Ft Lauderdale or Miami departures - Review of Margaritaville Hollywood Beach resort

[Mcgeneseo]

Hello. DH and i are leaving on a cruise on Sunday and came in yesterday (Friday). We usually stay on 17th Street when we cruise out of Port Everglades. But the last two hotel stays in that area were so-so at best or horrible at worst, so I decided to try something different, hence Margaritaville Hollywood Beach (MHB). It is a resort, so it is pricey. But very relaxing and you don't have to leave the property if you don't want to. I'm writing on my tablet and the photo won't adjust, but here's the sunrise from our balcony in the 11th floor. I won't post any more till I figure it out.

 

For dinner last night, we walked to Billy's Stone Crabs. Easy walk and it is located on the intracoastal. We walked in the street entrance and sat at a small bar literally in the kitchen. You can come in the entrance off the parking lot and go upstairs to the fancier part of the restaurant. You'll want reservations if you want to eat upstairs. Or take your chances for a seat at the bar. The food was fabulous. I had stone crabs for an appetizer and you pick the size of the claw and the amount by weight. I got a half pound of the large so about 3 claws. My DH had clams casino and he said they were delicious. We then split a half pound order of shrimp that came with an amazing cocktail sauce. And be sure to get the rolls....the butter had a touch of honey in it. The rolls were just a carrier....a spoon would have worked too! Then I had grilled Mahi Mahi and DH had the Key West Fish dish. You pick the base (he chose yellow tail snapper) then it's topped with lump crab, shrimp and avocado. The base choices were the snapper, Mahi Mahi, grouper or salmon. He said it was unbelievable. Then we shared a piece of key lime pie. I was glad we had to walk back to the hotel!

We walked back along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. (Broadwalk, not boardwalk). There are A TON of places to eat. All sorts of options. There are a couple of mom and pop stores that I probably won't go in but you could find last minute items. We're stopping at the liquor store across the street today for wine for the ship. I'll post more later today. Only one more sleep until we board the Beyond!!

Edited January 28, 2023 by Mcgeneseo

[Mcgeneseo]

I forgot to mention we took a cab from the airport to the hotel. It cost about $36 with 20% tip included. I've scheduled an Uber for tomorrow's trip to the port.

[Mcgeneseo]

Ocean view from balcony and chairs with intracoastal in background.

[phabric]

The meal sounded delicious 

[Mcgeneseo]

To continue...we had massages at the spa that were simply amazing. The best massages we've ever had at a spa. My therapist called herself an "anatomy nerd". I called her an anatomy guru. We stopped at the liquor store across the street and I got wine for the cruise. Good selection and reasonable prices. Dinner last night was at the JWB steakhouse on the property. Fabulous meal. We both got the filet mignon and it was so tender. The weather hasn't been great, but it's warm and cloudy vs cold and cloudy. I'll take it. The skies have cleared and the sun is rising so I think this will be a beautiful day to start a cruise. We really enjoyed MHB. We are relaxed and ready to continue our vacation. We will come back here for a vacation even when we aren't going on a cruise. If you want to be pampered and be relaxed before you get on board, consider staying at the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach resort. Highly recommend.

[George C]

Thanks for info, was there entertainment at hotel ?

[Mcgeneseo]

1 hour ago, George C said:

Thanks for info, was there entertainment at hotel ?

On Thursday (or maybe Wednesday) to Sunday, music everywhere. Starting at 5 pm at rhe 5 o'clock bar, then 7 pm at the bandshell right outside the Landshark Grill then 8 pm at the Margaritaville restaurant.

[Denversail]

We have stayed here a few times. It is my favorite in Hollywood. They also have a stage on the Broadwalk right outside the hotel that has live bands on Friday and Saturday nights. At least they used to a few years ago.

[Jenner9]

I have never stayed here but I have stayed other places on the Broadwalk! It is an amazing area to stay. I always recommend this area as not many people have heard of it!

[Elaine5715]

Thanks for the review.  The water taxi captain told our  boat that next door to Margaritaville is a hotel known for its topless pool.  When Margaritaville opened, they got a number of complaints from guests who had a direct view of the rooftop pool.  Margaritaville's response to the situation?  Increase the cost of the rooms for the "view".  🤣  

[ChuckL]

On 1/28/2023 at 7:52 AM, Mcgeneseo said:

I forgot to mention we took a cab from the airport to the hotel. It cost about $36 with 20% tip included. I've scheduled an Uber for tomorrow's trip to the port.

How far and how much time did it take you to get to the port from Margaritaville? 

[Mcgeneseo]

Probably about 20 to 30 minutes. We went on a Sunday so not a lot of traffic.