Best Western Crystal River Resort Paddletail Waterfront Lodge

Hotel

Good location but it smelled very moldy and then we laid down to go to sleep and a German cockroach was on my pillow. Took the pillow outside and shook the cockroach off and didn't see anymore so we went to sleep. In the morning there was another one in the bathroom. I took pics of both roaches and showed them to guest services when we checked out early morning and all they said was its Florida. I I told them I live in Florida and have never had German cockroaches. If we weren't so tired the night before we would have asked for a different room or gone to a different hotel. I asked them if they are going to do anything about the cockroach issue and they told me they would spray the room. Didn't apologize to me or offer any discount or points as I am a rewards member. I am very disappointed with this hotel and will definitely stay elsewhere next time.

Awesome! Clean! Hot showers! Launch point! Staff is extremely helpful!

The room was great until the second night, we found a cockroach in our bed and it wasn’t just some small bug it was massive. I am highly allergic to them and woke up with a stuffy nose. We had an awful night of sleep after knowing there were bugs in the bed. After we brought it up to the front desk they told us they would compensate us for the experience. After promising us an amount off for our nights stay they didn’t even follow through on that. It was less than the amount, I would suggest booking at another hotel after this experience.

Nice room, friendly staff, good location, stayed in a handicap room with a king bed.

We have stayed here many times. The staff is very helpful to us. We had great service this weekend from the river masters, Randy and Alan. Great place to hide away for a few days.

We have great time and the pool was great. The only problem is not enough boat slot.

Hotel and Staff provided excellent service. Great location. Room was clean. Boat docks worked great. Randy was amazing and extremely helpful!

Great place to stay lots of fun.

Run dont walk from thus place! We checked in and our room was close to the water next door to the restaurant. First thing I see is an ashtray full of ashes and the room reeked of cigarettes. Wasnt warned that a band played right next door every night. Was excited there was a hot tub but of course we were told the heater is broken. Would have been nice to know. Next morning coffee machine doesnt work and told front desk. Next day after going out return to the room and the new sheets on the bed have ink and stains. At breakfast now and toaster is broken. This place is the worst!

My account has been double charge by best western they said they only charged me once but my money is on hold till they release the soft charge. It being just days before Thanksgiving I need my money.

Great location! Friendly staff. Free continental breakfast was standard. Only hotel I found with an outdoor jacuzzi, although it was warm not hot & definitely not even close to the 104° they claimed. Also, it was winter but there were no blankets to be found. Not on the bed or stored anywhere in the room. I had to sleep in layers.
Not quite sure what qualifies this hotel as a resort. Slightly over priced for what you get.

Very fun place to stay at. The beds are so comfortable much better than the Hampton Inn! Great staff! Everyone was very polite and helpful. Right on the water with a great view. I can not wait to come back here again!

Its location. Courtesy staff. Awesome breakfasts.

Very friendly and helpful hotel staff! This stood out from the rest of our great experience at Best Western.

Beautiful setting. Great food next door and well maintained rooms, pool and common areas! 5 star to me!

Nice sized rooms, very clean & nice pool
Convenient to several restaurants and nature walks.

We enjoyed our stay at this hotel up until check out time. My husband and son’s booked a scalloping trip on Labor Day. I asked if I could get a late check out because I knew they wouldn’t be back until after the 12:00pm check out time. The front desk clerk said they normally don’t do that and I can wait in the lobby after I check out. I told her that I don’t have the truck so I can’t load our stuff. She said I’ll give you until 12:30pm. I also asked her why I’m being charged for a pet deposit on my card when I paid cash for the deposit. She said let me look, do you have 2 pets, I said no only one, she asked me if I was sure. I told her yes I only have one dog and he was there in the lobby with me. I left and the General Manager walked up to me and introduced herself and said that she is giving me a late check out and the person at the front desk that I talked to earlier was going to call and tell me that. I told her thanks so much and that I really appreciate it. Unfortunately my husband and sons didn’t get back until almost 2pm. I already had everything in the room packed. The person called at 2pm and said “I gave you a late check out till 1 pm as a courtesy and it’s 2pm now. I said you gave me the late check out because the General Manager told you too and they just got back we would be out as soon as we get the truck loaded. I apologized that the trip took longer than I thought it would and she said see this is why we don’t do that and hung up on me.

Awesome stay. Great location. Restaurant and bar on premises. Nice pool and spa. Very clean facilities. Dock and slips available for boats on first come first serve basis. Highly recommend. Wonderful continental breakfast and servers. Very efficient and made sure all items were available and very friendly.

The staff for breakfast is very nice. House keeping was also cheerful. Everyone I’ve come in contact with has been happy. I think people that work here like coming here.

Clean rooms and grounds. Friendly staff. The ladies at breakfast were great. The location is perfect with a boat launch and ample parking for trailers. Very quiet building too. Good restaurant right next door!

Great experience. This place is located right on the water. You'll be in a a premium spot and the rooms are nice and clean. The staff was friendly and helpful. I tried to save some money and went a different hotel at first. Within 20 minutes, I found out the hard way the Best Western is well worth the money.

The staff at Best Western of Crystal River are always there making sure your stay is all you expected. I love the location, there isn't a better one for being on the water and ready for Scallops. And breakfast too.

This place is beautiful. Right on the river, nice patio pool grill area and restaurant next door. Hot breakfast. Nice clean room with comfortable beds, microwave, fridge, kureig. Will definitely return.

Very clean, professional and great hospitality. I recommend getting the room with the Water View totally worth the money spent! The local bars and restaurants were full of wonderful energy and excitement. Great for a weekend get-away with friends or family!

Booked online not knowing the area or if this would be a good place to stay. Other than that when arrive seemed to have been the time to get there since there were literally 7 people in line to check in and only one front desk, regardless she did her job pretty fast and got everyone checked in. The room was cleaned and it's the perfect location! You can walk to restaurants and is right on the water. Had a killer breakfast buffet that was not expecting it to be so good, from make your own waffles to eggs, cereal, all kinds of juices. I will be back with the rest of my family and definitely stay here again.

After visiting other accommodations in the vicinity, and finding them inadequate to downright nasty, we were about ready to leave the area and head north in search of quality facilities and service. We decided to give it one last try before giving up tired, disgusted and irate. Thank goodness our next attempt was to check out the Best Western at Crystal River. At first I thought it a bit pricey, but soon found it worth every penny! Right from the first view of their beautifully landscaped grounds to our departure on the following day, our visit was completely positive and far more satisfactory than expected. Customer service here appears to be a central focus among their staff, and everyone we meet was courteous, helpful and friendly. The room was immaculate and entirely comfortable. The pool area is just a few yards from the river's edge and manatees can be seen here along with dolphins, and quite an impressive view of the crystal river. Boats abound here, and in the morning, we watched as many of them set forth toward the Gulf of Mexico. In short, this is a beautiful location, staffed by truly neighborly folks, who all conspire together to make your stay both comfortable and happy. Great job to everyone here and I hope to return in the future. If ever I'm in Florida, this is where I'll drop anchor!

Unfortunately there aren't many other places to stay in this beautiful area. I woke up to a strong smell of smoke coming from my bathroom. The maintenance man said he couldn't smell a thing. I asked other guests kindly to tell me if they could smell it and all 3 of them agreed it smelled strongly of smoke. The general manager, assistant general manager, and staff were all extremely rude to me about the situation. I was supposed to stay another night but all rooms were booked. Wasn't issued any kind of refund. Called several times after the fact to find out about refund and they continued to tell me they could not hear me. Finally spoke to GM and she was rude and told me people complained about me. If you want your room to smell like smoke book a room here and don't get any refund!

Great location, friendly staff. However, some guy came up to the counter because his keys didn't work. The two ladies at the counter who worked there were laughing saying it's happened all day and we're laughing it was both their faults. I didn't think it was funny and they never apologized to the guy. I can't imagine being tired after a long drive and keys not working and having to drive to our room go up steps and all the way back to the front desk to repeat this all over and have them laugh. Otherwise, total great place to stay.

Room as far as ok it was clean and centrally located in Crystal River.

Not worth the money we spent. Check out person was horrible, we were told we could stay one more night and it was noted but then when we went up the next morning the woman told us to get out by 11 am. She never checked anything or made eye contact with us. Found a much nicer hotel right down the road much cheaper and friendlier!

We came all the way from Washington state into Crystal Springs so I could swim with the Manatees. We didn't have a reservation and the area was filling up we knew we had to get a room at that time. The staff was very helpful and gave us a discount which was totally unexpected and very helpful! The rooms were clean and even though we were across from the pool the area was quiet. The sunset out our door was Amazing! The breakfast was good and the staff made sure everything was fresh and the are clean! When I come back to swim with the Manatees again we will be staying here!

Great hotel! I wouldn’t normally stay at a BW hotel, but my husband raves about this one. He was right! The property is very well kept. The breakfast they offer is amazing! The rooms are good (not great) as well. The price for this hotel seems high, but if you factor in that it’s right on the water, then I guess the prices would be considered reasonable. The highlight of my stay is definitely a housekeeper named Judy! She left a handwritten note welcoming me. That small, kind gesture made my day! While the older lady who checked me in was not the nicest, EVERYONE else I encountered was absolutely professional and kind! The breakfast staff was amazing as well. They kept the area clean, food stocked and were overall really nice. I’ll definitely stay again!

Great location on the water… but, no water view from rooms. You have to walk to the end of the complex. When there, view is nice, great grills for cooking and nice tables. Appreciate that they are pet friendly alto there is an additional fee. There is a bar restaurant next door which is very handy. We did not utilize as they do not allow dogs on their outside deck for some reason. Room was adequate and appeared to be clean. But, bad musty smell, checked out a day early as a result. No empathy or mention of intent to investigate from the front desk staff. They did agree to re-credit the free day was not going to use.

We stayed there for 2 nights and found it very nice. The free breakfast was good and the room clean. Only downside was there were steps in unusual places. You have a step leaving your room and a step to enter the front desk building. These steps are only about 3 — 4 inches high but enough to make you stumble. Otherwise it is a nice place.

We were greeted by friendly helpful staff. The hot tub was wonderful, even though it was cold outside the night we were there. Room was reasonably priced & we had an excellent breakfast.

Very clean room, the woman at the counter was very kind and helpful. Beautiful view of the marina behind the hotel with a fun bar/restaurant within walking distance. We will be back next year.

Very nice location. Friendly staff. Comfy, clean room. Good breakfast. Nice staff. Highly recommend. Will be back.

This is the best hotel to stay in if you plan to kayak up to three sisters. The rooms are great and spacious, and include a mini fridge with a freezer and a safe. There is a heated pool and a ramp to put into the water. The staff is really nice too, and the breakfast is good. I definitely suggest this hotel if you're coming down to see the manatee!

The staff were nice. The location is somewhat convenient for divers. It's 45 minutes from Blue Grotto and 25 minutes from KP hole. The rooms are dated and musky. The beds and pillows were uncomfortable. I wouldn't stay there again.

Best Western Crystal River is located by King Bay allowing access to sunbeds by the water and local road running round the local residential area. Although there aren't any lake views from the rooms, the location is peaceful and quiet, particularly for the rooms away from the main road. We stayed just before Thanksgiving when the Hotel was pretty empty. As a result we had a lovely quiet stay in a delightful atmosphere. Room was well maintained, and the staff friendly and helpful. Well done Best Western we will be back.

Nice beds. Clean and attentive staff. Very close to the pier.

I stayed here on two occasions never had a problem with the room or staff. First time I was there for 2 weeks, after Irma. The room was big enough for my family and pets, very clean, never seen a bug the whole time, we took care of our cleaning during the time we stayed there but the housekeeping staff was very attentive and got us sheets when needed. Front desk ladies were awesome and very friendly. Second time was last weekend, I stayed in building 1, The young lady Sam at the front desk checked me in, very friendly and gave me great directions to my room as well as giving me info on nearby restaurants and other things to do. Got to my room again very clean upon arrival, my housekeeper was Char she was very friendly took care of everything I needed for my room while I stayed there. When I checked out again very friendly, made me feel like family, Dawn at front desk set me up with a wonderful breakfast and an easy checkout. I would definitely come back to this Best Western again. If you want to feel at home this is the place to go!

I stayed at this hotel this past weekend, along with two aunts and four cousins. My one cousin's room was infested with ants and it was filthy. At first, they told her they didn't have another room (it was 11pm by the time they flew to FL and got up to Crystal River) — then, three rooms were miraculously available so they moved her. Saturday came and went and her room was not straightened up at all — she had no toilet paper and the trash was still there. The office was adamant that the room had been cleaned but all seven of us saw that it wasn't. The assistant manager needs to be retrained. Normally it's a nice experience staying there but I will never recommend it again because of how my cousin was treated.

I have stayed in the hotel many times in the past but haven't been there for a while. I was very much impressed by the updates and changes made to the complex. The pool and jacuzzi were great the room was spotless. Everything worked I even notice they had a backup TV remote control. Overall I was very impressed and I hope to be back.

This was such a fine resort. Everything was so nice but not so uppidy you couldn't enjoy yourself. All of the staff from the front desk to housekeeping to maintenance went above and beyond to make sure you had a great time. We had car trouble coming in and the ladies in the breakfast dinning room hooked us up with a nice reasonable priced man to fix it Friday and Saturday of a holiday weekend! They made our trip so very much more than we could have asked for.

Very cool place on the water. The parking around the boat ramp is backwards and hotel staff isn't very friendly but other than that is was awesome. The atmosphere is great and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

I'm currently staying at the Best Western in Crystal River. The only reason this is a 4 out of 5 is because it isn't perfect. For the price, it's pretty darn close. What has sold me the most is their breakfast. I never thought that was such an important part of my trip, but they really hit a home run with their continental breakfast. The location of the hotel is almost perfect and the services have been quite pleasant.

Clean and Professional. Best location and certainly the best boat ramp in the area. I like the option to have a slip when I stay overnight, even if it is first come, first serve. They are very diligent about the property, plenty of staff to make sure neighbor kids aren't hogging the pool and that everything is in order. Obviously it is run very smart. Its a little pricey and don't be thinking you will have rowdy parties late at night because I'm pretty sure they will not tolerate that, but this is where I will always come for scalloping weekend, even if I do have to budget a little extra. Its worth it.

If you're looking to slow the pace down a bit, the location for this hotel is excellent. Located right on King's Bay in Crystal River, there is an on-site boat launching ramp. The restaurant on the grounds is decent and not overly high in price. There are numerous other restaurants within walking distance as well. Beds and rooms are comfortable. Meeting rooms are very good and able to accommodate a good crowd. The staff is friendly and attentive. A nice pool and dockage on the water makes this location a top spot for boaters, anglers, scallopers, and folks who just want to get away from the rat race for awhile in a natural setting.

I've stayed here several times over the past 15 years, this last visit being the best. As many have stated it is in a perfect location, they also have a boat ramp and plenty of room to park your trailer. I was able to leave my boat in the water docked at their dock for two nights without an incident. The staff was very nice and always looked me in the eye and wished me good morning or good afternoon etc. Beds were comfy, rooms were clean, bathrooms are tiny and older but clean. I go there for the springs and the outdoors not a golf course or resort so I like the down home feel and expect some minor inconveniences. For what I paid a night I feel it's a tremendous value for what it offers. You can easily spend 2-3 days there without using your car. Go see Dennis at the dive shop (by the boat ramp) he'll hook you up on the hot spots. Shhh.

We are an engaged couple on a birthday dive trip and they won't honor a King room reservation. I have Never considered Best Western for personal or business travel but the dive shop booked it. NO WAY will I stay in this brand again. The woman was super nice until we went back and said we had a King reservation. Then she turned Rude. (Incidentally, she didn't code our keys so we had to go back anyway. Then she refused to move us to a King)
Apparently "groups" are not deemed high end enough. This was set up by a dive shop, we traveled here alone and are guests. Sorry, Best Western is a sub par brand and for your to refuse to honor this is ludicrous. Beds are uncomfortable (nice pillows), handle broken in shower and there is a shower curtain (ugh! ). The air conditioner sounds like an airplane taking off. The room feels damp. The walls are so thin I can hear the people next door's every
move. Car alarms go off at night and no one does anything about it. While it is certainly not the nasty dump I was afraid to walk in to, this reinforces my concern with staying at a Best Western. Breakfast staff is friendly but the three women working the desk are rude…

We love staying in Crystal river and we booked a 'quiet room' ahead of time since they were full due to scallop season at the Best Western. We drove in to check in at 4, they took our money and we were told to come back later, the room was not ready. We ran around sight-seeing for a couple of hours, came back and found our room was at the top of steep stairs with no elevator. But what could we do? They were booked? So with a bad back my fiancee dragged our suitcase up stairs and me with a bad foot took it slowly. We were kept up late by a huge storm, only to be awakened by LOUD truck noises at 6 am, because we were facing the street. I called the front desk to document this and was told that was their quiet room. She said I could move elsewhere and I said but you're booked? Our room wasn't even ready? We are going to want to be compensated at check out! At check out I was told the Manager was in a meeting and couldn't see me, I could wait. REALLY? I called the corporate number only to be told this was a franchise the Manager could make whatever decision she wanted. After waiting, she met with us basically saying it was our fault we didn't ask for another room without steps (BUT THEY WERE SOLD-OUT? ) (WHY NO ELEVATOR? ) No she said they only had 47% occupancy. I said then why did we have to wait and why a room on the street, second floor with no elevator? She said We checked in at 4:12, I said we paid then but NO KEY til a couple of hours later, the room was NOT READY!

I stay here at least once every couple months. The staff always takes great care of us and really makes it a nice place to stay. Plus great breakfast in the morning and it's right next to an awesome restaurant right on the river.

It was an okay place. Needs some updating. Mainly booked it so we could use their dock for boat. Customer service wasn't the greatest.

Its very nice. The staff is nice and the pool is great. The hot tub is good too.

I'm writing this as an employee, not a guest. I'm grateful this place gets such high ratings, because the employees miserably work their tails off for it. In horrible conditions. This place is severely understaffed, under stocked and abusively managed. Employees are called stupid by the management amongst other things. Management hides materials needed for employees to properly take care of things like linens, pillows, blow dryers etc because we're all a bunch of thieves and will steal them if they are left accessible for us to properly do our jobs. The time clock randomly malfunctions so to ensure we are not "accidentally" shorted hours we keep hand written logs of our work times so we can show what hours we we're there when we get robbed of at least a days work at times. Name tags are too expensive for swine like us so we don't get one until we've "earned it". The understaffing issues leaves the housekeeping staff over worked. Sometimes working 10 days straight with no day off and limited breaks at work. It's a shame that guest don't see more of the inner workings of this place, I'm sure they'd be less willing to spend their money at a place that treats employees the way this place does. It's shameful and management should be embarrassed of themselves. P. S I know a huge complaint is that rooms aren't ready at check in time.

Good experience all the way around. Front desk attendant was super nice, room was clean & had a great breakfast.

Right on the water, good rates, great restaurant next door. Also hotel has the best free breakfast I've ever had at a hotel.

One of the best Best Western hotels I've been to. Right on the water with nice rooms and nice staff.

Nice staff. Clean room, great location and free breakfast. 4* only because it is 'motel style' so there can be a lot of noise from people outside your room.

Good looking rooms within walking distance of the river and dive shop. Clean beds, friendly staff, an awesome place to crash after a long day diving.

I stay here often and the rooms are always clean and comfortable. They have a pretty decent breakfast spread (though the scrambled eggs leave a little to be desired) and although I've never used them they have an outdoor pool and hot tub. One of the better places I've ever stayed.

Great location! Dive shop on premise. Room was newly remodeled and still smelled like new carpet. Very, very clean and comfortable. We were able to rent a boat right at hotel dive shop and tour the bay and swim in the Springs. It was awesome! Even got a view of a manatee :) Great places to eat right next door.

Nice local place to stay if your just checking out the area. Rooms were clean.

We stayed at the Best Western Chrystal River while on a dive trip with our local dive shop. The hotel was clean, the staff very helpful and the free breakfast was outstanding. Great location for local dive events and "snorkeling with the manatees on the Chrystal River". Full service dive shop on premise was a bonus. An outstanding place to stay.

Very nice, had perfect accomodations for scalloping.

Tried to get a room 11-9-2014 but there was no one at the service desk. After about five minutes of standing there I called out "HELLO is anyone there? " Several minutes later the attendant came rushing from one of the wings of the hotel glaring at me. She said nothing, so I asked 'Do you have a room? ' She replied no sir I don't! Seems very strange since the parking lot had less than a dozen cars in it.

Four stays over last three years. Most recent is late Sept. 2014. Most impressive: Up to date comforts in our rooms. Close to restaurants and cleanliness. Night security.

Very surprised on how nice this Best Western was. Room was spotless, big comfortable king bed, good shower and a frige. We paid $224 for 2 weekend nights. The location was perfect, just short walking distance from boat rental and manatee tours. Good size pool and hot tub outside. It was connected to one of the best restaurants in Crystal River, with outdoor dining and excellent seafood. Easy to find and the breakfast was decent, even had some non-gluten food, which was good. All and All, I would refer to a friend.

Room what ok. Really nice barbecue possibilities. The manatee tours are right next to the hotel pool with river view! Nothing to complain about.
Rooms were fine. Continental breakfast with hot waffles. See cow tours go directly from the pier at the pool. (Diving centre). The Lady at the front desk had a little grummelige type, but not unfriendly. Nothing you could complain. Also the best Western barbecue grills (gas included) and a pool with direct river views offers.

This was by far the worst motel on our 4 weeks road trip. Even the econolodge some miles north was way better, at least they had clean rooms and a friendly staff. To make a long story short: the staff was rude, the room was dirty and dated. After the stay I found a lot of little red spots on the feet and hands, which the doctor weeks later recognized as Bedbug's bites. Pretty sure that they are from BW. Cockroaches running on the patio. Was not possible to get even a coffee before going to the manatee trip, because breakfast was at 6, not earlier. Point. If we paid breakfast and left earlier, we're just not lucky. I mean, a coffee and a little muffin could show some hospitality, but as said, staff was rude. Guess that's it. Don't stay there. When going on an early manatee tour, you can easily drive from econolodge or day's inn (between bw and econolodge, at Denny's, still not on Google maps), staying there for half the price. There saved money I suggest investing in dinner at cracker's right in the harbor. To be fair: very friendly housekeeper showing me the facility from his caddy. But that's all : (.