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Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys

Photo gallery for Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys

Ariel (7)
Master bedroom (3)
Night Pool (2)
BBQ Veranda
Island Walkaround (2)

Reviews

10 out of 10
Exceptional

Highlights

  • Sweeping views
    Enjoy top-rated panoramic views across the skyline, from sunrise through night.
  • Discover nearby landmarks
    Close to Sombrero Beach
4 bedrooms3 bathroomsSleeps 12

Popular amenities

  • On beach
  • Swimming pool
  • Onsite parking available
  • Dogs and cats allowed
  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine

Explore the area

View map
Marathon, FL
  • Place, Sombrero Beach
    ‪14 min walk‬
  • Place, Seven Mile Bridge
    ‪16 min drive‬
  • Place, Coco Plum Beach
    ‪19 min drive‬
  • Airport, Marathon, FL (MTH-Florida Keys Marathon)
    ‪10 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 12)

Bedroom

+2
2 Cribs, 1 King Bed and 3 Queen Beds

Guest House

1 Queen Bunk Bed and 1 Large Single Sofa Bed

3 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Bathroom 2

Guest House Bathroom

Soap · Towels provided · Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Spaces

Kitchen
Separate dining area
Number of living rooms

About this property

Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys

East Sister Rock Island is a private 1.35-acre island vacation rental located 0.5 miles off the coast of Marathon in the heart of the Florida Keys. The exclusive 5,000-square-foot main house features 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, accommodating up to 8 guests. An optional guest house (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom) is available for an additional charge, increasing total occupancy to 12 guests.



Built in 1979 and reimagined by the Williford family in 1997, East Sister Rock Island operates entirely off-grid with a custom-designed solar and wind power system and rainwater catchment, ensuring modern comforts with zero environmental impact.



Getting to the Island



East Sister Rock is accessible only by boat or helicopter. Upon arrival at our mainland launch site in Marathon, you'll be greeted by property manager Wesley Williford, who assists with luggage loading onto the included 21-foot Carolina Skiff. The scenic 5-minute boat ride takes you through the canal and into the Atlantic Ocean to your private island paradise.



The island features a 100-foot private boat dock with ample space to bring your own vessel, plus a helicopter landing pad for aerial arrivals.



Island Amenities



The 12-foot wrap-around veranda offers 360-degree ocean views and breathtaking sunsets. Island features include a swimming pool, lazy-river-style moat encircling the property (perfect for snorkeling and spotting marine life), billiards table, multiple hammocks, lounge chairs, and outdoor dining areas.



Guests enjoy exclusive use of the 21-foot Carolina Skiff for mainland excursions, plus complimentary kayak, paddleboard, snorkeling gear (masks, fins, snorkels), fishing rods, and life vests—no waiting in line or rental fees.



Activities & Location



East Sister Rock Island is minutes from Sombrero Reef, offering world-class opportunities for reef fishing, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, kiteboarding, and water sports. The island provides complete privacy and seclusion while remaining just 5 minutes by boat from Marathon's restaurants, dive shops, grocery stores, and local attractions including the Turtle Hospital and Dolphin Research Center.



Concierge Services



Optional services can be arranged before or during your stay: private chef and bartending, fishing charters, diving trips, jet ski rentals, water skiing, helicopter tours, biking excursions, yoga instruction, and massage therapy.



Sustainability



East Sister Rock is dedicated to environmental responsibility with zero impact to the surrounding ecosystem. The solar and wind energy system provides all power needs, while the rainwater catchment system supplies fresh water. Guests experience luxury accommodations with modern comforts while treading lightly on this pristine Florida Keys environment.



Property manager Wesley Williford is available on-call 24/7 for questions, assistance, or service arrangements throughout your stay.

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 25
Check out before 10:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

Events allowed: weddings
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Pets

Pets allowed: dogs and cats less than 453 kg per pet (limit one pet total)
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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Check-out instructions

The host requires you to complete the following before checking out:
Start the dishwasher
Strip any used beds and gather used towels
Remove personal items, remove leftover food and drinks and take out the rubbish
Turn off the lights
Please shut off All Minisplit AC's in the Mainhouse / Guest House.
Please put back everything the way you found it upon check-in. Including all provided equipment / amenities.
Strip all beds and collect all dirty towels and place them in the laundry room.
Failure to complete these may result in a negative review from the host.
The boat provided is for transpiration too and from the island ONLY. NO OPEN WATER USAGE.

Important information

You need to know

Property # 4637048
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
Parties and events (including weddings) are allowed on site. Maximum attendees: 65
Host has indicated that there is no carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
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

Map
Marathon, FL

What's nearby

  • Sombrero Beach - 14 min walk - 1.2 km
  • Vaca Key - 12 min drive - 9.4 km
  • Seven Mile Bridge - 16 min drive - 14.7 km
  • Coco Plum Beach - 19 min drive - 16.0 km
  • Dolphin Research Center - 21 min drive - 22.6 km

Getting around

  • Marathon, FL (MTH-Florida Keys Marathon) - 7 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Brass Monkey - ‬5 min drive
  • ‪Keys Fisheries, Market & Marina - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Wendy's - ‬5 min drive
  • ‪The Wooden Spoon - ‬6 min drive
  • ‪Mr. Beans Books & Beans - ‬7 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Does Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys have a pool?

Yes, this property has a pool.

Is Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows cats and dogs (limit 1 total) with a maximum weight of up to 453 kg per pet.

How much is parking at Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Private Island Rental | Oceanfront Marathon FL Keys located?

Situated on the beach, this holiday home is 0.6 mi (0.9 km) from Sombrero Beach and within 3 miles (5 km) of Crane Point Museum and Nature Center and Florida Keys Country Club. Boot Key Harbor is 2.6 mi (4.1 km) away.

Reviews

10

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 22 out of 22 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 0 out of 22 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 22 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 22 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 22 reviews

9.8/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Amazing experience! The house is amazing!
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Host was very responsive and the stay was great
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Magic!

Best place ever! Just wonderful! Thank you Wesley!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing property

We had a great relaxing and quiet vacation with great views and daily visits by dolphins, turtles and resident iguanas. Great place to get away from it all.
Stayed 9 nights in Jan 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Simply Fabulous

The island is an almost indescribable experience. It is beautiful, clean, well stocked and the 360 degree views are amazing. I simply cannot speak highly enough of our time there.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great Location/Property

Amazing location! Love the seclusion yet so close to everything we needed. Went to shore everyday for bait, groceries…. And we were back to the property in 30 minutes! The fishing was fantastic! Property was comfortable and had what we needed to have an amazing time! We will be back!
Stayed 9 nights in Feb 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

East Sister Rock Island

As expected. Great vacation. Thanks!
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Absolutely Beautiful

This place is so beautiful from the moment you arrive you will be so relaxed. The water is crystal blue and you can see the bottom. Lots of fish, sting rays, sharks. We had a great time thank you.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 10 May 2021
Victoria, Thank you! I am so glad you and your family enjoyed the island. Elena
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Paradise

My husband and I stayed on the island for a week. We gad tge greatest vacation we have ever had. Indescribable experience surrounded by the ocean. Thank you Wesley for being such a great host. We plan to return often!!
Stayed 7 nights in May 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 24 March 2020
Hi Lisa, Thank you for the review! we look forward to seeing you on the next visit.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Island Paradise

My new wife and I rented the island for our honeymoon. The owner was always very quick and responsive to all our questions. We had a great time and it's a perfect get away for boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, snorkeling, and catching lobster all around the island. I highly recommend bringing snorkel gear as you'll have a blast inside and outside the rocks surrounding the island. If you like fishing or just want to see a show, when it gets dark, go sit on the dock on the far right, and you will see a huge school of tarpon feasting on the live bait in the water. I caught a nice size snapper in the middle of the night along with bonnet head sharks. Bring your own poles and bait. They have a net with tickle sticks to catch the lobster as well. Highly recommend!! Your privacy may get a little invaded on the outskirts of the rocks at times. Several times a boat would pull up and anchor right outside the rocks and snorkel for lobster. The pool was great and we loved all the sea life and little crabs on the island. We tried to be careful not to step on them. There's even an iguana running around the island. When we arrived it was very late and dark out. We knew it was a boat ride to the island, we just didn't know we'd need to navigate the boat by ourselves. Luckily I had a small amount of experience driving a boat, but not on the ocean with shallow spots at night. We were shown how to get to the island, how to drive the boat, and helped back to the dock were we started. No lights on the boat. Just given a flashlight. We were given a quick tour of the island and instructions for the generator which will be required for A/C if you desire at $6 per hour. They had 3 fans in the house and we used them all in the Master Bedroom which seemed to be the warmest room in the house even with all the doors wide open. We had a little issue after leaving the island with the A/C bill as we are positive we used the A/C for only 16 hours however, we were billed for much more. The owner assured us the generator tracks this accurately, however something was not right and the owner worked with us to make it right. Ask the owner about Chef Flavor if you'd like someone to come cook a meal for you! Highly recommended! Con's: no dishwasher; trash must be transported by you back to shore; one roll of paper towels(bring your own); jets on pool only available 1100 - 1400, several ceiling fans were not working in the house and need to be fixed.
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 11 September 2020
Thank you for the review.We try to accommodate and make everyone's visit memorable and amazing.The generator and the A/C do have trackers and both are very accurate as we have been using these systems for over 20 years. The skiff has three working lights on it and the fans that stopped working have been replaced.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Anniversary Getaway in Paradise

East Sister Rock was nothing short of incredible. Beautiful views with constant sea breezes. Being able to completely disconnect and unwind we were able to achieve full relaxation! We cannot wait to come back with our family and share the beauty of this slice of paradise. Wesley was fantastic about communicating and was so welcoming. Thank you for sharing your home.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Heavenly Oasis!

This property was nothing short of amazing! My wife and I had dreamed of doing a trip like this since we’ve been married, due to the season we were in when we tied the knot a honeymoon just wasn’t in the cards. 9 years later we arrived on East Sister Rock, and enjoyed this incredible home with our family. The home was well kept, the bathrooms were gorgeous, and the home is nothing short of captivating. Wesley was always immediately responsive if we had any questions, and we are so grateful Elena, and Bob allowed us to share their piece of paradise!
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Epic vacation!

All amenities and pictures are accurate. Owner/operators friendly and very responsive to texts or calls. Experience is priceless. Did one excursion with 2 conch fishing charter for yellowfin and permit fish, highly recommend they pick up at the dock. The inner lagoon provides all kinds of wildlife: baby nurse sharks, eel, barracuda, parrot fish, sting ray etc. even saw Dolphins close to island feeding. We ran the generator for AC after 9pm til around 4am and always slept comfortably however this is really not needed as the 360° ocean allows for an amazing breeze. Beds were comfortable. If you are picky about softness of toilet paper or laundry detergent brand bring your own even though they provide. Sugar ants in the kitchen/house were difficult to manage, wish I had brought a product called Terro (buy on Amazon). Don’t let these suggestions deter you as we will book this island again. Oh ya, sign in to the Jenga game.
Stayed 7 nights in May 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Very Relaxing Place

We had a wonderful time at the island. Lots of room for two couples. We enjoyed the wrap around porch. You could always find the perfect place to sit and enjoy the ocean. We loved watching the sun rises and sun sets! We loved snorkeling around the island, lots of fish. Very relaxing place!
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Excellent vacation location. The island was beautiful and the owners vey responsive.

We all had an amazing time on the island. It was beautiful. The whole experience was great from start to finish. An absolutely fantastic place to vacation.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Our stay

Made many priceless memories with family!
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Gold standard of relaxation and ocean views.

We never got tired of the view, the sound of the ocean, the ocean breeze. Bathrooms are updated since the listing pictures. The pool table, dart board, and hammocks were a hit for the whole family. We already are checking calendars to rebook! Thank you!
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2021
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing

Perfect place to take the family
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2021
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great place!

The island was everything you could hope for! The house was clean, plenty of necessities were provided, communication with the owner was always on point and recommendations were given. It was a great experience and worth every penny!
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 3 May 2021
Hi Shayne, thank you so much for the review. I am glad you and your family enjoyed the week at East Sister Rock. Hope to see you again!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Very relaxing would love to return to the island and stay again

It was awesome
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2021
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family Vacation

We had an amazing time while isolated on our own island. We brought everything we needed but was extremely close to shore and stores if we needed anything. We brought our own boat so we could fish and play. Nice place and a good time was had by all!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

AMAZING!!!!

Spent a week here with two other couples. It was amazing! Pool was great. Fishing was fun. Caught a 3' tarpon, baracuda and numerous other fish. It was windy and the ocean was very choppy so we weren't able to dive. But for some reason it didnt really matter..when your spending a week in paradise it doesnt seem to matter..I dont think I've ever had a more relaxing vacation. Thank you Wesley for everything! Henry and Debbie Roger and Kathy Rick and Bobbie 😊
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2019

About the host

Hosted by Elena Williford

Host profile image

What makes this property unique

Nestled in the crystal-clear waters of the Florida Keys, East Sister Rock Island is an extraordinary private island retreat that embodies the essence of tropical seclusion and natural beauty. Just a short boat ride from Marathon, this exclusive paradise offers a rare opportunity to experience the unspoiled charm of the Keys in a setting unlike any other.

East Sister Rock Island is a natural conch breeding ground. (IT IS ILLEGAL to touch the conch!)

Surrounded by panoramic ocean views, the island’s stunning solar-powered home is a masterpiece of sustainable luxury, designed to harmonize with its pristine environment while offering modern comforts. Expansive wraparound decks invite guests to savor breathtaking sunrises and sunsets over the turquoise waters, while the gentle sound of waves creates a tranquil escape from the everyday.

What truly sets East Sister Rock Island apart is its sense of total privacy and serenity.

Here, you are immersed in the beauty of nature—snorkeling through vibrant coral reefs just offshore, fishing in world-class waters, or simply relaxing as tropical breezes whisper through the palms. It’s a place where the pace of life slows, allowing you to reconnect with the rhythms of the sea and sky.

Whether seeking a peaceful retreat, an unforgettable adventure, or a once-in-a-lifetime gathering with loved ones, East Sister Rock Island offers an unparalleled experience—where luxury meets nature in perfect harmony.

Languages:

English, Spanish
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