it so that you had to walk through 3-5 feet of old seagress before getting out onto the dock. We also learned that the additional bed was in the separate garage, but that the garage was under construction, so there was in fact no fifth bed. The only beds were the master, second bedroom, and then a loft that was open to the living room and kitchen. So, not only were we 1 bed short from what we needed, but we also did not have the proper room to sleep in. We immediately raised these concerns upon arriving over the phone, and actually received a moderate degree of help from a woman who seemed to understand our issues. However, when this was raised to a higher-level, we received only email communications indicating that we were not allowed into the guest house and that because our group was only 6 people, we did not need the additional bed that was advertised (which was false). The manager then proceeded to accuse us of bringing more guests than we had initially indicated in our reservation so that we could avoid paying an additional fee, which was also a lie. We left the property within 30 minutes and offered $1000 to the owner for whatever minor cost was associated with getting the property ready for us, which has not been accepted. It has also been a week since we left and our security deposit has not been refunded. We will be filing a claim with Vrbo.

Casa Azul was charming and peaceful. The view is gorgeous, the location is convenient, beds were very comfortable. The home had many thoughtful amenities and everything we needed. Host was very quick and responsive when we reached out. We enjoyed kayaking and fishing off the dock. There were beautiful huge iguanas, gorgeous shore birds, and we even saw a stunning peacock roaming about the neighborhood. The only negative — which we understand couldn’t really be helped in the wake of a recent storm — was the accumulated dead sea grass has a bad odor that at certain times was quite strong when sitting poolside. There is a safety gate around the pool which was very reassuring when traveling with a small child. Back door latches/locks needed minor repairs. Overall, we were extremely pleased and wish we could’ve stayed a week longer.

The home is a paradise spot. There’s no place like it in the keys, and the sunsets are the best you will find!

Great house, perfect for our family to meet up. The pool is great and the dock as well. Quiet location and great sunsets!

We can’t say enough good things about this property! The location alone made our stay tremendously. Though we enjoyed the activities of Marathon we found ourselves wanting to go back to this home to enjoy the serenity we encountered there. The evenings in the pool and backyard are definitely something we will miss. The house itself was magnificent. We can’t say enough positives and we will definitely come back to this location!!

Everything was just as pictured on the website. Love the house and the location property manager was very helpful. Hope to make another reservation.

This place is fantastic. Great location. Everything you need and more. Beautiful home, with awesome amenities. Would come back.

great time

WE had a blast!!!

Casa Azul is AMAZING! Can’t say enough about the beautiful location- private backyard-refreshing pool- clean house- and perfect pier for fishing. We caught lots of fish and just enjoyed chilling out. We grilled every night and just enjoyed having nothing to do. Great place to walk and run in the area. Grocery stores close by. The lights throughout the entrance and on the back porch make it seem like an enchanted garden when the sun goes down. Would highly recommend and would stay here again.

We spent three nights at Casa Azul. The home was clean and well cared for. Loved the pool and dock. We brought our boat and the dock was perfect. The view is tremendous and we would definitely recommend this property and return!

Overall, the house is great for a families that enjoys pools, fishing, paddle boarding, relaxing on a dock, cooking, and watching beautiful sunsets. It would be great if they allowed us the ability to change the temperature of the warm tub, while the management company responded quickly to increase the temperature from cold to warm during a cooler day.

This house is so cute and is in an excellent location.

This was the perfect place! I can not say how much I enjoyed the home and the location. I worked remotely during my stay and had no problems at all. The beds were so comfortable. I had everything I needed, and the views from the dock were amazing. I would recommend this place to anyone and look forward to staying again really soon!

This whole experience was unforgettable! We had a wonderful time and every single detail was perfect. The house itself is beautiful, but the spectacular sunsets and views are what completes the experience. Definitely recommend staying here to everybody and I’m excited to be able to come back soon. Thank you to the management for solving our questions efficiently and fast. We really did have a lovely time.

Beautiful location for sure, but there were a a lot of little details that were a miss. #1- they waited until just hours before we arrived to send the details to access the property even though we weren't going to arrive until after 1930. They said they would send them the morning of our arrival, but didn't. #2- Doors that don't lock. beautiful French doors leading to the back, only 2 of 3 actually locked. This seemed to only bother us with our 2 small kids and not the property management company who felt that it was merely an inconvenience and we shouldn't worry because "Marathon is safe and people leave their doors unlocked most he time" #3- The hot tub that has no hot tub jets and the jacuzzi tub that's not hot. Don't be fooled, even though the pool appears to have an attached hot tub it does not function that way. The management company says that it's very specific in the listing, but after reviewing the VRBO description it is not mentioned that this is not a hot tub. Fortunately there's a jacuzzi tub inside, but the water feeding it is luke warm at best. #4- The floating armada of sea grass that was so thick animals were walking on it. this extended 15-20 feet from the shore and had the unique smell off decaying organic material, This was no fault of the owners, just our ignorance about the location #5- short supplies, no dishwasher detergent, no laundry detergent, a severe shortage of TP. #6- master bed was very comfortable, but the other beds and couch were literally painful to sleep on. #7- pool guys came to clean the pool, but treated it with some chemicals that caused a severe reaction to one of my daughters and me. Why couldn't that have waited until after we had left? #8- Their cleaning fee seemed ridiculous, but we accepted it when we booked the property. The frustration came on checkout when we were asked to take out the trash, clean the dishes and linens (with no dish or laundry soap on the premises). #9- A dismissive management company Maybe we expected to much? Fortunately of all the VRBOs we've done this is the only one we've had issues with. We'll still continue using VRBO, but will avoid any property managed by Invest Wiz

We are still surprised about this property. It was much better than expected from pictures and descriptions! We spent the entire days enjoying the beautiful view and huge pool. One of our favorite features is that the house is next to the ocean, the dock is spectacular and specially the sunsets there. We used our boat and had a lot of fun. I love how private is this place and you can still find everything you need to a close proximity. The house was tidy and well equipped. However, we stayed a lot in the outsides using the grill and swimming in the pool. We appreciated also that our dogs were allowed as they had a wonderful time running on the backyard. Also the service and attention by the management was great! Thank you so much and we hope to return soon.

We loved the house, the very private just for us backyard, the very private just for us pool, the glorious balcony, the proximity to different restaurants, the comfortable bed. Sufficient room to park cars. It was all just perfect. If we had a question, management was responsive and helpful. We will definitely be back.

Renting again Forward! This house was ideal for our group of 6. The location was perfect. Short distance for most of our interests. The pool is really nice to come back to for a quick cool down. We enjoyed fishing in the dock. Would definitely stay here on a return visit to Marathon.