Honeymoon hotel in Fort Lauderdale

[vgal]

Hi all - first time cruiser (well, sorta - I went on the Big Red Boat when I was 8) here. My coworker (who's a cruise/vacation fanatic) pointed me to these boards when I told her we were planning a cruise for our honeymoon, so I'm hoping someone will have words of wisdom. :)

 

My fiance and I have been planning out our honeymoon, and we've figured everything out except for a pre-cruise hotel. We'll be flying into FLL on 9/8/09, and sailing on Royal Caribbean on 9/10, so we'll be staying 2 nights. Since it'll be the first leg of our honeymoon, we're hoping to stay somewhere really nice.

 

I feel like I'm going in circles on what's available in Fort Lauderdale, having never been there. I've found some nice places, but they're not near any restaurants or shops, or I've found some servicable but not luxurious places that are in the middle of everything. Help!

 

Ideally, we're looking for a hotel that's very close to the beach and restaurants/shopping/activities, with really nice rooms. A balcony with a gorgeous view is a definite plus, as is an in-room jacuzzi (though those seem harder to find). We'd like to keep it under $250 a night if possible (though that might be a pipe dream...). Distance to the port is not really an issue... we'll make it work. Not too fussy on the type of hotel - we like anything from little boutique hotels to mega-towers.

 

Thanks!!!

[megr1125]

i would suggest the Harbor Beach Marriott (224 and change if you have AAA--you COULD walk to the street and hop on the sun trolley

 

OR....the Westin Beach from about 150 advance purchase.....200 if you book a cancellable rate) the W Ft L beach from about 160 Advance Purch-WAY too much otherwise..)

 

The Westin used to be the Sheraton Yankee something and was closed and really ripped apart and done over within the lasat yearish

 

 

Also...there is the oft-mentioned Lago Mar from about 150-175 ish

 

www.marriott.com

www.starwood.com

www.lagomar.com

 

Those are close to the beach/or on it...and really nice...

 

There is the Renaissance which is on 17th...closer to stuff, still nice, nice pool...cab or sun trolley to beach...that was about 150 IIRC (i just looked, but i forgot!):p

 

The Ft Lauderdale grande

www.ftlauderdalegrande.com or www.hilton.com from 109 and up (less if you do adv purch...again, not by beach, but there's a water taxi stop right there IIRC and you can see ships if you are high up (there is a low part and a tall part). WAS a Marriott a few years back.....they redid it (really ripped apart) in 2007...i heard the rooms can be a bit smallish, but nice.

 

The Hyatt Pier 66 is another option. From about 109 and up. Again, not by beach, but you can see the ships if you're high enough

www.hyatt.com

 

 

 

www.suntrolley.com

www.watertaxi.com

 

HTH...good luck....congrats! Those are the nicest....i am sure more will chime in!

 

 

problem is you're going to be there midweek so that wipes out the sun trolley (bummer).

 

You can walk places from the Grande or the Hyatt (but the hyatt is over the causeway bridge...so it's a longer walk up and down the bridge!)

 

There is the water taxi stop at the grande.

 

The Marriott is a longer walk from stuff, but again, if you walk down the driveway, you can even hop on a local bus (the #41) and ride to the galleria mall-OR cross the street, and ride it the other way on 17th, over the causeway, and stop by Cordova (which is near http://www.theharborshops.com and the embassy suites plus other stuff)

 

Cabs shouldn't be too much on the beach side....but if you're going over the causeway draw bridge, the meter runs so.....it could be more!

 

I wouldn't rent a car unless you want to explore as most places charge an arm and a leg to park! you could rent one for the day as some hotels have rental places on site.

 

You could also call the hotels direct as some may have a honeymoon deal!

[BlueHerons]

The Pillars At New River Sound would be perfect for you! It is on the water and a short hop to the beach. It is also a great walk to Las Olas.

 

It is very romantic and a luxury boutique hotel! And it is on the water taxi route!

 

http://www.pillarshotel.com/

[royalcruz]

The W across the street from the beach is absolutely fabulous for young people. I believe all rooms have balconies with intracoastal and ocean views. I'm not sure if they have any in-room jacuzzis, but the showers are really sexy. I just spent 2 nights there and had more fun than I've had for a very long time. There is a bar, restaurant, nightclub, and amazing pool deck. The Galleria Mall is just over a mile away. There are restaurants in every hotel, and other beachfront restaurants just over a half mile away. September is off-season, so you might be able to get a good deal if you keep checking.

[monicajay]

Congratulations,

 

I love the pool area at the Marriott Harbour Beach (check out the pics on tripadvisor) and of course being a Marriott the rooms are nice too. Yes, it is a bit of a walk (10-15 mins) to where there is a good choice of restaurants but heh you are walking alongside the ocean :). Starbucks in the lobby, great food at the beach/pool restaurant and although we didn't eat there, reviews of the hotel restaurant are very good.

 

I would not stay up on 17th.

[BlueHerons]

The W across the street from the beach is absolutely fabulous for young people. I believe all rooms have balconies with intracoastal and ocean views. I'm not sure if they have any in-room jacuzzis, but the showers are really sexy. I just spent 2 nights there and had more fun than I've had for a very long time. There is a bar, restaurant, nightclub, and amazing pool deck. The Galleria Mall is just over a mile away. There are restaurants in every hotel, and other beachfront restaurants just over a half mile away. September is off-season, so you might be able to get a good deal if you keep checking.

 

And where is that promised report?:D

[vgal]

Wow, thanks for the replies everyone... definitely some good possibilities. We're especially intrigued by the W hotel... is Whiskey Blue actually a whiskey bar, or is it just a cute name? ;)

 

In looking around, we've actually found some surprisingly good prices on the Ritz-Carlton and the Atlantic Hotel. Are there any caveats we should know about those?

[royalcruz]

And where is that promised report?:D

It's coming....

[royalcruz]

Wow, thanks for the replies everyone... definitely some good possibilities. We're especially intrigued by the W hotel... is Whiskey Blue actually a whiskey bar, or is it just a cute name? ;)

 

In looking around, we've actually found some surprisingly good prices on the Ritz-Carlton and the Atlantic Hotel. Are there any caveats we should know about those?

 

Good question about Whiskey Blue. I'm not sure if it is a real whiskey bar or not, but it is a nightclub with loud music, and it had long lines on opening night, so we went to the Living Room bar instead which was fun.

 

The Ritz-Carlton opened about 18 months ago as the St. Regis, then changed names. It is a very quiet classy hotel. They have a nice wine/martini bar. We ate at the restaurant Cero and the food was not very tasty. The location is great, right next to Beach Place.

 

The Atlantic is on the far north end of the strip, but is walkable to places. It is a very nice hotel, and was the first 4 star hotel to open in this area, about 4 years ago. I love the atmosphere in the bar/restaurant, but the food is hit or miss.