Anyone wanting to stay at this Hotel should read this. I will identify good and bad points about the Hotel, and about Fort Lauderdale in General.
I just got back home from this Hotel this past week, and overall I'd have to say it was a pretty good vacation, though I don't think I'd return to this hotel in the near future in my current situation. That being said, this hotel would make an excellent choice for some seeking convenience and value.
The hotel is very nice, with a nice lobby, and friendly staff. We had a studio suite on the 9th floor of the intercoastal waterway. The room was very nice, with a very comfortable king size bed, a very large beautiful balcony, a full kitchen (no oven) with 2 burners, a full fridge, and a washer and dryer. This is very convenient if you don't want to eat out for every meal. Our room had a separate living area with a sofa bed, and the king bed near the balcony, although the rooms are not really separate. Size is definitely adequate for a small family (we were 3, our 3 year old slept on the sofa bed no complaints!!) Staff did a pretty good job of keeping our room clean and were usually pretty quick if we needed something. The hotel is new, so all furniture, etc is in good shape.
On the down side, this hotel is not the best place to go if you have small children and want to go to the beach every day. The hotel provides a shuttle to the beach, and they gave us a lift except for once, when the valet guy told us he couldn't give us a lift because someone called in sick and he was alone. Its not too much fun walking in the Florida heat with umbrellas, towels, and a cranky 3 year old. However, like I said, this was the exception. I would say the walk is just slight of 15 minutes in those circumstances. The hotel provides towels, and umbrellas... but the umbrellas are mostly in fair condition at best, and were always turning inside out every time we went to the beach. I would also say it was fairly windy and the waters a lot choppier than when I was in Fort Lauderdale last year in August once again. You are dropped at the beach at the Oakland Park intersection, about a minute walk to the beach. This entrance is used by the general public, so some of Fort Lauderdale's less fortunate people use this this place as a place to nap, hang out, and to bathe in the showers used to wash away sand just of the beach. I don't want to sound insensitive, I'm just being honest... you will have homeless people at this section of beach, and the occasional shady characters, although I can't say we felt unsafe. It wasn't a great feeling having to wait for a very indiscreet homeless woman to wash herself with a bunch of kids around waiting to rinse the sand off themselves. If you want a lift back from the beach, you have to call the hotel and they will pick you up when they can. Curiously, I only saw one couple go the beach once with the beach buggy the whole time we were there. I had the impression it would have been like a shuttle going back and forth all day, but it didn't appear to be like that. We waited about 20 mins the first time to get a lift back, so we walked back the other times. Luckily for my son, he usually got a piggy ride back!!
Overall, I think this hotel has great value and convenience and we were generally happy with our stay. I don't think its ideal for a family with small children under 5, but there are many positives that make it worth staying here. The full size fridge with freezer, a stove with 2 burners, and also a washer and dryer. To many people this means nothing, but its really nice to be able to have at least a good breakfast at your room before starting your day. Like I said previously, the balconies are awesome and provide a really good view of the intercoastal waterways. These rooms are more expensive for a reason... the ocean view advertised probably wont provide much of a view. The hotel is a couple of blocks back and the view is surely hindered by other large hotels and buildings.
I hope this helps!!
The hotel is very nice, with a nice lobby, and friendly staff. We had a studio suite on the 9th floor of the intercoastal waterway. The room was very nice, with a very comfortable king size bed, a very large beautiful balcony, a full kitchen (no oven) with 2 burners, a full fridge, and a washer and dryer. This is very convenient if you don't want to eat out for every meal. Our room had a separate living area with a sofa bed, and the king bed near the balcony, although the rooms are not really separate. Size is definitely adequate for a small family (we were 3, our 3 year old slept on the sofa bed no complaints!!) Staff did a pretty good job of keeping our room clean and were usually pretty quick if we needed something. The hotel is new, so all furniture, etc is in good shape.
On the down side, this hotel is not the best place to go if you have small children and want to go to the beach every day. The hotel provides a shuttle to the beach, and they gave us a lift except for once, when the valet guy told us he couldn't give us a lift because someone called in sick and he was alone. Its not too much fun walking in the Florida heat with umbrellas, towels, and a cranky 3 year old. However, like I said, this was the exception. I would say the walk is just slight of 15 minutes in those circumstances. The hotel provides towels, and umbrellas... but the umbrellas are mostly in fair condition at best, and were always turning inside out every time we went to the beach. I would also say it was fairly windy and the waters a lot choppier than when I was in Fort Lauderdale last year in August once again. You are dropped at the beach at the Oakland Park intersection, about a minute walk to the beach. This entrance is used by the general public, so some of Fort Lauderdale's less fortunate people use this this place as a place to nap, hang out, and to bathe in the showers used to wash away sand just of the beach. I don't want to sound insensitive, I'm just being honest... you will have homeless people at this section of beach, and the occasional shady characters, although I can't say we felt unsafe. It wasn't a great feeling having to wait for a very indiscreet homeless woman to wash herself with a bunch of kids around waiting to rinse the sand off themselves. If you want a lift back from the beach, you have to call the hotel and they will pick you up when they can. Curiously, I only saw one couple go the beach once with the beach buggy the whole time we were there. I had the impression it would have been like a shuttle going back and forth all day, but it didn't appear to be like that. We waited about 20 mins the first time to get a lift back, so we walked back the other times. Luckily for my son, he usually got a piggy ride back!!
Overall, I think this hotel has great value and convenience and we were generally happy with our stay. I don't think its ideal for a family with small children under 5, but there are many positives that make it worth staying here. The full size fridge with freezer, a stove with 2 burners, and also a washer and dryer. To many people this means nothing, but its really nice to be able to have at least a good breakfast at your room before starting your day. Like I said previously, the balconies are awesome and provide a really good view of the intercoastal waterways. These rooms are more expensive for a reason... the ocean view advertised probably wont provide much of a view. The hotel is a couple of blocks back and the view is surely hindered by other large hotels and buildings.
I hope this helps!!
