Rod and Gun Club

Ate delicious food here, shrimp, scalops, gator all local catch! Christina is a great host and told us a bunch of interesting stories. Very peaceful and scenic patio, fly screened giant wrap-around porches and lots of history! Used to be a hotel, will be again in the future and they rent out some cabins now too, but you gotta book early! Every other day of the week a different menu and drinks! Enjoy!!

My husband and I hesitated to go here with the review rate, but we decided to give it a try. So glad we did! We had a fantastic hamburger, onion rings, french fries, and probably the best mixed drink I’ve had anywhere. Loved this place! They don’t take credit cards, so be prepared. Our waitress, food, and lovely water view made a perfect lunch! Go and enjoy. Try the signature “lady Fish” delicious!

We were banned from the property! They only answer their phones sporadically. You may or may not have a reservation unless you talk to the front desk. Good luck. It is not staffed. The public bathroom in the lobby has cobwebs draped from the ceiling like it may bed Halloween. Our room was not made up. Dirty towels, beds unmade, wastebasket full, cigar butts in the ashtray. We attempted to find staff to make up our room, but at 8pm the entire place was locked up. No lights. No one there. The food was excellent for our only meal there. Two fish dinners and 4 beers. Total bill $140.00 Yes, one hundred forty dollars. The single boat launch is okay, and you can tie up in front. Bring you own lines. There is a freshwater connection on the seawall. The male manager called us because we returned to the place and got our room charge back due to the dirty room. $160 in cash. They take NO credit cards. Cash only. You cannot put a hold on a credit card payment. We were lucky that the very nice young lady at the desk gave us a refund. The owner/manager said to us, "Don't ever f------ come back here! We lost $150 on the room. You're f------banned for life! Oh well, we would not return to such poor service and high prices and incompetent management. And no credit cards? Only cash? Hmmmmm.

Believe all of the bad reviews, they are not exaggerating!!! We also paid $200 cash for a cabin room. Was told that reception closed at 4.00 pm so we paid cash and waited. Our room was ready at 7.00pm, and the maid even left an envelope for her tips!!! Food stopped at 7.30, so we went to the Diving Pelican down the road, (really good) . Room walls were so thin we could hear next door quite clearly. Gaps in the wall so big you could see daylight through them. Glad we were only there for one night. Needs a lot spending on it but it seems that they don't care.

Sadly, I wanted to give this place a 5. I couldn’t even rate it a 3 bc that means “average”. My husband and I wanted to do something different and selected Rod and Gun bc of the uniqueness of this hotel. Upon arrival, I had already prepared myself for the old buildings and historical venue. The potential of this place is monumental, but our spirits were quickly dampened upon arrival… there was no one to greet us at the desk and when I made my way into the dining room, I saw a lady sitting at her computer and I asked how we were supposed to register. Her answer to me was so condescending and she immediately steered me to a gentleman who did end up being hospitable to us. Her demeanor was as if I had irritated her by simply asking a question. The lobby is extremely dark.. there was no enthusiasm or sense of urgency by one soul that was in any way welcoming. Upon arrival to our room, it was also drab and had bed linens and mattresses that had been there for a good 15-20 years. There is no way to have coffee in the morning other than getting in your vehicle and driving to the nearest gas station. That in itself blew my mind … when I asked about coffee, I was told to either wait until 10:30 or go to the gas station. My husband and I could not find any chairs along the waterfront to sit and enjoy the sunset, so we pulled two off the porch that in our case was shared by three individual “cabins”. That was strange to me to not have any outdoor seating for guests along the water. For dinner, we decided we wanted to dine on the premises. I asked for a wine list and was immediately informed that there is no list and was promptly informed that there was one kind of each red, white, three beers, and it was either a “take it or leave it” situation. I ordered the cab… it was dreadful. Don’t do it. Order a beer …take my word for it. Our dinner was delicious though … the porch was lovely and as I sat there, my heart was breaking for the overall lack of pride and ownership that I was witnessing by the staff/owners. My husband and I have been in the hospitality business for 40 years and this just blew my mind. Who doesn’t care about their business such as this? Actually, it’s almost as if they take pride that “we’re not for everybody”! Here’s the deal… I’m glad we went and I can say we have been to this place. After all, five presidents have stayed there … but, would I go back? Never! If you go, “buyer beware” … Leaving sad. I really wanted to love it.

Our stay at the Rod and Gun Club was too expensive. We were told it would be $139.00. When we got there is was $200.00 for a tiny room in a cabin we could not even drive to to take suitcases inside. Room was so small the suitcases would not have fit anyway. It was clean and the actual old Rod and Gun Club was a beautiful lobby. Best part was we got to sit on their back porch and have a drink and watch the boats coming and going. Our room had a view of a dirt parking lot. We love Everglades City but we will never stay here again.

The photos on Trip Advisor and on the Rod and Gun website are old. The place is not like the photographs, rather it is dark and run down looking. Checking in we could find no in the lobby, except a handwritten paper sign on the front door stating ‘NO SIGHT SEEING, CASH ONLY”. Disappointing to see this place steeped in history heading towards decay. It doesn’t appear that this place will be around much longer with the current ownership. Sad and disappointing to see it in such shape.

I cannot stress more, you should not eat or sleep here. They were so dishonest, they are running some kind of cash scam. They quoted us a low price and then added another $70/night when we arrived. The hotel itself appears to be in condemned status, with all the rooms in small bungalow type rooms separate from the hotel. The restaurant staff was drinking alcohol while serving us, gave us food we did not order and made us pay full price, ridiculously overpriced, terrible food. They served us boiled shrimp. The whole experience was horrible. My 7 year old cried when she realized we had to sleep there. It was BAD.

Nothing like we expected. Kinda in the twilight zone but overall an interesting experience. The restaurant staff was excellent and food was very good. The atmosphere on the screen porch during dinner with a rain storm was amazing