First visit to FL - which area for hotels?

[Nylsor]

We live in London, UK and have booked a Princess cruise for February 2011 out of Fort Lauderdale. We have booked cruise only as we want to spend 3-4 days pre-cruise in FL. We would prefer to spend a few days in the sunshine (hopefully) rather than in the dark days of a UK winter.

We would like to book a hotel (4*) which is:

- not too far from the cruise terminal

- near shops / restaurants

- in a safe area so we can walk around and explore

Please can you tell us which area we should be looking at for hotels which fit the above criteria. This will be our first visit to Fort Lauderdale and we don't want to end up in a hotel miles from anywhere or in an unsafe area.

This holiday is my gift to my DH to celebrate his retirement after a lifetime of hard work and I want it to be special. Any suggestions at all would be welcome. Thanks for your help.

Ros

[SANJOSEGAL]

Hello Ros we were in Fort Lauderdale for the first time a few months ago. We stayed very close to Port Everglades. The hotel we stayed in was the Renaissance here is a link http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/fllbr-renaissance-fort-lauderdale-hotel-at-port-everglades/ This was a very nice hotel, clean and very comfy beds. I think it meets all your requirements.

 

We really enjoyed the location of the hotel because we could walk to almost everything. They have a trolley that will take you to a really fun beach area. http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/beach/index.htm

 

You can also just walk down the street and catch a water taxi where you will see amazing water front homes and huge yachts. http://www.watertaxi.com/

 

I'm not sure your budget but there is another beautiful 5 Star hotel right on the beach called The W http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1522 This is fancy, fancy and right on the main strip lots of restaurants and clubs. You can also access the water taxi very close to this area.

 

We loved Fort Lauderdale and will be returning in August. You mentioned your trip is in Feb 2011 I think I remember reading that time of the year is very popular so prices for hotels might be much higher and book up early so you might want to book at least a few months in advance. Good luck :)

[royalcruz]

All of these meet all of your criteria in Fort Lauderdale:

 

Riverside Hotel, Las Olas Blvd

Renaissance, near port

Hyatt Pier 66, near port

Hilton Ft Lauderdale Marina, near port

W Hotel, beach area

Atlantic Hotel, beach area

 

These might be 3.5* to 4* but they are also good:

Westin, beach area

Hilton, beach area

Marriott Beach Place, beach area

 

Marriott Harbor Beach and Lago Mar are great 4* hotels on the beach but are not easy to walk to other things from. The 5* Ritz Carlton is great too.

[hylasgirl]

We live in London, UK and have booked a Princess cruise for February 2011 out of Fort Lauderdale. We have booked cruise only as we want to spend 3-4 days pre-cruise in FL. We would prefer to spend a few days in the sunshine (hopefully) rather than in the dark days of a UK winter.

We would like to book a hotel (4*) which is:

- not too far from the cruise terminal

- near shops / restaurants

- in a safe area so we can walk around and explore

Please can you tell us which area we should be looking at for hotels which fit the above criteria. This will be our first visit to Fort Lauderdale and we don't want to end up in a hotel miles from anywhere or in an unsafe area.

This holiday is my gift to my DH to celebrate his retirement after a lifetime of hard work and I want it to be special. Any suggestions at all would be welcome. Thanks for your help.

Ros

 

 

If your budget allows, I would definitely stay at the Westin. It is right on the beach and plenty of places to just wander... I love that area! The taxis are very affordable and you really could stay there for several days without needing a car and the transportation would be inexpensive. Also... right behind the Westin, you will be able to catch the water taxis. Which are more like a hop on hop off bus. VERY fun and a great way to get around all the happening areas.

 

Have a blast! I love Fort Lauderdale! THEE BEST U.S. departure port.

[cruiserbryce]

we have stayed at the Embassy Suites on 17th and the Hyatt Place right there as well. They both worked out well. The ES was a bit of a nicer hotel but the rates were better at HP. Breakfast was included in both rates. The HP has a shuttle that will pickyou up at the airport and take you to the terminal at no charge...ES doesnt. Both are near a couple bars and a Grocery Store as well as a short cab ride from the beach.

[Nylsor]

Many thanks to you all for taking the time to reply. Most helpful.:)

Ros ( in a very cold and icy London)

[Aunt Tina]

I love the Los Olas area and was thrilled when I won Riverside Hotel on a bid for a hotel on Priceline for Jan. 30. It was 3 stars (or maybe 3.5) and I got it for $90 per night. The area is right on the river and intercoastal waterway, with a beautiful park and boutique shopping and restaurant area. The water taxi will take you to several places in the area - you can get an all day pass.

 

Stay away from the Ramada and Comfort Inns Airport and Cruiseport hotels!!! I, too, love Embassy Suites.

 

I hope it warms up when you come! Florida has just gotten some really cold weather.

[SANJOSEGAL]

If your budget allows, I would definitely stay at the Westin. It is right on the beach and plenty of places to just wander... I love that area! The taxis are very affordable and you really could stay there for several days without needing a car and the transportation would be inexpensive. Also... right behind the Westin, you will be able to catch the water taxis. Which are more like a hop on hop off bus. VERY fun and a great way to get around all the happening areas.

 

Have a blast! I love Fort Lauderdale! THEE BEST U.S. departure port.

 

You might want to read the latest reviews on the Westin

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34227-d84501-r52877882-The_Westin_Fort_Lauderdale-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

[hylasgirl]

You might want to read the latest reviews on the Westin

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34227-d84501-r52877882-The_Westin_Fort_Lauderdale-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

 

 

I love the Westin... I have stayed here personally and also read reviews that make sense to me. Some people are REALLY hard to please. I am not one of them.

 

The Westin is in a GREAT location and that means a lot to me.

[SANJOSEGAL]

I love the Westin... I have stayed here personally and also read reviews that make sense to me. Some people are REALLY hard to please. I am not one of them.

 

The Westin is in a GREAT location and that means a lot to me.

 

So true you know what they say often times people only write a review when they are unhappy not enough people write about the good stuff. You should write a good review on Trip advisor to balance out the bad ones. Thanks for the feed back and support you are giving us on CC. We actually are looking for a hotel to stay in while in FLL in August. We want to be right on the beach near Las Olas Blvd. That's why I decided to research the Westin especially after reading what you wrote. :)

 

Have a blast on your cruise

[royalcruz]

You might want to read the latest reviews on the Westin

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34227-d84501-r52877882-The_Westin_Fort_Lauderdale-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

 

The review attached by Sanjosegal is not for the beachfront Westin; it is for the Fort Lauderdale north hotel which is miles from the beach in a business park. The Westin at the beach (well, across the street from the beach) is very nice. Here are the reviews:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34227-d1190286-Reviews-The_Westin_Beach_Resort_Fort_Lauderdale-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida.html

[royalcruz]

So true you know what they say often times people only write a review when they are unhappy not enough people write about the good stuff. You should write a good review on Trip advisor to balance out the bad ones. Thanks for the feed back and support you are giving us on CC. We actually are looking for a hotel to stay in while in FLL in August. We want to be right on the beach near Las Olas Blvd. That's why I decided to research the Westin especially after reading what you wrote. :)

 

Have a blast on your cruise

 

The only hotel right on the beach near Las Olas Blvd is the Sheraton (about 8 blocks south of las olas), which is reopening really soon. All others are across the street, including Marriott Courtyard (4 blocks south of las olas), Bahia Mar (6 blocks south), and Marriott Beach Place(4 blocks north of las olas). The Westin is about 3/4 miles north of las olas, but an easy walk. In that area you have the W, the Hilton, and the Atlantic also. Ritz Carlton is next to Beach Place. Also on the beach, but a little further south and not an easy walk to places are the Lago Mar and Marriott Harbor Beach. I hope this gives you an idea of where things are on the map.

 

Just so you know, Las Olas downtown shopping and dining is 2 miles west of the beach (people sometimes think they can get from the beach to downtown by foot, but it is not something most people would do).

[SANJOSEGAL]

Royalcruz thank you so much for all the information. We were just there a few months ago and really enjoyed the beach area. At that time we stayed near the port, this time we would like to be near the beach. We would love to stay in a 4 star hotel its just not in our budget. I do remember seeing the Bahia Mar that might be more in our budget. If any of the ones you mentioned are in that price range please let me know.

 

We did take a taxi to the Las Olas downtown area for a little shopping that is a nice area. We then walked over to the water taxi to get back to our hotel.

[royalcruz]

Royalcruz thank you so much for all the information. We were just there a few months ago and really enjoyed the beach area. At that time we stayed near the port, this time we would like to be near the beach. We would love to stay in a 4 star hotel its just not in our budget. I do remember seeing the Bahia Mar that might be more in our budget. If any of the ones you mentioned are in that price range please let me know.

 

We did take a taxi to the Las Olas downtown area for a little shopping that is a nice area. We then walked over to the water taxi to get back to our hotel.

 

The Bahia Mar is the only large-scale hotel I know of in its price range. Marriott Courtyard is a little higher. There is also a Best Western Oceanside, a little further south than Bahia Mar...it might be worth checking the rates and the reviews on TripAdvisor. I've also seen positive reviews of Cocobelle Resort, a little mom&pop hotel which is a block or two off of the beach, about a mile north of Las Olas Blvd (near Sunrise Blvd).

[emdia43]

royalcruz- what do you know of the Marriott North Fort Lauderdal- it looks like it is in a business district...? and it looks like it is several miles North of Fort Lauderdale itself.

Is it convenient for the beach, shopping- convenience store or a mall ?

[pcl_cruiser]

There is a new hotel called the Cambria Suites that is very reasonable and will pick you up from the airport and take you to the cruise terminal. They don't include breakfast but they do have a buffet that is reasonable as well. We are currently booked at the Embassy but for almost half the price we are thinking about switching!

[royalcruz]

royalcruz- what do you know of the Marriott North Fort Lauderdal- it looks like it is in a business district...? and it looks like it is several miles North of Fort Lauderdale itself.

Is it convenient for the beach, shopping- convenience store or a mall ?

 

This hotel is in the north end of Fort Lauderdale, within the city limits. I haven't been to the hotel in 20 yrs, but remember it being nice at that time and it seems to have undergone renovation sometime recently per the lobby photos. There is a center with a multiplex cinema and a few chain restaurants very close by across the street, but no grocery or shopping other than Office Depot and a luggage store to speak of. I think there is a convenience store on Cypress Creek road within a mile in one of the little strip centers. It is about a 15 minute ride to the beach and it's really easy to get to from the airport because it is right off of I95 about 10 miles north.

[emdia43]

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed. :)