Stay aboard the eco-friendly two-story 63 ft River Queen with a 360 degree view with beautiful sunrises and sets, mored 1/8 mi offshore in a quite harbor close to shopping center, movie theater, hospital, bars & restaurants. A 10-foot dinghy with small outboard to come & go from shore "ONLY", nowhere else. I also offer Personal Training, deep tissue work & Life Coach sessions. I live on the vessel about a hundred yards from you so if there are any questions, etc. I will be there to assist you. The space 63 ft. two-story Eco Friendly River Queen vessel mored off shore in a protected Harbor with a 360-degree rotating View. It's equipped with solar panels & a wind generator. There's a 10 ft dinghy to get to & from Shore "ONLY", nowhere else. It's a stable vessel so there's no rocking and rolling . The sunrise & sets are beautiful. Enjoy your journey. Guest access You"ll have access to the whole vessel which has a downstairs, upstairs & a rooftop. Only two people allowed on the boat, "No" exceptions. Other things to note I have a rain water system that supplies the vessel & I ask that there is conservation of water. So when taking shower "Please" use it sparingly. (I may have to come over and put my gutter hoses into my water tank if it begins raining but I will not disturb you as I will not have to come inside) You can see the bathroom & shower on my photos. "IMPORTANT", While running the generator, the downstairs front windows have to be open and if they are closed due to cold weather or rain make sure you close the upstairs back sliding glass doors so it doesn't create a backdraft to bring the fumes into the boat. If you have any other questions please ask. Only two people allowed on the boat, "No" exceptions Thanks.
Additional rules Only "TWO" people allowed on the boat due to insurance policies, dinghy size, freshwater supply & blackwater tank and that means "No" visitors. Please do dishes and keep the vessel clean. "No loud music". Thanks, enjoy
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Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Long-term renters welcome
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios and terraces, which may not be suitable for children; if you have any concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm that they can accommodate you in a suitable room
About the area
Tavernier
Located in Tavernier, this houseboat is near theme parks and on the waterfront. Old Road Gallery and History of Diving Museum are cultural highlights, and some of the area's attractions include John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Jacob's Aquatic Center. MoradaWay Arts & Cultural District and MarineLab Undersea Laboratory are also worth visiting. Discover the area's water adventures with jet skiing and kayaking nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with ecotours and cycling.
Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
Mangrove Marina - 7 min walk - 0.7 km
Harry Harris Park - 5 min drive - 3.7 km
Baker's Cay Resort Beach - 8 min drive - 11.3 km
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park - 12 min drive - 14.9 km
Restaurants
Circle K - 13 min walk
McDonald's - 13 min walk
Tacos Jalisco 3 - 3 min drive
Snappers Oceanfront Restaurant & Bar - 4 min drive
Dive Bar On The Bay - 7 min walk
Frequently asked questions
Is Island Sanctuary Islamorada pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
How much does it cost to stay at Island Sanctuary Islamorada?
As of 5 October 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Island Sanctuary Islamorada on 21 February 2027 start from NZ$754, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking at Island Sanctuary Islamorada?
On-site parking is available at the property.
What time is check-in at Island Sanctuary Islamorada?
Check-in begins at 2:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Island Sanctuary Islamorada?
Checkout is at 10:00 AM.
Where is Island Sanctuary Islamorada located?
Situated on the waterfront, this houseboat is within a 15-minute walk of Mangrove Marina and Mariners Hospital. Florida Keys Dive Center and Harry Harris Park are also within 2 miles (3 km).
Reviews
9.4
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
We had a great experience. Loved watching the sunset from the top deck. Great to cruise around in the electric catamaran. Kelly’s recommendations were great. We found the sand bar and the Dive restaurant at Mangrove Marina was fun with the live music.
Great stay, exactly as described in the listing. Boat has everything you need for a multi-day stay, comfortable bed, spacious, and we loved going up to the upper decks to relax or enjoy sunrise/sunset. Kelly was very communicative and helpful. Dolphins swam right past the boat multiple days, and we enjoyed taking the dinghy to shore each day. Would definitely stay here again!
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2026
Verified review
10/10 Excellent
Lois
15 February 2026
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities, communication
Kelly is a great host. This location is so peaceful and relaxing. Loved watching the sunsets on the boat. Very spacious for 2 people. There are also kayaks if you’re adventurous
My wife and I had a fabulous week on the boat. I would highly recommend spending a week on Kelly’s boat. The description of the amenities is accurate and I would add that you will have a lifetime of memories to cherish. This is not like staying in a condominium where you look out at the water. You are staying on the water.
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible
We have never stayed on a boat before so this was an interesting and exciting way to spend our anniversary trip! The only downside is the listing didn't specify the AC having about eight or so hours of runtime before generator fuel ran out. However, Kelly was a top tier host who showed genuine care for our comfort and enjoyment and refilled the gas for us no questions asked. The boat itself is extremely fun, well decorated and outfitted. The top deck is amazing for sunrise and sunset. We brought groceries and cooked/enjoyed dinner and breakfast just like in our own kitchen. Because it's anchored it's always facing the wind and the large front and rear windows provided a good breeze throughout. We enjoyed taking the dingy to and from shore (less than a 5 min ride) and never had a problem with weather delaying that trip. Instead of another hotel room or condo we left with unique memories we'll have for the rest of our lives. Thanks Kelly!
Host was an absolute GEM of a person and made sure our stay was seemless . Provided great info as well as keeping us posted on the weather with impending storm . Place was clean and sooo FUN many extras not mentioned . GREAT place to stay in a quiet cove ☀️🏖️
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
We enjoyed our stay. We are avid campers and love to be outdoors. It was camping on the water with beautiful views right out our window. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. A couple of encounters with dolphins. Our host was very attentive and made sure our needs were met.
Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
We fell far behind schedule do to holiday trafic and the owner was more then willing to help us. The boat ride to your stay is fun. You cant beat sitting on the top floor watching the sunset.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
Kelly was a great host. The boat was clean and comfortable. We caught the red eye from SLC and Kelly was nice enough to let us check in a little early. We had a great time and were able to recharge and get ready for our weekend in Key West. I would absolutely recommend this property.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
Our stay on this houseboat brought back memories of staying on boats when we lived in South Florida. Kelly, our host, was very informative, easy to talk with, friendly and patient. Kelly is an artist and has a number of his works displayed on the houseboat. We love visiting the Keys and next time we'll have to book a longer stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
We loved this experience! The rooftop was amazing , the sunsets to die for! We totally plan on coming back when we have more time to enjoy everything the boat has to offer ( kayaks & paddleboards!)
Rent this vessel! You won’t be sorry you did :)
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
There is nothing like living on the water - so relaxing and peaceful. Dinghy worked out well. We saw several manatee and had a dolphin show a couple days which was awesome. What you should know - you are in a bay with THIRTY other boats surrounded by mangrove bushes so you cannot see the ocean. You cannot put toilet paper in the toilet and are to take your trash to a “public” trash can. To get to the back sun deck you have to go outside and go up a ladder and down a ladder OR climb over the bed and out a window. Be prepared to be under surveillance as you will be watched. We were reprimanded for not lifting the motor on the boat one evening and leaving the ladder down on the houseboat. We left for the Keys one morning and forgot to leave our porch light on. When we returned the light was on, there was a towel put on the floor inside the door, water was turned on and windows opened with curtains tied back. I’m sure Kelly was trying to help but kind of unsettling.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 16 April 2026
First off, I'm glad you had a good stay able to see dolphins and manatees and I appreciate your booking my home.
But I do mention in my property description that the vessel is mored 1/8 mi offshore in a quite harbor Bayside which is well protected from storms, hurricanes etc, if I was on the Ocean Side exposed to the elements I wouldn't be able to have guests and The vessel is about 70 yd away where it opens up into Florida Bay which is quite expensive.
And of course I offer kayaks and a solar-powered dinghy to cruise around.
And it's a pretty good size harbor and they're probably are around 30 boats but there's only a few boats that people live on and they're all anchored 70 to 100 yd away, so it's not like it's crowded like it would be at a marina where you have boats on both sides of you with a piling between you and the other boats.
And there's a good reason why a lot of boaters or motorhome owners don't put toilet paper into their holding tank, because it piles up and clogs everything up when it's pumped out. Believe me, it works wonders not to put toilet paper into your black water tanks but there's a trash can with a lid that seals everything nicely.
And as far as the trash goes I appreciate it when my guests dispose of it but if it's sitting outside or they let me know that they need it picked up I'll certainly do so.
And as far as the ladders go, it's a boat with three decks so of course there's going to be ladders and if my guests don't feel like climbing up the outside ladder I encourage them just to climb over the edge of the bed in the back bedroom because it has a sliding door right at the head of the bed , really simple and makes it a lot easier for people that aren't real mobile. And it's a very spacious back deck, 15 ft x 11 ft with a kayaks available on it.
I'm not sure what you mean by being under surveillance, I've never heard that one before but maybe you felt that way because you're anchored out in the middle of the harbor exposed to the elements so to speak.
And no one was reprimanded for leaving the aluminum outboard or ladder in the saltwater overnight, I just mention it to my guests that when they're finished with the dinghy or the aluminum ladder for the night to please raise them out of the water because electrolysis in the saltwater eats away at the aluminum causing it to corrode and pit because of the conductive properties of the aluminum and the electricity in the water. It's just a good habit to get into saving time and money down the way.
And as far as the porch light goes, it's hard to find the vessel when it's dark outside so I suggest to my guests to leave the front porch light on to see where they're headed because I've had guests get lost before trying to get back to the boat.
And as far as the towel on the floor, and windows open, it had been raining off and on that day while my guests were in key West so I made sure the windows were closed and a little later that afternoon I went back over mopped the rain water off of my decks, open my windows so that when they came back it wouldn't be stuffing and I put a towel inside the door which I usually do, so when my guest came back there would be a towel to help soak up the water from their feet and good ventilation. I also mention in my details that I may come over to the vessel to prepare the cistern to receive the rain or to adjust the solar panels.
I just keep an eye on my boat because a lot of times people even leave the door open, which I understand I do it myself. It's my investment and I take care of it and even if you're at a motel the cleaners will come into your room and tidy up a bit.
I try to do the best for my customers, sorry if somehow you felt paranoid or ridiculed because it certainly wasn't my intention.
I wish you would have let me know the things that bothered you so that I could have taken care of them.
Anyway, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
Nice, enjoyable area. Plenty of space on this houseboat. Owner is very personalable and quite accommodating. Any issue and he is there promply. Stove ran out of propane and he was over in 10 minutes to install new tank
I would definately recommend staying here. Thank you for the enjoyable stay, Kelly..
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
The experience was lots of fun and exactly the getaway that we needed. This is not for everyone, but if you don't mind some adventure, then you should give it a try. The check-in was easy enough, and the host was very friendly and helpful. Our only dislike was the bathroom situation. The smell when the toilet is flushed is not pleasant, and the shower did not drain. In order to take a warm shower, we had to go outside and to the top deck to start the generator. Not a deal breaker, but folks need to be aware that it is not like staying in a hotel. Aside from the bathroom smells, it was great.I would also recommend more comfortable places to sit. It seemed like there was a shortage of places on the main deck, and the sun deck had to be broken down each time we wanted to use it.These comments are not meant to be negative; we had a lot of fun and would do it again. They are simply suggestions for making it a better experience.The dinghy ride to and from the boat was fun, but would have been a hassle if the weather had turned bad.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2026
Verified review
2/10 Terrible
Will Q.
18 June 2026
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location
Disliked: Listing accuracy
Reality and listing quite far apart.The first 2 are "showstoppers".#1-It does have a toilet with toilet paper. You cannot flush toilet paper. You must put it in a trashcan. Very unpleasant bathroom environment. #2-Electical system is a puzzle. You cannot run the TINY window style AC and hot water heater together. If you try, neither of them works, plus the refrigerator will not work and the majority of lights go out. Also, the same happens with some other combination when you turn on a floor fan. The boat is advertised as air conditioned. The host gave us a floor fan. If air conditioned, why would a floor fan be needed. The boat had a generator. If it ran out of gas, nothing of any significance worked. It ran out of gas several times. One morning I had to go to the host's home to take a shower.Every day of 6 at times we were without 2 or more of hot water, air conditioning, a working refrigerator or minimum lighting. The host said the generator was too small and we had overused it.He bragged of coming to the boat 3 times a day fixing things. Nothing should have needed fixing. We didn't want him there. We simply wanted what was advertised and have a great father-son trip.Day 4 or 5 I told the host of my frustrations. He became angry. He told us we could "leave whenever we wanted", or he would "reimburse us 100%". I will pursue the latter. The host referred to the boat degradingly as a house trailer on water. I could go on for pages.
Stayed 6 nights in May 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 18 June 2026
First off, I've been a super host on Airbnb for the last 10 years & I post instructions on VRBO, for AC, lighting, toilet, generator & 12 volt system that I go over again when my guests arrive, encouraging them to video my instructions & both the 70 some yr old father & 40 yr son acknowledge they understood & being off grid I encourage my guests to only use the lights & fans needed, but they left all the 12 volt fans & lights on for several hours while they were away & ran down the batteries which were charged up within an hour, so the son told me to go over to the boat after they would leave to make sure everything's off & that's what I did, I didn't go over there to fix anything. It's best not to put toilet paper or feminine products in RV toilets because it will clog up the system & you can check out the photos of the bathroom on my profile. I instruct my guests not to run the AC & hot water heater at the same time because it will throw a breaker & it only takes 10 minutes to heat water, but the father forgot & the breaker went off & immediately call me & I was over there & took care of it within 3 minutes & it was at that time after 4 days when the father got angry & told me he wanted a full refund, so I said okay, thinking that he wanted to check out at that time, but then said that he wanted to stay 2 more nights with a full refund & I said okay.
I suggest they rent a VRBO home next time. twell.
If you are looking for something different and more of an experience for your stay, this house boat is something to consider. You have to take a dingy (very stable) out the the boat, a decent distance offshore, but everything worked great and was easy to operate. We brought groceries with us and there is a nice kitchen area and refrigerator that worked well for us. The stay on the boat was a nice getaway if you are looking for some solitude and quietness. Plenty of space on the boat to hang out and relax. The top sundeck is a great place to watch sunrises and sunsets. Bed was comfortable enough, really could use some new/additional bed pillows. We considered buying some but it was late in our stay when we decided this. Other thing needing a renewal was the futon upstairs was unusable for either of us with how uncomfortable it was. A couple of these creature comforts were lacking but these were the only really negatives we had. Overall, you are getting a lot more space and a more unique experience than staying at a motel, and it comes at a similar price point. We had a very nice stay, and would consider staying again.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 5 February 2026
Great guests, left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible.
Mr. Kelly was an excellent host he ia by far the most interesting person to chat with lots of knowledge....we had so much fun it was definitely a new experience for us we for sure understand the live in boat community way more it is different then what we are used to.... the boat is a very nice stay!!Definitely coming back!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 7 August 2026
Left my place clean, thanks again have a good journey and keep the attitude of gratitude as much as possible
About the host
Hosted by Kelly Hostetler
I've been living here in the upper Florida keys most of my life and still taking photos of sunsets, birds, dolphins and manatees.
Why they chose this property
Love living on the water, quiet, fresh air and beautiful scenery.
What makes this property unique
Being offshore you will have a 360° view with dolphin and manatee sightings.
Languages:
English
Premier Host
They consistently provide great experiences for their guests