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

[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 www.tripadvisor.com with both pros and cons. Bequia, what are your thoughts on that hotel, please?

Thanks,

Judy

[Bequia]

Judy, I like the Embassy Suites brand and have yet to stay in a bad one. I've never spent the night in the FLL one but have met with out of town friends at the managers nightly cocktail party in the atrium. It was a pleasurable experience and my friends were very pleased with the accomodations. The location can't be beat, you can walk to all of the shops and restaurants in the neighborhood. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there. ;)

[Loyal Royals NY]

Thank so much for your input, Bequia. I really appreciate it.

Judy

[SailAways]

We are booked into the HIX next April.

How does this hotel compare with some of the mentioned hotels above?

I like the location, but am wondering about the actual hotel itself.

There isn't much mention of HIX on these threads, so I would believe there must not be too much negative - If so, please let us know so we can look into alternatives; that is if any are available during our highly booked timeframe.

Thanks:)

[Bequia]

SailAways, The HIX on 17th Street is a fine property. Your right, it's hard to find any negatives on these boards regarding that property. Great location, minutes from the port, walking distance to all of the restaurants and shops on 17th Street. Go for it...Have a great vacation.

[SailAways]

SailAways, The HIX on 17th Street is a fine property. Your right, it's hard to find any negatives on these boards regarding that property. Great location, minutes from the port, walking distance to all of the restaurants and shops on 17th Street. Go for it...Have a great vacation.

 

Thank You Very Much -

We shall do our best to enjoy your beloved Ft. Lauderdale for the short time we will be there - 1 day pre cruise.

We will squeeze in as much as possible.:)

Thanks again.

[Plant]

Hi everyone,

 

We stayed at the LaQuinta in Hollywood FL a couple of weeks ago. It's a nice hotel with friendly people, BUT their website shows several restaurants "adjacent" to the hotel:

 

"Nearby Restaurants

Dave & Buster's (Adjacent), 0 mi.

Red Lobster (Adjacent), 0 mi.

Starlight Diner, 0 mi.

Sweet Tomatoes (Adjacent), .5 mi.

TGI Friday's (Adjacent), .5 mi.

Di Salvo's Italian Restaurant, 1 mi.

Hollywood Ale House (Adjacent), 5 mi.

Tropical Acres, 5 mi.

Islamorada Fish Company, 6 mi."

 

These restaurants are not "adjacent" (IMO, "adjacent" means next to). We didn't rent a car and it was quite a walk to the closest restaurant.

 

Also, be aware that they stop serving the weekday continental breakfast at exactly 9 AM, no matter how many people are waiting. We got there at 8:50 and they'd already put away the waffle maker and were starting to clear the other things. We did manage to get some cereal and toast. Quite a few people came in after us and didn't get anything to eat. You can see by the list of restaurants above that none of the "adjacent" restaurants would be serving breakfast :( !

 

Just an FYI for those who'll be staying there :) .

[gailc]

This thread is loaded with good information. Have already read about the International Boat Show in 2006 on here. Now I can add the show for 2007. We're going on the Emerald Princess Oct. 27, 2007. Didn't know there was a boat show that weekend! I've written down some of the suggestions. I had started looking over a month ago, & many hotels are already full that weekend. We would be going on Oct. 26, 2006. If we can't find anything, we'll fly the same day the cruise starts. I am also limited since I need a hotel that allows smoking.

 

Gail

[just4kixx]

Just returned from our cruise, and pre and post stays at The Sleep Inn, using the significant organization rate. All went well! WOuld highly recommend this facility for a basic, clean accomodation.

The shuttle service was prompt. 10 minute wait from airport (total of 7 minute drive from airport to hotel), total of 20 minute wait from port (maybe a 10 minute ride back to hotel).

The van is a 10 passenger, a far cry from "little" ;)

The sign -up sheet is right there at the check in counter. We originally signed up for the 11:00 shuttle to the port, but decided (at literally 9:55) perhaps we could take the 10:00. Turns out no one had signed up for 10:00, so we got the van to ourselves. Very accomodating! We were on the ship and eating by 11:20am :D

 

The room was clean, and the air worked fine. The beds were comfortable. We called for extra pillows and got them, no problems. We had a pool/jacuzzi view both times, but chose not to partake. It looked clean, and there were others using it ...for what that's worth...

The business center has a computer available for use at $.10/minute. I used this to check in on-line for our return flight. To print cost $.25/page. Reasonable and convenient, in my opinion.

 

The continental breakfast was tasty with apples, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, biscuits w/ gravy, make your own waffles, cold cereal, bagels, butter, cream cheese, jelly, oj and coffee.

 

Thanks to those who recommended this hotel and those who helped with the significant organization discount! We would definitely choose to stay here again!

 

A~

[lakesider]

Thanks Bequia for the info on the top floor lounge at the Hyatt Pier 66.

Too bad it's not still open. We stayed at the San Diego Hyatt in September which has a similar bar/lounge and the views were awesome.

It's a shame they don't open it to the public when it's not booked.

We'll try and catch the view from the stairwell as you suggested.

Thanks!

[Cant Wait 4 Cruisin!]

How much was the cost of transport from airport to hotel and hotel to port? Perhaps this was posted earlier.... i apologize.

 

Were there any stores nearby for shopping? like as in local Florida shirts, etc.?

[Cant Wait 4 Cruisin!]

I didn't find out if this Sleep Inn is a good location going to Port Everglades port? We are flying into fort lauderdale. I didn't know if y'all were talking about other ports or not, or closer to miami?

[newhips]

How much was the cost of transport from airport to hotel and hotel to port? Perhaps this was posted earlier.... i apologize.

 

Were there any stores nearby for shopping? like as in local Florida shirts, etc.?

 

The Hotel offers a free shutttle between the airport and the hotel and between the hotel and the port.

 

Read the previous posts about the shopping within walking distance.

[newhips]

I didn't find out if this Sleep Inn is a good location going to Port Everglades port? We are flying into fort lauderdale. I didn't know if y'all were talking about other ports or not, or closer to miami?

 

You can't get much better for Port Evergldes and the airport.

[booze brothers]

We stayed at the Sleep Inn Oct. 27 and had a very bad experience. Mind you this was our room - others in our group did not have a problem.

 

We were to have a nonsmoking room on the 3rd floor. The hole floor reeked of smoke and the room smelled of perfume. Our little fridge was filthy with soda and some other gunk spilled all over the inside. The tub filled with water trying to take a shower because the drain was clogged. We called several times to have someone come up to help. They showed up 4 hrs. later (11pm) and we were already in bed. I went to the desk in the am again told them of the problems. They said "you should have called us". Very unprofessional and short on staff. We cancelled our reservations for our Dec. stay.

[gailc]

We just booked this hotel yesterday after reading this thread. We'll be there on Oct. 26, 2007 which happens to be the same weekend as the big boat show. Hotels are hard to find.

 

Did anyone go to the area of 17th St. & use the Water Taxi's? How did you get there? Were there taxi's available to go there? What did you pay?

 

Are there many restaurants around the hotel?

 

booze brothers - I hope we don't get your room!!

 

Gail

[booze brothers]

Gail,

 

There is a shopping center across the street from the hotel with a Publix grocery store and a few small restuarants. I think one was Chineese and I know there was a pizza place. We got a great hogie at the publix and shared it for our dinner. There is a Walgreens next to the hotel. If you want to buy water or soda, buy it at the Publix, cheaper than walgreens. We bought a case of water and took it on the ship without a problem. Publix sells wine and beer but no liquor. Dont know about the water taxi. The boat show was also in town the same date as you are going and I'm assuming that is why we had a problem with our room. Understaffed! I'm sure you'll be fine. What ship are you sailing> Mimi

[gailc]

We're going on the Emerald Princess on Oct. 27, 2007. It's a 10 day cruise with 3 Sea Days so couldn't pass it up. We'll also go to 2 new ports for us which are Grenada & Bonaire. It also goes to Aruba which is one of our favorite ports.

 

Gail

[cruisingadoptionworker]

We booked a pre and post cruise stay at the Sleep Inn in Dania, Florida. The accommodations lived up to their expectations. The pool area was nice, and we had a large room with a sofa, microwave, and fridge. As well, it included the airport shuttle and an amazing continental breakfast that includes eggs, biscuits and gravy and waffles. This paid off on our last day when funds were running low. Being right beside a Walgreens, I was able to purchase, and nuke dinner right in the comfort of our hotel room. I highly recommend this hotel, and if you can, staying pre and post cruise as you will need the rest!

[GLCAS]

Just saw a coupon for Sleep Inn on Room saver for $72.99 valid until Dec 31, 06

[lakesider]

Not good at computer skills (copy and paste, etc).

This is a super thread for folks looking for rooms in FLL.

Tried to bump it back up.

[Heartdoc]

We stayed at the Renaissance FLL prior to our last cruise. We booked a suite for my famliy and this afforded us entry to the concierge lounge with free breakfast, snacks, pre dinner drinks and late night desserts. Very close to the pier (we even saw some folks walking). The front desk arranged a car for us to the pier for free. The pool at the hotel is wonderful. All in all, a bit pricey but we would stay there again! Hope this helps.

[popcorngal]

Does anyone have any recent updates on the renovations at the Grande? We're booked there in a month and I had requested the west tower overlooking the Port, but last I heard, they were still not very far along in the renovations. I've got the Hyatt booked as a backup, but at their prices, I'd prefer the Grande if it's workable.

 

Thanks for any info!

[booze brothers]

We're booked at the Grande on the 11th of Jan. I'll let you know and hope it's not too late for you. I'm also a little uneasy and we're still looking for a back up on price line - doesn't look good.

[popcorngal]

Thanks booze! That would be a big help. I just called down there, and they've got me really confused.:confused: I'm hoping someone can enlighten me.

 

When we stayed there a year ago, we were on like the 8th floor and had a room overlooking the Port. Which I'm assuming is the Main Tower. When I booked this place again, back in March, they assured me we would have the same type room and view. Well, my confirmation says "harbor view" in the West Villa. I was told that the Main Tower is completely closed for the renovations. Doesn't the West Villa face away from the Intercoastal and the harbor? We were only there overnight, so I didn't get a real good feel for where everything is, but I can't imagine being able to see the ships in port from the West Villa, which is only 3 stories high. Can someone fill me in? Thanks for any info! This is starting to make me nuts!