What area of Ft lauderdale is good and what is not??

[thesawch]

I am just wondering what areas of Ft Lauderdale are good and safe to stay in.i am looking at hotels on priceline/hotwire and i need to know what areas to stay away from.Some exaples are,Plantation,Davies,Hollywood,North Ft Lauderdale ,Airport etc.There is a good deal for a 3.5 star in the plantation/Davies area.I am just wondering if that is a good area for 2 nights before our cruise out of POM.Thanks

[lablvr2]

I woudn't hesitate to stay in Davie or Plantation. It seemed like a nice area when we were there last January. Post cruise we stayed at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper right on the beach in FLL. It was a great area and I would like to go back there again. Short walk to all the beach action and shops. IMO, I think if you are going to be spending the amount they charge down there for a room - beachfront is the way to go. It is very close to the port as well. Very quick cab ride. Last minute shopping for any forgotten items are all within walking distance. Great dining choices, too!

Happy cruising!

[ellbon]

IF FLL has a bad area it is so well hidden that in 30 years I can not find it.

 

moe to do by the beach or in town but all is fine.

[SherriZ366]

I am just wondering what areas of Ft Lauderdale are good and safe to stay in.i am looking at hotels on priceline/hotwire and i need to know what areas to stay away from.Some exaples are,Plantation,Davies,Hollywood,North Ft Lauderdale ,Airport etc.There is a good deal for a 3.5 star in the plantation/Davies area.I am just wondering if that is a good area for 2 nights before our cruise out of POM.Thanks

We've stayed at the Renaissance in Plantation as it is in a nice area and for us, it is close to the Turnpike and I-595 to drive to Port Everglades. The hotel has a good restaurant and there are lots of other options around. About 1/2 hour from the beach.

[Venusleo1]

Yay I finaly get to post something that I am an expert on!

 

First off, there really isn't a bad area of Fort Lauderdale where there would be any hotels... stay away from Sistrunk Blvd. and MLK (31st) and your great ( but like I said there aren't any hotels there and its not easy to find that area anyways so no worries.)

 

If your flying into FLL and you have to get to POM I would not advise Davie, Plantation, just because you would be heading west and north of Miami and its the subburbs nothing very exciting with the exception of The Olive Garden and TGI Fridays. Not to say it isn't safe its extremely safe but very boring!! lol.

 

So here are some of my favorite hotels for someone on vacation I mean if you are going to visit my beautiful town you might as well see what there is to see.

 

1. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL The pool is out of this world, there is a huge state of the art casino with blackjack, poker and slots, and an outside mall attached to the hotel and enclosed named "Paradise" with shops dinning restaurants, nightclubs, pubs, bars, a comedy club, and a live concert venue, and tons of live music entertainment an adult playground of sorts but also VERY family friendly. Wow wow wow! Not to mention the rooms and the hotel itself are beautiful.

 

2. Las Olas/ 17th Street area

The River House is right on Las Olas which is one of our more famous streets which boasts elegant and casual cafe/sidewalk dinning and designer clothing boutiques. And then you have Embassy Suites and Pier 66 by Hyatt a 5 minute drive away on 17th street also the Renaissance Hotel by Marriot also on 17th street. You will LOVE any of these I promise!

 

3. The Beach!

I think our beaches are nicer then Miami's but I am biased.

There are sooo many hotels up and down A1A but a couple of my favorites are The Marriot Harborbeach Hotel and Spa. (When I'm lucky enough to find my Mr. Right we will be married here!) This hotel is right on the beach It has a amazing pool, elegant yet welcoming loby a great restaurant and even has waiters to come down on the sand and bring you your drinks.

Like the previous poster had mentioned The Sheraton Yankee Clipper and The Yankee Trader are both beautiful hotels although a bit older.

 

Okay so if these are all a tad bit out of budget I would suggest Courtyard by Marriot there is one in Fort Lauderdale Beach by the Swimming Hall of Fame and there is another one just by the airport in Dania Beach on 400 Gulf Stream Way. The one in Dania is right next door to the Fort Lauderdale Fishing Hall of Fame and outdoor world which boasts a lovely restaurant called Islamorada Fish Company. (But take a cab to Rustic Inn 2 minutes across the street for dinner best Maryland Blue Claws ever!)

 

Okay well I hope this could be of some help. I love playing tour guide and if you have any questions whatsoever about any hotel or area you are looking to book at if none of my recomendations worked (and I promise not to be offended ;)) please let me know. I am at your service! I just want everyone who comes here to love it here just as much as I do! I have lived here in Fort Lauderdale for 21 years and wouldn't have it any other way. (Well okay I really want to move to Denver but thats just cause they have snow and mountains...)

[thesawch]

Venusleo1,I just booked a hotel on Hotwire for after our cruise .Its called the The diplomat Country Club and Spa on 501 Diplomat Parkway in Hallandale for $150 US for a 4.5 star.On the net it goes for $410 dollars on their web site.I thought it was good for after our cruise as we leave Ft L at 7 am monday morning feb. 16th. Have you heard or know of this place??

We arrive into Ft Lauderdale on Feb 6th at 11:45 PM so i need a hotel for a late night friday and saturday as our cruise leaves POM on Sunday.I am with my DW and 2 teenage DD's.Thanks for any info you can provide.i love when locals answer my questions.Thesawch from Canada

[vnoyes]

You sound like the FLL expert. What hotel would be a good choice that would offer shuttle to/from the airport as well as shuttle to the cruise port. I like nice accomodation at least 3* ($100) thanks for any

thoughts you might have. -Vickie in CA

[ldarcy]

We are booked at the Best Western Oceanside on Seabreeze Blvd - any thoughts on it? We picked this hotel because we can pay the entire stay with our Airmiles! I hope it's not a horrible choice!

[Venusleo1]

The only Diplomat Hotel I know of is The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa at 3555 South Ocean Drive in Hollywood, FL and that hotel is amazing, but I do not think its the same one you booked...

 

Okay so I just called your hotel and they are the "sister" hotel to the Westin. The hotel you booked is a more private hotel with 70 villa type rooms on a golf course with a spa and I am familiar with the area as my mom lives two lights away. From what the woman said on the phone your hotel is a "Step up" from the Westin diplomat and if thats true I'm sure it will be AMAZING! The Westin is on the beach and your hotel is just on the west side of intracoastal (its our waterway that separates the beaches from the mainland) but no more then 5 minutes away. Not too much to do in that area but it is very safe and very nice. Alot of retired folk :) so it should be quiet. Now there is a sketchy part of Hallendale Beach Blvd. which is the road you will exit when getting off the highway and head east towards the hotel but its about 10 miles inland close to the highway so no need to worry, just know that as you drive from the highway east on Hallandale Beach Blvd.... it will change as soon as you cross over US1 so don't freak out your hotel is in a beautiful neighborhood and like I said very safe. For entertainment/dinner ect if you don't want to stay at the hotel, I would sugest heading east over the bridge and going North (make a left at A1A AKA S. Ocean Drive.) There will be numerous restaurants up that way that are quite nice, sorry but I do not know of any off hand.

 

Great deal by the way!!

[Venusleo1]

You sound like the FLL expert. What hotel would be a good choice that would offer shuttle to/from the airport as well as shuttle to the cruise port. I like nice accomodation at least 3* ($100) thanks for any

thoughts you might have. -Vickie in CA

 

Vickie,

I really do not have any idea of what hotels have shuttles to the airport/Port Everglades.... :confused:

 

If you find a hotel that offers it and you want me to tell you about the hotel or the area I will be happy to help... sorry I couldn't answer your question.

[Venusleo1]

We are booked at the Best Western Oceanside on Seabreeze Blvd - any thoughts on it? We picked this hotel because we can pay the entire stay with our Airmiles! I hope it's not a horrible choice!

 

Okay Not a Horrible Choice at all! You are right next door to where I want to get married. Litteraly across from The Marriot I mentioned in my 1st post. Great location, right on A1A.

 

Now I have never been inside the hotel so I can't tell you what the rooms will be like but your right on Fort Lauderdale beach so I'm sure it will be nice. I just checked the pictures on-line and it looks beautiful! Enjoy..and at the going rate of $199/night and the fact that your getting it with your Airmiles Hell Yah! Job Well Done!

[pepsicruiser]

I booked a precruise and post cruise with Hotwire for FLL. Pre I got Sheraton Yankee Clipper and it was good. Then we got a Radisson (I think and try to forget lol) in Hallendale. The hotel was fine but area was far from nice. As the other poster said "sketchy".

[ldarcy]

I'm happy to know we are in a good location, that's our first priority!

 

Thanks Venusleo1 for taking the time to answer!

[ancldaca]

The Diplomat is excellent and an absolutely beautiful property. I stayed there pre-cruise in April '08 for a couple of nights.

 

The only downside to it, in my mind, was that there wasn't much else around there since it sits in a basically residential area. Opposite the beach, there's a area called Diplomat Landings with about 4 or 5 restaurants, including a sports bar and a club called Nikki's Marina (sp). My observation: everything closed down real early (midnight on a Friday???); that, I suppose was more due to lack of people there than zoning laws (that I knew of anyway).

 

Here's a couple of pics: the main tower as taken from Diplomat Landings and a shot of the lobby. Also a pic of the infinity pool, the main pool, and the beach area by the hotel.

[wolfcathorse]

Vickie,

I really do not have any idea of what hotels have shuttles to the airport/Port Everglades.... :confused:

 

If you find a hotel that offers it and you want me to tell you about the hotel or the area I will be happy to help... sorry I couldn't answer your question.

 

I booked the Ramada at the airport in FLL, their website said they have a free shuttle to Port Everglades. I'm assuming the hotel is OK as its at the airport! You know what happens when you "assume"...please tell me I'm not!

 

BTW, do you know how much a cab would cost from the port back to the airport? I assume it's a flat rate.

[lablvr2]

We are booked at the Best Western Oceanside on Seabreeze Blvd - any thoughts on it? We picked this hotel because we can pay the entire stay with our Airmiles! I hope it's not a horrible choice!

 

I stayed here back in 05. They were doing massive remodeling and it looked like it was going to be very nice. I loved the pool. This property is right next door to the Sheraton. You can access the beach real fast. I think it's a great choice! Did you check Tripadvisor to see what recent travellers had to say about it???

[brenderlou]

I live in Ft Lauderdale and work very close to the port (we actually park at work and take a VERY short cab ride to the ship when we cruise). There is a new Holiday Inn Express on 17th Street that is very close to the port and walking distance to restuarants for a quick overnight stay before getting on the ship.

There is also a Renaissance Hotel & Embassy Suites that is on 17th Street and a quick cab ride to the port. All are nice hotels (Holiday Inn is a new property and I'm told nice for a less expensive choice).

[brenderlou]

I booked the Ramada at the airport in FLL, their website said they have a free shuttle to Port Everglades. I'm assuming the hotel is OK as its at the airport! You know what happens when you "assume"...please tell me I'm not!

 

BTW, do you know how much a cab would cost from the port back to the airport? I assume it's a flat rate.

 

I live in Ft Lauderdale and know where that hotel is. I would be VERY skeptical about staying there. It is not a nice property and alot of less then savory people hang out there (State Road 84 is not known for decent hotels)!!! I went in there once when I left my cell phone at home and needed to make a call to get directions....YIKES!!

You can read reviews from others that stayed there (or any other hotel) at www.tripadvisor.com. It's my favorite website to get a feel of a hotel I'm thinking of booking.....

The cab ride shouldn't cost much to the airport as the port is very close to the airport and the cab driver will give you a flat rate. You might also get paired up with others going to the airport and ride in a mini van

[msjaxson]

Venusleo1,I just booked a hotel on Hotwire for after our cruise .Its called the The diplomat Country Club and Spa on 501 Diplomat Parkway in Hallandale for $150 US for a 4.5 star.On the net it goes for $410 dollars on their web site.I thought it was good for after our cruise as we leave Ft L at 7 am monday morning feb. 16th. Have you heard or know of this place??

 

You will love the diplomat !!! I stayed there 2 years ago!!! They are the siste hotel to the westin diplomat and you can go over there as well ( another super hotel)

[KJBBrett]

If I may interject here with my suggestion.

 

 

Courtyard by Marriott Dania Beach was where I stayed a few weeks ago and it provided a free shuttle to and from the airport and to Port Everglades (not from). I'm not sure about POM though. But a taxi ride wouldn't be too terrible as the highway is relatively close.

 

For the whole shebang for 1 night I paid $135 (including taxes and a couple sundries.)

 

The hotel had a great breakfast (included in my room rate, but that was a special Stay for Breakfast rate) and was clean and very comfortable. (GREAT shower!).

 

There is also a decent Walgreens and CVS nearby (1.2 miles away) to stock up on anything you forgot for the trip!

 

The Tri-Rail also stops RIGHT there and may be an option for getting around as well.

[KJBBrett]

and Ms VenusLeo....come to Denver any time you want! I adore it here.

 

I'll tell you all of places to go. :D

[frisbeeace]

You may want to consider the Springhill Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport by Marriott. It provides free breakfast, free internet, free shuttle to/from airport and Port Everglades and it accomodates up to 5 people per room in its suite type rooms. January rates for most hotels are around $200 though.

[pepsicruiser]

I stayed here back in 05. They were doing massive remodeling and it looked like it was going to be very nice. I loved the pool. This property is right next door to the Sheraton. You can access the beach real fast. I think it's a great choice! Did you check Tripadvisor to see what recent travellers had to say about it???

 

 

I also stayed at this Ramada with the shuttle many years ago. It had outside entrances to the room (which I don't care for) and an security guard that patroled the grounds which made me leary. Needless to say we never went back.

[bigal3967]

All right you Ft Lauderdale-nites....We are booked at the Renaissance Jan 16th and want to go out to eat at a nice seafood place for dinner and just kick around a little. Any suggestions that are close by?? Oh yea, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary!!

 

Big Al

[buzymom3]

Hi Venusleo1!!

You are an angel to post all that information and I want to thank you!!

 

We are going to be staying at the Hilton Ft. Lauderdale for two nights precruise...do you think that it is good for teens too? (I have a 18, 17 and 14 year olds)

 

We are sailing on FOS on March 22nd and are coming in a couple of days early to go to the everglades and do an airboat tour and maybe hit a couple of the keys.

 

But my question is: My mom is coming in via Amtrak the day before we do. any suggestions of a good Hilton or Marriott brand hotel near the FLL airport or on the way to our hotel? I need her to be in a safe area, but maybe where she can walk to dinner and shopping. Is that even possible??

 

Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. This is a trip celebrating my mom's 75th, my 50th, my son's 18th AND my 3 year mark for cancer survivor. It is a once in a lifetime thing...:D:D:D

 

janet