Flamingo Marina - Homestead, Florida

Amanda T.

We did a full day pontoon boat rental here in late December. Marina staff were very friendly, boat was showing its age, but everything was clean and usable.

We saw lots of birds, one gator, and one manatee.

The one downside is that you can only go so far up into Whitewater Bay because of the radio range. I would have liked to get some recommendations on where to go to see the best wildlife, we kind of just motored around and then went slow by the mangrove edges. But it would have been nice if they had a "self-guided" tour we could follow.

Also, the marina shop was great. Lots of stuff. The only thing they didn't have was bugspray. Which seemed weird, but the bugs also weren't too bad, so it may be that they just run low during the winter.

Jake P.

We rented kayaks for two hours at the marina boat ramp. Everything was paid and waivers signed in advance so check in was a breeze. They fit you with PFD’s and away you go, up the river. The two hour paddle was a good amount of time to see some birds and a couple crocodiles.

Jacob K.

We rented a canoe for two hours, which was an ok paddle at best. The water was very brackish, so didn’t have any visibility under the water. We did see a manatee nose poke out and some crocodiles and gators, but with the brackish water and all the motor boats going past, it just wasn’t that enjoyable.

Oanh

We rented two kayaks and paddled through the 9 Mile Pond Trail. While some areas were quite narrow and it was occasionally challenging to find the markers, we had a fantastic time overall. The journey took us about three hours.

David L.

We stayed on a Thu night in late Dec 2024.

Check-in was a bit of cluster. We did let them know ahead of time that we would be arriving late. We first went to the Visitor Center which was closed. Then we went to the Flamingo Lodge/Restaurant and they said we are supposed to go to the Marina for the late check-in. We drive over to the Marina Store which closes at 7PM. They needed our email confirmation information and there is NO CELL service for Verizon here, only AT&T. They said that there is wifi but after struggling for about 5 mins another staffer tells us that the wifi only works OUTSIDE the store. So we go outside. By that time the original staffer has called the lodge manager and they confirm our reservation and basically told us that the houseboat is all ready for us and the info and keys are at the houseboat itself which is on the other side of the marina. There are no lights so be cautious while driving around. We were also warned NOT to let children roam outside alone at night. We find out the next day there are multiple HUGE crocs who just hangout at the boat launch in the marina.

There are mosquitos everywhere (dusk). We pull up next to our boat "Osprey" and quickly do a bucket line for all our luggage to get everything inside ASAP. We don't have time to read the large instruction binder that was left for us but luckily we have experience with boats and with campers and it's kind of a hybrid of the two. We were only staying one night and didn't pay the extra to drive the houseboat around. We also weren't told where to park our car, so we parked it in the adjacent boat trailer parking area.

Biggest complaint is the lighting on the boat. There are very few and it's very dark. The worse was the bathroom where only 1 of the 2 lights were working. We had to use cellphone lights to take showers. Tip here is to bring flashlights. We weren't really prepared for camping conditions. We did have propane for cooking and a microwave and a fridge. There is a queen bed in the back room with it's own balcony out back and chairs. There is a full size bed in the middle across from the bathroom and there there is like a 1.5 sized softbed that pulls out and then the single lounge chair also pulls out into another bed. So you could sleep 6 officially but if you have smaller humans you could squeeze one more on the sofa bed.

The boat does rock while you're on it even though you're tied to the dock and have shore power. One of the annoying things was the number of people who were walking around the marina all night with bright flashlights shining them into the water all around our boat. It woke me up more than once. I'm guessing they were trying to spot crocodiles but I didn't want to get out to ask.

The shower was great for what it was but the only downside was how loud the water pump was. Every time someone used a sink, toilet or shower, it would go off and if you're in the back room, be prepared!

The exterior doors did have magnetic mosquito nets which was fun. We had the AC on but it was only in the main room and the air in the back bedroom got stale and humid. If you close both the sliding doors you essentially get no air flow so we crack all the doors open. The kids in the main room said it was freezing at night and the wife and I in the backroom said it was a bit stuffy.

There were plenty of towels and linens for everyone which was great. We chose the houseboat because with 6 people we would have to get 2 eco tents or 2 lodge rooms and both were more expensive than just renting the 1 houseboat. The houseboat gave us the most room, privacy and a full kitchen.

Biggest tip is to try and check-in when the staff are there at the activities booth so they can walk you through everything. We had to sign all the waivers etc. the next morning as we were checking out.

We would stay here again but also would like to try the other flamingo accommodations. We did this so we had time to explore the Visitor Center in the morning and do the early Boat Tour without having to rush and drive all the way into the park.

Raj K.

Excellent backcountry boat ride. Narrator was well informed and did a great job explaining about all the plants and animals. Go for sure.

Bill D.

Almost a guarantee to see manatees and crocodiles in the marina.

Took the backcountry boat tour and had a great crew. Super enthusiastic naturalist did all she could to entertain and inform on the plants and animals. The check in is wonky - show up 30 minutes before at grey booth in back of store. Not sooner and everyone in party has to be present for a hand stamp.

GSTonyTseng

I personally highly recommend taking the motorboat. With multiple guides on board, you'll receive insightful introductions to the ecology and wildlife of the national park. It was incredibly fortunate that as soon as we set sail, we spotted alligators. Along the journey, we also caught sight of a few more. There's no need to visit private areas to see artificial alligators; the natural ones are truly remarkable!