Fort Lauderdale - hotel - port....Help please

[Bequia]

Does the trolley go out as far as the La Quainta in Hollywood on 26th St?

 

 

No it doesn't go out in that direction.

[mjwelch]

Quick note ... (more will follow later) ...

 

Just returned from the Caribbean and did the Dania Sleep Inn and Suites. A total of 11 guests over 4 rooms on two separate check-in dates (before and after cruise). Simple hotel, clean and comfortable at a very good price - used the Significant Organization rate - no problem. Quiet residential area with nearby stores & restaurants - eat at Villa JoJo's! (Mmmmmm, garlic rolls!) Good Mexican in plaza too.

 

We wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

 

(Remind me to tell you about the local bus service - cheap and easy to use.)

 

More later...

[just4kixx]

Thanks for the quick post... looking forward to hearing more! leaving on Sunday :D

 

A~:D

[ltsally]

Fabulous, informative thread! Thank you, thank you to Bequia and others who have been so sharing and helpful here.

 

Only this evening did I start researching our FLL options for a 3/19/07 sailing - and promptly got panicky reading some of the sold out and/or pricey rate reports. So I quickly checked out the HI Express Convention Center and was able to get it on points (rack rate $233 :eek: !)Would have liked to start our voyage with a somewhat more luxe lodging - and may yet gamble with P'line. But in the meantime, I have peace of mind knowing we have a decent, convenient spot - for no $$!

 

Thanks again to all the helpful CCers.

[Loyal Royals NY]

We booked the Embassy Suites on 17th Street for a 1 night pre-cruise for 2/24/07. I hope we made a wise decision selecting this hotel. I have read some reviews on http://www.tripadvisor.com with both pros and cons. Bequia, what are your thoughts on that hotel, please?

Thanks,

Judy

[mjwelch]

We arrived at FLL, got our bags, and called the hotel / (954) 874-1800. We were told the shuttle was busy on other runs but would get to the airport in roughly 45 minutes. The actual time was 65 minutes. The driver, Felix, was polite and professional – and very helpful with our ridiculously overweight luggage. The ride to the hotel felt like it was taking us well away from the business area near the airport – which it was – the hotel is located in a mostly residential area. We knew the hotel was near a Publix super market – but it’s not near the one you see first from the shuttle – you go well past it before you get to the hotel. The hotel is on SE 5th Ave near E. Sheridan St. The exterior of this three-story hotel is neat and clean with plenty of parking if you’ve got your own wheels. (For you GPS / Google Earth types: Lat 26° 2'7.00"N, Long 80° 8'4.00"W)

 

The lobby is large, bright, and simple. The Assistant Manager checked us in without incident – the room charge matched what we had reserved via the Significant Organization Savings Rate. The Assistant Manager was quite busy but professional and helpful, juggling the desk and phones by himself. Apparently they’ve had some staff turnover recently which has impacted both their Front Desk and Transportation operations.

 

The sign at the desk recommends that guests arrange port/airport transportation at check-in. We agree. Being willing to wait 10-15 minutes until things calmed down for the Front Desk, we were able to talk with the Assistant Manager and arrange the shuttle for all eleven of us for noon the next day.

 

The rooms are not overly large but comfortable and clean. The few suites are significantly larger. All rooms have a nice sized bath/bathroom, large mini-fridge, small microwave, and good sized safe (double the size of the one on the ship). A large color TV with a good selection of channels (including HBO and pay-per view movies) and individual unit heating and cooling.

 

The morning breakfast bar was nice, well maintained, and re-stocked continually. The woman overseeing it is charming and very friendly. Pastries, cereal, juice, coffee, eggs, 2 waffle makers (do-it-yourself), fresh fruit, oatmeal, bagels, etc. … all available. There’s a small tip jar in the window between the breakfast bar and the service pantry…please consider using it.

 

The hotel has a small gym (3 machines) with a TV. The smallish pool was clean and very warm – too warm to be comfortable at the end of November! The hot tub – more so. The Business Center has a computer and printer available at $0.10 / minute. I believe they have free wireless/wired connections as well but didn’t use it. (I was on vacation, the computer stayed home!) Just off the lobby, across from the Business Center, were an ATM and a coin, self-service laundry – one washer and one dryer.

 

Local transportation: the hotel shuttle (to/from ports, airport), taxis, car rental (on site, not familiar with and don’t recall the company’s name) and the regional bus service. We used the bus to get to The Museum of Discovery and Science which is totally cool for little kids and big adults. Buy the All Day “BUZ” pass for the bus – purchased on the bus – and you can get all over easily. The number 12 bus has a stop at the corner of SE 5th and E. Sheridan. Walk a few blocks west and you can pick up the number 1 bus. Look for the yellow posts and signs. The busses were on time and clean. (Many, but not all, busses go to the Broward Central Terminal where you can transfer to other busses in the system. With the All Day pass you pay no transfer charges.) For an additional walk, head to the same intersection and walk east a mile (20-30 minutes) and you’ll be at the beach. Several people in our party did it and said it was very nice.

 

So what’s nearby? Walk out the front door and keep going a couple of hundred feet – Walgreen’s – with all your last minute or didn’t feel like packing my heavy bag heavier supplies: shampoo, underwater cameras, toothpaste, travel alarm clock, extra tropical shirts, you get the idea. They also have food (remember, you have a fridge and a microwave) and a pharmacy.

 

Walk out the hotel and turn right, cross SE 5th and you’ll be in a plaza with a Publix super market (go past the small storefronts to get to Publix, it’s initially out of site), nail salon, drycleaner, dollar store, bank (in a separate building closer to E. Sheridan), a new Mexican restaurant (the hotel card key gives you 15% off!) and Villa Jojo’s Italian restaurant. Early bird menu available 4 – 7 PM (you may have to ask for it) gets you all set up for under $9.00. If you like garlic, get the garlic rolls … outstanding! The restaurant is small and simple but the food is very good with nice, friendly service.

 

So we kick back after dinner, play cards, drink wine and beer (from Publix), and dip in the very warm pool. Next morning – the breakfast bar goes great and we haul our luggage to the lobby for the shuttle. It’s there early and ready to go. We’re pierside in 15 minutes or less – fantastic! On the return … here’s where their staffing issues get in the way … we call and are told about 45 – 60 minutes. I call back after said time and am told they’ve had to call in outside help for driving – a different service (contracted by the hotel – no cost to us) has been called and will be another 30 – 45 minutes. We waited over 2 hours for the return trip to the hotel. Even then, I had to be vigilant and keep looking for the contracted van – it had gone to drop people off and wasn’t yet aware that we needed a pickup (in a different area) of the terminal. The driver called to verify the pickup order while I was there with him – they had “just gotten” the request from the hotel.

 

Back at the hotel – check-in was offered for an additional $10 as it wasn’t yet check-in time. We didn’t accept and stayed in the lobby and breakfast area for two and a half hours. It appeared that some guests arriving after us were given rooms … not sure if they paid the extra or not. There may have been some discrepancy in service in this area – unsure.

 

When it was time to leave, the hotel arranged a cab – we left from MIA. Howard was our taxi driver – he’s used regularly by the hotels he said. He estimated a $60 fare which can be beat probably by Super Shuttle or a transfer from FLL if such exists – but we went with Howard. The meter clocked in at just over $60 and it appeared that he made several driving decisions that got us to the airport quicker and easier than if we had followed the road signs. He completely handled the bags – again overweight – and provided a friendly chat to MIA. Did I mention he was early to the hotel? Great service – big tip!

 

Excluding the pier pickup gaff and delay getting us in our room on the return stay (I think they could have done better had they felt like it), everything went smoothly, was nice, and provided an overall “good value for the service” stay. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again and recommend it to you, my friends, as long as you’re not looking for something fancy.

 

Lastly, join their club if you haven’t already or done so at booking time. The current promotion for Choice Privileges® has you stay twice (before and after cruise in our case) and you get enough credits for a free night. How cool is that?!

 

Other than that, I’ve got nothing to offer ;)

 

 

[camperhawk]

Great little review MJWELCH!:D Did you review your cruise as well? would love to read it! Thanks!

[just4kixx]

MJWELCH.. you offered plenty! Thank you for your indepth "mini" review. I'm thinking any more details may have been TMI ;)

 

We are leaving this afternoon and have booked a pre- and post-cruise stay here and hope ours goes an smoothly (sans the transportation gaff) as yours did! Fortunately, it is just DH and I... no kids in tow... so "no worries" just get me to the ship on time!

 

Thanks!

A~

[mjwelch]

camperhawk - I'm working on one for the cruise - might be another week or two (I have way too much to do to have fun at the moment :o )

 

just4kixx - have a great trip, I'm sure you'll find the hotel comfy & clean. Which boat is having the privilege of carrying you about the Caribbean? (We took the Caribbean Princess.)

 

mj

[Sea Fan]

MJWelch, Thank you so much for the comprehensive review, I feel so much better about our stay in April. I may of missed it but how long was you ride from FLL to the hotel?

 

Thanks Again, Dianne

[beachlovergirl]

Deb, The hotels multi million dollar renovation is complete. The hotel is spectacular, still my favorite hotel in all of Ft Lauderdale only second to the Lago Mar. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with the Hyatt. I personally prefer the Lanai rooms over the tower rooms, I'm sure you'll like them as well. Although the rooftop lounge is no longer open to the public you can still check out the awsome views from atop the tower. Just take the elevator to the floor below the private lounge, walk the corridor to the fire stairs closest to the port, open the door to the stairs and you'll be outside looking at the pier (it's an exterior stairway) the views are great.

Getting around, I can't recommend the fifty cent Sun Trolley enough. It runs every 15 minutes, covers a great area of shops, restaurants and beach. you can get on and off wherever you like.

Have a great vacation.

Lois R - Sorry, I'll be out of the area when your here, perhaps next time.

 

 

Bequia - I agree with you about the Hyatt Pier 66 until we just stayed at The Atlantic ! WOW. Definitely the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in Ft. Lauderdale. This is a magnificent hotel.......everything was top of the line from front desk personnel to the gorgeous pool. And they upgraded us to a corner suite.

:D

Dee

[Bequia]

Dee, I agree with you about the Atlantic, a spectacular property. The St. Regis and the "W" will soon be open as well and will give the Atlantic a run for its money. Still as nice as they are I still prefer the Hyatts location and the 22 lush tropical acres it sits upon. The waterfall pools and the giant jacuzzi/hot tub. Sitting in their marina bar sipping cocktails at sunset. That's what really sets it apart from all the rest.

[Pusniski]

I think The Atlantic is not going to attract a ton of cruisers at $500-$600 a night. Most are just looking for nice accommodations at an affordable price. Most don't want to spend 1/2 their cruise fare on a pre-cruise night or two. Were they running any specials for your dates that made the price a little easier to swallow? If I could get it for $300 or thereabouts I'd just pay the difference for my travel buddies. There are so many things I'd take advantage of there. :cool:

 

Do you have any pictures of the place? I'd love to see them! :D

[Pusniski]

I think The Atlantic is not going to attract a ton of cruisers at $500-$600 a night. Most are just looking for nice accommodations at an affordable price. Most don't want to spend 1/2 their cruise fare on a pre-cruise night or two. Were they running any specials for your dates that made the price a little easier to swallow? If I could get it for $300 or thereabouts I'd just pay the difference for my travel buddies. There are so many things I'd take advantage of there. :cool:

 

Do you have any pictures of the place? I'd love to see them! :D

[mjwelch]

MJWelch, Thank you so much for the comprehensive review, I feel so much better about our stay in April. I may of missed it but how long was you ride from FLL to the hotel?

 

Thanks Again, Dianne

 

Dianne,

 

The ride from FLL to the hotel was 15 roughly minutes. From the hotel to the pier was just a couple of minutes shorter. The hotel is in a nice location for access to both air and sea ports.

 

Mike

[beachlovergirl]

I got the Atlantic for $269 per night and that was during the boat show so we were thrilled with that price.

[camperhawk]

camperhawk - I'm working on one for the cruise - might be another week or two (I have way too much to do to have fun at the moment :o )

 

just4kixx - have a great trip, I'm sure you'll find the hotel comfy & clean. Which boat is having the privilege of carrying you about the Caribbean? (We took the Caribbean Princess.)

 

mj

Looking forward to it! My last cruise was on the CB also, had a great time!

[MMW37]

We are driving down the night before our cruise - I have to work until 6pm - and won't arrive at the hotel until 10pm-ish probably. Does anyone know how late the restaurants are open? Are there any bars in the area? Someone way early in the thread mentioned a bar that may or may not have a package license. A bar that we could walk to would be perfect, but if we have to open a bottle of wine in our room we'll live. Just curious, thanks for the great info guys!

[MMW37]

Also, I read that Sleep Inn charges $7 to park, and after e-mailing them was told there was a "nominal" fee. I can call tomorrow...but does anyone know if this is a per day or per cruise fee? Thanks!

[Bequia]

That would be the daily rate. I believe the LaQuinta has a flat rate included in the price of the room but you'd have to book through http://parksleepandfly.com/ .

.....

[mjwelch]

We are driving down the night before our cruise - I have to work until 6pm - and won't arrive at the hotel until 10pm-ish probably. Does anyone know how late the restaurants are open? Are there any bars in the area? Someone way early in the thread mentioned a bar that may or may not have a package license. A bar that we could walk to would be perfect, but if we have to open a bottle of wine in our room we'll live. Just curious, thanks for the great info guys!

 

 

Villa JoJo's Italian will probably have closed up by 10. The Mexican place a couple of doors down (both in the plaza to the right, across the street from the hotel) may be open later - I don't know - and I believe they had a little cantina/bar. You can buy wine at the Publix (also in the plaza) but I don't know of any place nearby with a package license. (Publix closes at 10 on Sun and 11 other nights.) I'd strongly consider getting a bite and picking up a bottle before getting to the hotel if you're sliding in 10 or later. The hotel is in a residential area with open park land nearby - it's far from the center of activity.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Pusniski]

I got the Atlantic for $269 per night and that was during the boat show so we were thrilled with that price.

 

What a steal! Well, I'm at Lago Mar for the moment. I know I'm going to love it there too. Unless they offer promotional rates closer to time that I go then Atlantic is a no go. I just went back to their site and they had nothing available for a promotional rate or even AAA. There is still time so we shall see what happens. :cool:

[brighteyes818]

I recently booked this hotel for our precruise stay in Oct. I was wondering if they have a shuttle FROM the airport to the hotel. I noticed that the website only says TO the airport.

 

We got the $71.99 rate for a nonsmoking, King bed.

 

Thanx

Tanya

 

The shuttle is to and from the Airport,, in August 2006 it was crowded with one little van trying to squeeze everyone in,, the hotel is about 10-15 minutes from the airport.Make sure you put your name on the list at check-in. Laura

[lakesider]

Hi Bequia,

Just catching up on this thread after being away. You were commenting on views from the tower at Hyatt Pier 66. What's the "private lounge"?

Can't believe YOU have to catch the views from from a stair well.

Seems with all your connections you would have the inside line. What's the scoop - is it really that exclusive? No way to sneak in.....

[Bequia]

It's not so much "exclusive", the revolving roof top lounge used to be a cocktail lounge. When they remodeled the property they decided to open it only for private functions, ie weddings, corporate parties etc. Turns out they make more doing one wedding then they did in a month as a cocktail lounge.

I've gone up when staff was setting up for an event to look around and nobody ever kicked me out. I was pointing out though, if you go up and it's closed or locked, you can still go out on the open air stairs to catch the views. "I" have no problem catching the views from there. :rolleyes: