I thought this place was great. It's only 1/2 mile from all the action! Although the rooms are a bit small, they were clean. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I would stay here again.

We didn't have much money to spend or hotel booked when we arrived on the island (during Daytona Bike Week). I was surprised and incredibly satisfied with our stay there. Our room was small, but that was expected for the price we paid. It was clean and our room did NOT smell bad. There is a heated pool, which was nice for quick dips without going to the beach. They also offer wireless internet for $10. It is also within 2-3 blocks of Duval St. and marinas from which you can do other activities. My favorite part was the tropical patio, very cozy and convenient place to smoke. It felt very private and secluded even though it was right in the middle of everything.

The only good thing about El Rancho is the location. The room was not the clean. The carpet was at least 30 years old. I don't recommend taking your shoes off- I didn't. Plus there was a weird smell in the room and the windows were painted shut, so we couldn't air it out. When we checked in there was a big wet spot on the bed. The whole place was DISGUSTING. Pay the extra money and stay in a decent place.

My friends and I found this place and decided to stay for the night because it was pretty close to Duval. The price was way below what it is now (2008). It was a bit funky looking by the outside. It didn't scare us but once we enter the room, it was a shocker. The bed was nail extensively to the wall and ground. It had this funky tropical look that just made it worst.

My husband and I just got back from a great, "walkabout"-style vacation in southern Florida. It was a totally last minute trip, inspired by cheap airfare for SFO-MIA. We rented a Prius at the airport, and just took off from there. As it turned out, we stayed in Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, Florida City, Everglades City, Captiva Island, and Hollywood, and we didn't stay anywhere that we'd booked earlier than the day before (this is peak season, so we knew this could be dicey). Of everwhere we stayed in south Florida, El Rancho was the absolute worst. It was the only thing we could find in Key West, and that by itself was enough to make us leave after about 18 hrs in town. (There's a really pretty B&B right across the street. We walked over before checking into El Rancho to see about vacancies. The proprieter was very nice, and said that we were about the 50th group that day to come over and ask if she had anything so they didn't have to stay at El Roacho. She said: It's not the worst., but definitely not the best...... But she had no room, so there ya go.) One nice thing I can say about it was that after we checked out, the guy at the desk allowed us to leave our car in the motel lot for a few hours while we walked over to the shopping area. Bottom line is that this place is fine if you can't find anywhere else. I don't have scabies or anything from staying there. But it's not a nice place by far. The room was tiny, airless, there was no electrical outlet in the bathroom (I had to dry my hair in the main room, then go into the bathroom every so often to look in the mirror), and it seemed like the kind of place that should cost about $49.99/night rack rate anywhere but the Keys. Happily, though, this was the ONLY really awful place we stayed (and it wasn't the cheapest).