anngie

My husband and I travel to Key West several times a year. We used to get rooms in Key West for around $100 through Priceline. We were lucky enought to get the LaConcha, a 3.5 and the Hyatt, a resort. However, we have not been able to do this for the last 2 years. Especially since Hurricane Wilma last year, the prices and popularity of Key West have increased. The hotels in the historic section are full now just about all the time. We were able to book the Sheridan last year in Key Largo for $75.

I've gone to Key West 3 times in the last 6 months twice buying Priceline packages because of choice of hotel. I believe that the reason that you are being rejected is that Hurricane Wilma did so much damage to the hotels and so many rooms are still damaged. Some of the hotels in Key West have been sold for condos. The Atlantic side of Key West was really hit hard and that is where several of the favorite resorts are.

We just returned from Key West using our Priceline package. It was great. Now we are already thinking ahead to our next trip. We were able to find a sale on airfare for February but still do not see any winning bids for the La Concha or anything in the Duval or historic area. I wonder why.

I go to Key West often and there are some really nice B&B's in the historic area that only charge $110-$125 for a room. You might want to consider one of them.

I just returned from a week in Key West and the Days Inn is very damaged. I would call that hotel and see when they think that the hotel will be in good condition again. The historic section of Key West is in pretty good shape but Roosevelt Ave and the Atlantic side of the ocean hotels are really hurting.

The hotels on the Atlantic side of Key West all have a lot of damage so be sure and call the hotels before you make any reservations. The Sheraton has damage from Katrina and Wilma. The Casa Marina has extensive damage on the first floor. The Reach has damage too. By February they should be getting into better condition again but keep in mind that there is lots to be done on the beach too. The Atlantic Shores pier is gone.

We visit Key West 4-5 times a year. In the past we have been lucky on our bids and gotten the hotels that we wanted, The Hyatt Resort or 3 star La Concha. For the last few weeks I have not seen a winning bid on either. Our last stay at La Concha was in July. We have a trip coming up for December and decided to look at the Priceline Packages - hotel and air. We did buy one for December. We are pleased with the price and were able to get the hotel that we wanted - La Concha. Any idea why these hotels have not had winning bids lately?

Well, I am going to continue to bid every 72 hours or so and if the bid is never successful there is another good hotel in Key Largo. It is Bayside and less than $100 for that time of year. We have stayed there before and it is very nice.

I've bid 3 times already for resort only going up to $75. I added Islamorada but all bids were rejected. It may be because the night we want is on a Saturday.

I want 2 hotel rooms in Key Largo for November 5. Is it too early to bid now or how long before the date should I start?

Be careful. We just stayed at Holiday Inn North recently. It is still a very nice hotel but there are lots of dumps all around it. We did not know just how badly Daytona was affected by the hurricanes last year til we began our search. We did not bid this time on Priceline because I read lots of terrible reviews of hotels on Trip Advisor. On both sides of the Holiday Inn hotels are either boarded up or only have a few rooms open. Only the chain hotels are open. The others are closed. If you go north to Ormond Beach, things are a lot nicer but the closer you get to the boardwalk the worse it gets.

CNK, I am so glad that you posted your bid today. When I saw it I thought that we should give it a try. We have tried before several times to get a resort in Key Largo with bids much higher than this one and were rejected. It is a long drive from Savannah but will be a good place to stop on the way to Key West. I hope you enjoy your stay there as well.

I used pasted in Savingsbarn link with no problem. I bid Key Largo zone only. First bid of $75 accepted for June 28. Checkout June 29. I am very happy with this bid. I had tried several bids yesterday for Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island and Melbourne. I started at $50 and went to $65 for 3* and 2 1/2*. All were rejected. We decided to try Key Largo and could bid again today since it is a different location.

It was a prepaid only rate - no cancellation - through priority club.

As a Priority Club member our rate was $149.00 if we had booked through the hotel. The Holiday Inn website showed no vacancy for the dates that we wanted. You are right. I should have tried lowering my bid. I will do that next time. The person that I talked to on the phone at the La Concha told me to be sure and let them know at check-in that we are Priority Club members and we will get a reduction of $4.50 a day on the parking fee.

Started bid at $95 for resort. Rejected. Raised to $105. Rejected. Raised to $115. Rejected. Raised to $125 (my limit). Changed the dates numerous times too. Rejected. Changed to 3* and was accepted at La Concha. 6 nights @$125 $750.00 taxes and service fees 108.26 Total charges $858.26 However, there is an extra $18 per day parking fee. I was not aware of this until calling the hotel to request non-smoking.

I stayed there in December,2004 pre cruise. My Priceline bid was $65 for a 3* hoping for Embassy Suites. It was rejected and I raised to $75 and was accepted. I was also upgraded to a 4 and got the Renaissance. It is a lovely hotel and we left the car at the hotel while on the cruise. I think it was $8 a night. Congratulations!! You did well. :)

Try Cheapcaribbean.com too. They have outstanding deals.

I tried several times two weeks ago and was rejected. I bid resort and 3 * property. I started at $95 and went to $130 but all my bids were for March. On Saturday morning I rec'd an e-mail from Priceline saying to try my bid again. This time I used the April 3-8 dates. I put in the $100 bid for resort and was accepted the first time for the Hyatt. Thank you for your help. I hope that the link still worked that I used the first time. I just answered the e-mail from Priceline.

4/3-4/8 accepted $100 Priceline - last night 3/5 first bid.