HELP -- More on FLL hotels

[Grandma B]

I'm a new member to Cruise Critic, but have been reading all the forums for several months now. I'm not sure of all the rules for writing yet, but do have some questions on hotels. We have only cruised once before, unlike most of you, and that was to Alaska Sept 2003. We loved it & finally are going on another cruise next January out of FLL.

I have found that hotels are expensive that time of year & so we are looking for a mid priced hotel. After reading all the reviews on here, I had booked at the Sleep Inn Dania for 2 nights pre cruise. However, I changed that to Hampton Inn Hallandale after reading some negative reviews lately.

BEQUIA, I really enjoy all your comments & knowledge of the area & have seen several times your positive comment regarding Hampton Inn Plantation. They were full on the days we are going to be there. So I went on trip advisor web & read several positive reviews for the Hallandale hotel. Do any of you have any reviews of this hotel?

I know this was probably too long, but wanted to give you a little background since I'm a new member now.

Thank you for any suggestions.

Grandma B

[Bequia]

Grandma B, I'm sorry to say I have not read much on these boards regarding the Hampton Inn or any other property in Hallandale. It wouldn't be my first choice even for a night. The Sleep Inn in Dania was a great choice, you should reconsider it. When it comes to hotel reviews whether here or on TA you have to take them with a grain of salt. 95% of the comments on these boards about the Sleep Inn have been positive, the location is safe and your a short cab ride from a gourgeous beach and broadwalk. ;)

[redtop101]

We stayed at the the Sleep Inn, Dania for one night post cruise for $110 US for 4 people at the end of May 2007.

 

Nice , clean hotel with no problems that we experienced. Quiet room on the 3rd floor with lots of room for 4 of us. Decent breakfast included.

 

I lost my camera in the parking lot, but some honest person turned it in to the front desk.

 

Nice hotel in a safe neighbourhood.

[cruzfiend]

Nice to hear your review. We are booked here in January.

[Grandma B]

Thanks for the responses. Bequia, I did as you suggested & re-booked at the Sleep Inn. You seem to know your area well and so I trust you!

 

However, I am curious about one thing. You have given great reports regarding the Hampton Inn Plantation, but said you would not choose the Hallandale one for your first choice. Is that because of the location? I thought maybe it would be a nicer hotel than the Sleep Inn, and of course, I was influenced by the negative reviews I read recently. But the positive far outweigh the negative.

 

We will probably have a rental car, as we are flying in to Orlando first to spend 4 days & then plan to drive to FL. Now I need to post another thread regarding Orlando hotels!

 

Thank you again!

[Bequia]

Purely based on location. The Hampton Inn in Plantation is a better location then the one in Hallandale. ;)

[GSDsky]

Hey stranger. It's your Canadian doggie friend. Thanks for your help this past winter with advice. For those that don't know this person has been great to many and is very honest with no connections to any suggestions. Twice we have asked and received help. I thank you for your time you put in helping strangers.

Ok now that is out of the way...

New dilema this year for you. Brother in law and his wife are cruising with us this coming Feb (08) and are on limited budget for pre-cruise hotel. We would like to do 4-5 days pre-cruise in Lauderdale and I was wondering if you knew good, clean motels or such for that period of time. Something on intercoastal etc. Like the Birch, Angela's, Pink Schell etc etc. Pool, clean, shopping near by, walk to beach or great views of intercoastal. Hey how tough is this.

 

Thanks you and also take care.:)

[emmilu]

Thanks for posting what I need to find! A nice reasonable pre-cruise hotel!

Hope that you are still planning to do back to back and we will see you on the 4th sailing of the Emerald.

[GSDsky]

Hi stranger. No I had to cancel the 4th departure due to being so busy with new place. Still have the 14th booked though. Rich and Nessa have moved from Vancouver to Barrie which is like 45 minutes from us. We chat all the time so all good with them and they will be on the 4th departure with you.

 

You take care.

 

John

[mdmomof7]

Hi everyone,

 

Bequia, is the Sleep Inn Dania the one listed on their website as being Sleep Inn & Suites FLL Airport? The address is 1500 SE 5th Ave. Dania Thanks!

[Bequia]

Hi everyone,

 

Bequia, is the Sleep Inn Dania the one listed on their website as being Sleep Inn & Suites FLL Airport? The address is 1500 SE 5th Ave. Dania Thanks!

 

Yes, that's the one.

[mdmomof7]

Thanks, Bequia! We are flying into FLL, but can stay there or in Miami. I figure it would be better to drive down to Miami on Saturday AM than Friday PM. Right? I think we'll be renting two cars (group of 10) or maybe we'll do the tricounty shuttle mentioned on these boards. Would you recommend one over the other? Staying in FLL or Miami? I think it would be terrific to wake to the ship in port if we stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami, but am worried about the traffic on Friday PM. I was also wondering if the Hyatt Regency at Port of Miami would offer a ship view? I bid for the first and only time on Priceline and won Bahia Mar in FLL in 2005 for $45/night. We were upgraded to a King Ocean View and I found that to be just fine. :)

[Bequia]

Thanks, Bequia! We are flying into FLL, but can stay there or in Miami. I figure it would be better to drive down to Miami on Saturday AM than Friday PM. Right? I think we'll be renting two cars (group of 10) or maybe we'll do the tricounty shuttle mentioned on these boards. Would you recommend one over the other? Staying in FLL or Miami? I think it would be terrific to wake to the ship in port if we stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami, but am worried about the traffic on Friday PM. I was also wondering if the Hyatt Regency at Port of Miami would offer a ship view?

 

Hmmmm.....Is your ship leaving Saturday or Sunday? If it's leaving Saturday I would just deal with the Friday traffic and head down Friday PM. If it's leaving Sunday then Saturday AM would be fine. I'm going to assume your leaving on Saturday. If you need transportation from FLL to your hotel in Miami the the Tri-County private van service may be the most economical for a group of 10 ($128 one-way). While two rental cars may be cheaper, either you would have to drop them off the same night or pay to park them at the hotel driving up the overall cost. If your not driving no need to worry about the Friday night traffic, right? Even if you are driving the traffic may delay your drive by 15-30 minutes, no big deal, don't let it scare you.

Not sure of the views from the Hyatt. The views from the Marriott Biscayne Bay and the Intercontinental are outstanding though and would offer the best views of your ship in port. I'm not a big fan of the Holiday Inn but many a CC'er tend to like it for it's conveniant location to Bayside Marketplace. If your bidding PL and are worried about winning the Hyatt, don't worry, it'll be fine for a night even if you don't have a view. If the price is right, who cares....hope this helps with your decision process.

[letsgocruz1]

Hmmmm.....Is your ship leaving Saturday or Sunday? If it's leaving Saturday I would just deal with the Friday traffic and head down Friday PM. If it's leaving Sunday then Saturday AM would be fine. I'm going to assume your leaving on Saturday. If you need transportation from FLL to your hotel in Miami the the Tri-County private van service may be the most economical for a group of 10 ($128 one-way). While two rental cars may be cheaper, either you would have to drop them off the same night or pay to park them at the hotel driving up the overall cost. If your not driving no need to worry about the Friday night traffic, right? Even if you are driving the traffic may delay your drive by 15-30 minutes, no big deal, don't let it scare you.

 

Not sure of the views from the Hyatt. The views from the Marriott Biscayne Bay and the Intercontinental are outstanding though and would offer the best views of your ship in port. I'm not a big fan of the Holiday Inn but many a CC'er tend to like it for it's conveniant location to Bayside Marketplace. If your bidding PL and are worried about winning the Hyatt, don't worry, it'll be fine for a night even if you don't have a view. If the price is right, who cares....hope this helps with your decision process.

 

Bequia, do you know much about the Radisson Miami Downtown? I won it on Hotwire for about $78 tax incl. But now I'm reading some negative things about it. As far as location, we aren't that worried about it, as we will only be there one evening and will take a taxi to Bayside for dinner and people watching, then back to hotel for the night. But, is it a nice hotel? If it's pretty bad, I'll eat the $78 and try to find something else. Thanks.

[emmilu]

Sorry if I messed up your question about lodging with my post so soon after!

Have you located any place in Fort Lauderdale yet to stay?

[Bequia]

Bequia, do you know much about the Radisson Miami Downtown? I won it on Hotwire for about $78 tax incl. But now I'm reading some negative things about it.

 

Take what you read with a grain of salt, you'll be fine for a night. ;)

[GSDsky]

Sorry if I messed up your question about lodging with my post so soon after!

Have you located any place in Fort Lauderdale yet to stay?

 

Deb & I with her brother and his wife want to come down about 5 days earlier and chill in Lauderdale vs chilling in the snow.

I have done lots of research on motels but was hoping Bequia may lend a hand as they all sound great and look great on the web?

So no nothing yet:o

[Bequia]

rotti, 5 days pre-cruise you can find some really nice boutique hotels in Hollywood Beach that won't break the bank. Check out Sea Downs, Tides (oceanfront) and The Beaugianvilla (next block over) in HB. They generally do not book for a single night, in fact most bookings are two weeks or more...but give them a call, you might get lucky. They're all owned by the same family all next to each other. ;)

 

http://www.seadowns.com/

 

satellite view:

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ll=26.028578,-80.115303&spn=0.003437,0.004989&t=h&z=18&om=1&msid=111808212097114498924.000436099535bd16da577

[GSDsky]

Your a sweetheart:)

[Kallen]

I see this thread has gone to the dogs already (sorry, Rotti, but it was too easy a joke). We are going with Rotti on the Feb. 14th Emerald trip. There were originally 3 of us, so we booked a smoking room at the Amerisuites. Now my mother is coming along meaning that there would be four of us in the room (not good as she and my husband need their space!). I checked the Amerisuites web site and there don't seem to be any two bedroom suites, just the one bedroom, one couch type. I'm back to square one again. Can anyone recommend another hotel to try?