Need Ft lauderdale area hotel advice please!

Hello,

We will be flying into FLL in April 2009 and then will be cruising out of Miami 4 days later. We are looking for decent economy accomodations for the 4 days somewhere around Ft Lauderdale. There are SO many to pick from.... I don't have a clue where to start!!

In particular I am interested in the Best Westerns, Delta, Inter Continental, Sheraton, Westin, all the Starwood hotels... alot, I know. I was wanting to book this card with Airmiles points system and those are the ones that are covered. Unfortunately the Airmiles reps are only able to book it so I need to do all my research on my own to narrow it down.

We will be cabbing it from the airport to the hotel but have a ride covered to get to Miami. We will be visiting with someone from north of FLL so we want to stay somewhere between West Palm Beach and Miami but prefer not to get too close to Miami (so our friends don't have to drive so much).

Any advice? Places or areas to completely avoid? TIA

If you find anything in Boca Raton, that is a very nice place. There are tons of restaurants and a terrific shopping mall, the Town Center Mall. I hope you will have a car if you are staying for 4 nights. If you have further questions, post them and I'll try to help.