Hotels In Fort Lauderdale?

[mindydaile]

Mindy, the shuttle was included in the price of the Plantation Hampton Inn room. I tipped the driver both times.

 

Thanks Roz. I'm trying to compare prices for the various hotels and knowing that bit of information helps me make a more accurate comparison.

 

Right now it's looking like the Plantation Hampton Inn might be the winner. :)

[Roz]

Mindy, glad you found the information useful. I'd suggest calling them before making a reservation to make sure they still offer the shuttle service.

 

Roz

[newmexicoNita]

Is this transportation included in the cost of the room, or is it an additional charge?

yes, they will pick you up at the airport, transport you to the hotel, they have a van that will take you anyplace within a few mile radius: we used them to go to dinner and stop at the liquor store to stack up on wine. the next morning we were on the van and on our way to the pier. The hotel is very friendly, rooms are nice and the price as good as you will get for a clean, nice hotel.

 

Nita

[DedeM]

If you stay in Plantation and want some really good Cuban food, go to Padrino's on University Drive. :)

[DedeM]

Restaurants in Plantation are slim pickins, so here are more ideas for you so you don't have to spend $30 for a cab into Ft. Lauderdale to eat.

 

Subs - La Spada's on University Dr.

 

I heard KM at the Grapevine is good. I haven't tried it, but I have eaten at his previous restaurant Armadillo Cafe which was excellent.

http://www.equilibrix.com/grapevine/grapevine10_06.html

http://www.southfloridaceo.com/article162.html

 

Oh carp, it's now known as Bistro 256 at the Grapevine. Sorry. It's probably good too as the Grapevine Gourmet Market is excellent.

[mindydaile]

Thanks newmexicoNita, DedeM, Roz, and others for all the great information!

[CruiseLiz]

I was looking at Fort Lauderdale hotels the other day and I came across some inexpensive rates on Craig's List. I'm not sure of the web address, just do a search for craigs list fort lauderdale and then select "vacation rentals" under the housing tab.

 

I found the hilton garden inn for $129 and another one I can't remember. I just thought I'd let you know that there are some listings on that site.

 

There are also bunches of listings for condo rentals including one at the Wyndham for $90 a night on weekdays (2 night min though)

[advocado]

Zowie!! I started this thread expecting few responses, at best. You guys are all great. The best. Thanks for your input.

 

Harvey

[Marmarjudy]

When you say there are restaurants within walking distance, are we talking safe walking distance? And what type restaurants? And is there somewhere, again within safe walking distance, to get beer for the room (not to take onto the ship :-)

 

I'm looking for our precruise room for Jan 5th and prices are ridiculous. We have been to Ft. Lauderdale many, many times pre-cruise so only want a reasonable place to stay within a reasonable distance of the port, with a decent restaurant/bar close and somewhere to buy beer for the room.

 

Thanks,

Judy

[Williebill]

My wife and I are also looking for a pre-cruise hotel for next December. The Hollywood Beach Marriott looks like a nice place to stay; I also hear that HAL has staff there. I wonder if the hotel has airport pickup and cruise ship pier delivery.

[sail7seas]

HAL offers Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Marriott Hollywood Beach for their pre-cruise hotel packages. They list them in the back of the Caribbean Brochure and I'm sure they are on the HAL site.

 

[prescottbob]

Sleep Inn?

Ahoy!

 

The following are my thoughts from last May. We've reserved a room for 3/08 and the prices have increased to approx. $130 range (with taxes, winter rates and what-not). Fortunately, I got one one of those BofA promotion Visa cards two months ago for the Clarion chain, i.e., Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, etc. (16,000 free points on application) and the 3/08 overnight will be a 'freebie'. Adequate for our 'needs'.

Here's the post:

 

"We recently embarked on a 5/07 cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. Our circumstances were that our plane arrived around 1600 hours and, of course, we wished to get to the port around noon the following day. I had made reservations on line for the Hampton site ($229 / night) and Sleep Inn site ($89 / night). Since we weren't really staying for any length of time I'd thought we'd give Sleep Inn a try since both motels provided free pickup from the airport and free shuttle service to the Port Everglades dock.

Although a bit dubious about staying at once was called a 'cheapo' motel we were pleasently surprised. I had requested a ground floor room (which we got),the room was quire adequate and clean, the pool and spa were great and the motel provided free WiFi. There was a Publix supermarket across the street in a shopping center (where we picked up wine, Gatorade, etc. for the voyage) that also contained several small restraunts (we had wonderful calzones in the Italian one). There was also a new Walgreens just down the street from the motel that we used to purchase those last minute 'odds and ends'. And, I might add, the motel had a very nice breakfast buffet that included waffles. On our next cruises (scheduled 3/08 with HAL) we will be staying there again. Good luck and have a great cruise."

 

Hope this helps. Your gonna have a GREAT CRUISE regardless.

 

Bon Voyage and Good Health,

 

Bob:)

[Roz]

Judy,

 

Regarding the Hampton Inn in Plantation, there are sidewalks on the surrounding streets. There was a strip mall type development within a couple of blocks that had a Red Lobster, Olive Garden, steakhouse, bbq place, etc. Granted, not local gourmet dining, but adequate and I didn't have to pay for transportation.

 

I was by myself and felt very safe.

 

Roz

[bobnsandi]

 

I found the hilton garden inn for $129 and another one I can't remember.

 

Not specific to FLL, but we have stayed at two Hilton Garden Inns and had a great room and spectacular service. Both were near airports (LAX and SEATAC), and appeared to cater to business travelers more than cruise passengers. However, in both cases, the staff could not do enough for us. While the LAX room was large and comfortable, the room near SEATAC was the most comfortable hotel room we've experienced. Both had excellent Internet connectivity and services.

 

Hope this helps.

[JimVrhovac]

We have stayed at the La Quinta last several trips with excellent results.

 

Near large mall with several retaurants and good transportation to ports.

 

Courteous service and clean rooms...

 

Ruth & Jim

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

I have no financial interests in the Clarion Chain but plug in the dates and search the site and see if this meets your needs:

 

http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/HotelInfo?hotel=FL664&sid=wKwYi.43A4dgf0X.7&sarea=85281&sname=Ft+Lauderdale&sstate=FL&scountry=US&sradius=40.23&slat=26.1220&slon=-80.1435&schain=A&exp=&scity=&sort=dates&type=&map=y&month=3&day=11&depart_month=3&depart_day=12&srp=SSC&amenity=ARPSHTL&nroom=1&nadult1=2&nchild1=0&nadult2=1&nchild2=0&nadult3=1&nchild3=0&nadult4=1&nchild4=0&nadult5=1&nchild5=0

 

Bon Voyage and Good Health!

Bob:)

[Sea Island Lady]

Go with The Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard.

http://www.riversidehotel.com/

 

We have stayed at the Renaissance and the Embassy Suites. Neither was overly impressive, although the rooms in the Renaissance were nice. We had a terrible experience with noise at the Embassy Suites.

 

Our last stay was at the Riverside and we stayed in the Executive wing. WOW!!! We received a large nicely decorated room with a small balcony and a really nice bathroom. Our rate came with a free breakfast for two. The hotel is an older hotel that has been r3ecently renovated and the Executive wing is new. The hotel is connected to the Cheesecake Factory and just a hop to the water taxi and shopping. Beautiful views!

[peaches from georgia]

 

Looking for a nice hotel. Don't care about ocean front (I'll get plently of that on the cruise). Cost not the most important consideration. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I absolutely concur with the previous poster on the Riverside Hotel, esp. if you don't care about being on the beach. This is one of FLL's primo hotels, staying on Las Olas Blvd is terrific for window shopping, real shopping (unique shops, galleries, and antique shops), a lot of good restaurants, and just plain people watching on the blvd. Check out the website and you will see how much fun being on Las Olas is. It's near the port, you can hop on the water taxi, see the waterfront homes on the Intracoastal Waterway and get on and off as you wish. We always stay at the Riverside and love it. It is anything but another touristy chain hotel.