Jump to content

Honeymoon Pre-Cruise Ft. Lauderdale Hotel


GoochDSA

Recommended Posts

After playing with the idea of going to Disney for a few days before our honeymoon cruise, my fiancee and I are now considering the idea of spending a few days in Ft. Lauderdale before our cruise instead of Disney. We are interested in a hotel/resort that either has it's own beach or is a very short walk from a beach with a nice dining option either attached or in walking distance. We would like a relaxing place to kick off our honeymoon in some style for 2 or 3 nights. I have noticed Lago Mar mantioned quite a bit here on CC. Are there any other hotels/resort that we should look into? Any opinions and/or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

We aren't too worried about a budget right now and are not worried about a shuttle to the port (we can always get a taxi from wherever we are staying).

 

TIA! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does the resort have to be in Fort Lauderdale? With the cheap cost of car rentals you might want to open yourself up to more options such as the Breakers / Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach or a resort on South Beach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does the resort have to be in Fort Lauderdale? With the cheap cost of car rentals you might want to open yourself up to more options such as the Breakers / Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach or a resort on South Beach.

 

Does it have to be in Ft. Lauderdale... I guess not. But one of the reasons why we are pushing away from the Disney idea is that we don't want to have to worry about things like rental cars and driving. Our honeymoon is still well over a year away, so we are still just gathering ideas. Any difference in the Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach over the Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We stayed at the Marriott in Hollywood. It is right on the beach. There is a nice restaurant and bar just across the broadwalk from the beach. The pool looked really nice, and hardly no one was in there. We had a high room with a view of the ocean and a small balcony.

There are other places to eat in the area. The broadwalk goes for a long way up Hollywood beach. You can rent bikes there and other fun stuff.

We really enjoyed sitting outside at the bar in the evenings and watching people walk up and down the broadwalk.

I would think a taxi might be about $25 to $30 from the airport and to the port. I may be wrong tho. We had rented a car. The hotel does have a charge to park your car.

Have a great honeymoon.

Claudia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Consider going on Priceline and consider bidding on a 4 star hotel on Hollywood Beach which is just south of Fort Lauderdale. For very close to what you would pay for a run of the mill chain motel, you will get either the Westin Diplomat or the Crowne Plaza, both of which are very nice. The Westin Diplomat is primo and is right on the beach. The Crowne Plaza is across from the beach. Both have beautiful swimming pools and each hotel has very nice although rather pricey restaurants. The water taxi has a stop at each hotel. From there you can head up to Fort Lauderdale where great restaurants abound. There is a trolley stop in front of each hotel as well which will take you further north on Hollywood Beach where there is a broadwalk and a variety of restaurants.

 

We have stayed at the Westin Diplomat three times now and it is well worth it. Afterall, it is your honeymoon, splurge a little!:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida is a beautiful hotel directly on the beach. It has an amazing pool and is an excellent choice for a honeymoon or pre or post cruise hotel. They are plenty of nice restaurants north of there in Fort Lauderdale. You can also walk north on the beach to Hollywood Beach which has alot of small restaurants and bars on the boardwalk. You can also walk south of the hotel to Hallandale Beach Blvd which is a very short walk. There are plenty of nice restaurants in the area including Padrino's that has excellent cuban food. East of there is Gulfstream Park (horse track) that has a fairly new addition that includes Brio Tuscan Grill and numerous other eateries. There's also a casino there too. Eddie Hills is an excellent Japanese, Thai, and Sushi Restaurant located on Federal Highway (US1) just north of Hallandale Beach Blvd. I have a condo in Hallandale Beach and have been visiting the area for over twenty five years. There's also plenty of takeout joints and a Super Walmart on Hallandale Beach Blvd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Based on your request parameters, I would recommend W Fort Lauderdale Beach or Marriott Harbor Beach Fort Lauderdale.

 

I agree these are the best hotels for honeymooners in Fort Lauderdale. Both have great restaurants and pools. Marriott Harbor Beach is right on the beach and W is across the street from the beach. Marriott is quieter and more relaxing. W is a fun adult hotel. Lago Mar is also very nice, but it isn't a reasonable walk to anything (they do have free parking though). Ritz Carlton is across the street from the beach, in a great location, and has a nice bar, restaurant, and pool. It feels overly formal for a beach hotel, but you might like that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Marriott Harbo Beach is very nice so check that one out.

 

Another one to check out is the Lago Mar Hotel.

 

And finally, there is a Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Check out all three on their web sites to look at cost and amenities.

 

You will be most pampered at the Ritz, the Lago Mar is a one of a kind which has its positives and the Marriott property is very nice.

 

You can't go wrong with any of these three.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and honeymoon.

 

Keith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Voting for the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort. I love the pool area and the beach. Check out the pool pictures on Google. They have a great little beach bar for lunch that is built on the dunes. We love watching other cruise ships go out from there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After playing with the idea of going to Disney for a few days before our honeymoon cruise, my fiancee and I are now considering the idea of spending a few days in Ft. Lauderdale before our cruise instead of Disney. We are interested in a hotel/resort that either has it's own beach or is a very short walk from a beach with a nice dining option either attached or in walking distance. We would like a relaxing place to kick off our honeymoon in some style for 2 or 3 nights. I have noticed Lago Mar mantioned quite a bit here on CC. Are there any other hotels/resort that we should look into? Any opinions and/or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

We aren't too worried about a budget right now and are not worried about a shuttle to the port (we can always get a taxi from wherever we are staying).

 

 

 

TIA! :D

 

It's Half a block away from Beach right in a great location. Rated #1 on Trip Advisor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lago Mar and Marriott Beach Resort are probably the better honeymoon resorts. They are directly on the beach and are on the end of the beach where you can see the cruise ships as they leave port in the evening. Great pools, amenities and restaurants, Quieter location. However, they are not really close to anything within walking distance (the action).

 

Lago Mar

welcome_big003.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marriott beach Resort

 

hotels_marriott-harbor-beach-resort-spa_ft-lauderdale_fl_1304l.jpg

 

 

Other hotels worthy of a honeymoon stay IMHO would be The W (very hip, fun atmosphere, nice pool deck overlooking the beach),

w-ft-lauderdale.jpg

 

The Hilton (Nice pool deck overlooking the beach, All Suite hotel so the rooms are very large, Balconies).

 

imgdb.php?id=653c5b2c7ab33ad39257c33beee1c895

 

And the Atlantic Hotel (Nice pool deck overlooking the beach, Balconies, Excellent but limited dining choices)

hotel_2.jpg

 

All three hotels are on the trolly route for easy access into downtown (Las Olas Blvd, Dining, Shopping, Dancing) across the street from the beach, walking distance to plenty of restaurants, and less than 10 minutes from the port by taxi.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And here we thought this would be an easy decision. Thank you all for the responces so far. Seems like this may be one of those things where our minds change 100,000 times before we make a final choice. Last night we were leaning one way, now we are leaning another way and I am sure by tomorrow we will both be trying to convince the other one about completely different places. Luckily, we have quite a few months before we have to decide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Voting for the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort. I love the pool area and the beach. Check out the pool pictures on Google. They have a great little beach bar for lunch that is built on the dunes. We love watching other cruise ships go out from there.

 

 

 

Ditto...my favorite marriott resort......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Voting for the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort. I love the pool area and the beach. Check out the pool pictures on Google. They have a great little beach bar for lunch that is built on the dunes. We love watching other cruise ships go out from there.

 

Just to add more data for your decision-making...

Bill Marriott, who can pretty much stay anywhere he wants in the chain, spends part of each January at the Harbor Beach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So far it looks like Harbor Beach is my front runner. I still have to show the little lady what it's all about. From reading some reviews there doesn't seem to be much negative (just an employee having an off day, complaints about the pool area being crowded and the resort not being walking distance to much, none of which would really bother me). Does anyone know where I could find some prices for things like the cabanas, some of the activities or cost of a taxi to the port? I can't seem to find this information anywhere.

 

Thank you again for all of your help so far. Our eyes and ears are still open so any other thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So far it looks like Harbor Beach is my front runner. I still have to show the little lady what it's all about. From reading some reviews there doesn't seem to be much negative (just an employee having an off day, complaints about the pool area being crowded and the resort not being walking distance to much, none of which would really bother me). Does anyone know where I could find some prices for things like the cabanas, some of the activities or cost of a taxi to the port? I can't seem to find this information anywhere.

 

Thank you again for all of your help so far. Our eyes and ears are still open so any other thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated. :D

Taxi will be about $15 to port.

I found a 2 yr old post that said that pool cabanas are $125 and beach cabanas are $35-50. Beach chairs might be free for hotel guests (all beaches here are public).

Dining at the hotel is expensive but 3030 restaurant in the lobby is excellent. Bahia Cabana is a 3 block walk and serves 3 meals a day, inexpensively, on a marina. The water taxi is a 4 block walk.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...