Fort Lauderdale Hotels

[ShonaTay56]

Hi folks I am looking for some advice on transfers from Miami International Airport to Fort Lauderdale and also hotels in Fort lauderdale. We are booked on the 13th September Equinox ABC cruise and got a very good deal on the flights. I have been looking at hotel Pier 66 but there does not appear to be any restaurants roundabout for breakfast and so on.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Alan Taylor

[sailco]

Embassy Suites by Hilton.

[yorky]

18 minutes ago, ShonaTay56 said:

Hi folks I am looking for some advice on transfers from Miami International Airport to Fort Lauderdale and also hotels in Fort lauderdale. We are booked on the 13th September Equinox ABC cruise and got a very good deal on the flights. I have been looking at hotel Pier 66 but there does not appear to be any restaurants roundabout for breakfast and so on.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Alan Taylor

What type of hotel are you looking for ? Large chain, boutique, location, price range.

[ShonaTay56]

Hi Yorky,

We would be looking for a 4 or 5 star hotel and we were looking at the Marina area but are open to suggestions. Price is not really an issue but obviously we don't want to spend £500.00  ($700.00) per night on just a bed. Would rather save the money for the cruise.

First night in the hotel would be a bit of a waste anyway as we fly from Aberdeen to Heathrow and then direct flight to Miami getting in at 18.15 which I believe will be about 23.15 british time.

Thanks

Alan

[yorky]

31 minutes ago, ShonaTay56 said:

Hi Yorky,

We would be looking for a 4 or 5 star hotel and we were looking at the Marina area but are open to suggestions. Price is not really an issue but obviously we don't want to spend £500.00  ($700.00) per night on just a bed. Would rather save the money for the cruise.

First night in the hotel would be a bit of a waste anyway as we fly from Aberdeen to Heathrow and then direct flight to Miami getting in at 18.15 which I believe will be about 23.15 british time.

Thanks

Alan

Hi Alan

 

we are on the ship right after you, we fly Glasgow to Heathrow then on to Miami staying here first night as we are also in fairly late and it’s close to the airport 

https://www.ebhotels.com/miami?&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhanXgPKi4AIVBZ3tCh2srAamEAAYASAAEgLl5PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Four stars and very good reviews, they have an airport shuttle. We stay a night after this at the Manderin oriental in Miami.

after the cruise we have two night in Fort Lauderdale at this hotel.

https://pillarshotel.com/

We will use an Uber between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, if this is new to  you just download the ap and you book and pay online.

Edited February 24, 2019 by yorky

[dkjretired]

1 hour ago, sailco said:

Embassy Suites by Hilton.

 

Agree, many cruisers Stay at the Embassy Suites on 17th St  Other hotels that offer breakfast can't compare to what Embassy Suite does for their patrons.  It is a full breakfast, omelet stations and everything and free.  If you've never stayed at an Embassy suites it really is a treat.    There are also a number of restaurants in the area.   

 

They also have a shuttle, not sure if they will pick you up at Miami airport.  WE just did an UBER.

Edited February 24, 2019 by dkjretired

[WatchHill]

For our cruises out of Ft Lauderdale, we enjoy staying at Hyatt Place off 17th St. It's close to numerous restaurants and a nice shopping center with clothing, supermarket and liquor/wine shop. If you join [free] the Hyatt hotel chain membership program, you will also receive free breakfast at the hotel...this also gives you a slightly better rate.  Pier 66 used to be Hyatt Regency but has experienced significant damage after a hurricane. It was a nice place if you have a car, but not too convenient if only on foot. There are numerous hotels along 17th Street, too. 

 

Comments about Embassy on the FL board seem to suggest the hotel is getting a tad shabby.

 

Uber from Miami is your best option. 

 

Darcy

[Pier290]

We are also on this cruise in September....we are staying at Lago Mar and have done so several times 😎

[yorky]

I always find it interesting when talk of hotels come up. I notice a lot of people from the states tend to book the big chain hotels. I take it that’s often due to the loyalty programmes and the reassurance of knowing what you are getting. We have done it occasionally but have had some wonderful experiences booking smaller, independent boutique hotels which offer more of a unique experience.

[dazey]

WE stayed at the Hilton Marina Hotel which is on the waterway(handy for the water taxi).  It was busy and nice but very expensive($400+ a night plus taxes).  I think next time for a change we will stay on the beach somewhere and then just have a longer taxi ride to the port.

[rotoal]

2 hours ago, ShonaTay56 said:

Hi folks I am looking for some advice on transfers from Miami International Airport to Fort Lauderdale and also hotels in Fort lauderdale. We are booked on the 13th September Equinox ABC cruise and got a very good deal on the flights. I have been looking at hotel Pier 66 but there does not appear to be any restaurants roundabout for breakfast and so on.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Alan Taylor

Hello Alan,

 

We've stayed at Pier 66 twice - the first time was two years ago, and again last month.   The first time we had a tower room booked, it was a lovely room and quite large.   We chose to walk along the 17th bridge to eat breakfast, figured that the exercise would be good for us, and it was less expensive than the restaurant at the hotel.   We found a nice diner type breakfast place for one morning and went to Panera Bread, an American chain with better quality fast food than other American chains, for the second breakfast.   I believe that we would have had many other restaurant choices.   The walk was a bit long, but there are sidewalks and other pedestrians are around walking.

 

Our plan was that we would walk to breakfast each morning from Pier 66 on this recent visit.  I had booked a tower room almost a year ago at a very good price, but the tower rooms were damaged by a hurricane a year and a half ago and are not yet reopened.  Our room reservation was moved to a regular room and we were given complimentary vouchers for the breakfast buffet at the onsite restaurant for both mornings.   I believe that one can also order a la carte from the breakfast menu.   I am not the biggest breakfast eater, just need many cups of coffee, but DH does like to have breakfast.   The buffet was very nice, just more expensive than we would have paid out of pocket.   Our goal had been to get some exercise and we lucked out with lovely weather, so walking to breakfast would have been easy enough to accomplish.

 

We were given a Marina facing room.  The only problems with the room were that the door to the bathroom was an odd sliding door that didn't stay closed without putting a towel on the floor to make it not slide open and the room had moldy smelling air conditioning.   The air conditioning control didn't seem to work and the room was quite cool.  The first night we left it as it was, although we kept the door to the outside open while we were awake to try to clear out the moldy smell, and we did have the hotel send someone look at the controls.   For the second night, I just shut the air conditioning off, we were cool enough and the moldy smell wasn't quite so bad.   We were concerned that everything would continue to smell once we got on the ship, but the smell disappeared once we moved out of that room.   In retrospect we should have asked for a different room, but once we settled in, we chose to stay.

 

The grounds at the Pier 66 are lovely, there is a restaurant and bar at the pool area, we had a very nice lunch there one day.   We also like the restaurant called Pelican Landing, it is a short walk to the other side of the property, we have only ordered the fish tacos, and I had some trepidation that the fish tacos would not be as good as we remembered from our first visit.   The fish tacos, which we ordered with a huge side salad was very reasonably priced and were as good as we remembered from two years ago.  I booked a dinner reservation using OpenTable - just before leaving our hotel room for the short walk to the restaurant.   We arrived early, our table was waiting and we were given a complimentary starter for having made a reservation.

 

We have also walked to the beach, it is a long walk.   The hotel runs a shuttle to the beach, but we were trying to get some walking into our vacation, so we chose to walk there and back.

 

There are taxis, Uber and Lyft to take you to the port which is quite nearby.   We've used Lyft both time, the cost is quite reasonable and you can travel at your own schedule.   

 

If you can get a price that you feel comfortable paying for Pier66, I think that it is a nice place to stay.  Oh, and they do make you sign out your pool towels, and charge you if they aren't returned and checked in by a certain time.

 

 

[bhwestgrove]

We have the same itinerary next month for our Edge sailing. We booked a transfer through Super Shuttle who will pick us up at the Miami airport and take us directly to our hotel in Fort Lauderdale. This trip we’re staying at the Renaissance for convenience and comfort-it’s one of the more reasonably priced full service hotels and very close to Port Everglades. I love that you can walk to a number of restaurants and Walgreens drugstore (I always seem to forget something!) so a car isn’t necessary. Yes, it’s a chain, but for one night it’s a great option. 

[PelicanLvr]

OP - You are staying in September....not exactly high season for South Florida.  You will have your pick of good overnight hotels.  

 

Are you only staying 1 night?....if so pick a hotel in town and enjoy a nice restaurant.  Multiple-days in town can get boring.  It's a ways from the beach.

 

Multiple nights? .... try a beach hotel and enjoy the famous Atlantic coast.  It's only a slightly longer cab ride to port and a nice multi-day location.  

 

You should have your pick at a great price.

 

Enjoy.

[dkjretired]

1 hour ago, yorky said:

I always find it interesting when talk of hotels come up. I notice a lot of people from the states tend to book the big chain hotels. I take it that’s often due to the loyalty programmes and the reassurance of knowing what you are getting. We have done it occasionally but have had some wonderful experiences booking smaller, independent boutique hotels which offer more of a unique experience.

 

You are right, we travel to Florida several times a year by  driving and like to know when we stop, it will be a nice places. Had a bad stop one time with roaches so we are a bit careful.

Edited February 24, 2019 by dkjretired

[cantstopingcruising]

 

Until this year, we always stayed at the Westin on the Beach. Convenient, expensive and nothing special.

This year, we tried the nearby W. Great Hotel. Recommend it.

We want to go back next year, but are waiting for a "deal"

[1025cruise]

Allow me to point you to the Florida Departures board, where this topic is a daily conversation.

[Barwick Cruiser]

We traveled to Ft. Lauderdale in January for a cruise on the Reflection.  We booked a night both pre and post cruise, coming from Canada in January you can't count on flights getting you there in time same day!  I got a good deal booking online with the Best Western Oceanside Inn which is very close to the beach and a good stroll from many restaurants with great views of the beach further north.  The hotel reception was super friendly and accommodating and our room was clean with plenty of towels and very quiet.  I rarely sleep in hotels or on cruises without my earplugs but didn't need them either night we stayed there...super quiet.  Our rate included free breakfast which had plenty to offer...I didn't like that they use paper plates and plastic cutlery but other than that it was good.  They had a nice heated outdoor pool with plenty of loungers as well as tables and chairs for enjoying breakfast or later day drinks and/or meals in the fresh air!

 

For dinner both nights we walked north from the hotel and enjoyed outdoor patio seating facing the ocean and then walked back to the hotel along good well-lit sidewalks.  We used ubers from the airport to the hotel and back and forth from the pier.  We would def stay here again as we loved the proximity to the beach.  Walked along the beach the day we disembarked and watched the ship sail away without us...only sad moment of the trip lol.

[Plato123]

We stayed at the Hyatt House in Fort Lauderdale on our last cruise on the Edge.

We had a nice one bedroom unit with a full kitchen and, in the morning, a full buffet breakfast.  They offer a pay shuttle to the cruise terminal and a free shuttle to and from the airport.  Previously we had stayed at the Hyatt Place, across the toad but we like the Hyatt House better.  Not much to see in the area but lots of shopping close by.

[WatchHill]

4 hours ago, yorky said:

I always find it interesting when talk of hotels come up. I notice a lot of people from the states tend to book the big chain hotels. I take it that’s often due to the loyalty programmes and the reassurance of knowing what you are getting. We have done it occasionally but have had some wonderful experiences booking smaller, independent boutique hotels which offer more of a unique experience.

I travel to England at least 3 times each year, spending the first few nights in London and always book one of the boutique hotels [Park Grand] near Paddington. We have stayed at multiple Jury's [not impressed], a manor house or two, a pseudo castle,  and one of the local Hallmark hotels in Bournemouth. We have stayed in numerous small hotels throughout the UK, trying to avoid the larger chains to better appreciate our experience. In Southampton, we like the Novotel. I select US chain hotels when in the US; as a familiar/loyal member, we do receive perks and we know what we will be getting for a room. It appears we each do a similar thing when we travel beyond our own country.

 

Darcy

[m8zenblue]

I see a couple of post of the Hyatt place on 17th.

I have seen several mixed reviews.

Can someone who has stayed there recently share their review and experiences, thank you.

[Cruise a holic]

9 hours ago, ShonaTay56 said:

Hi folks I am looking for some advice on transfers from Miami International Airport to Fort Lauderdale and also hotels in Fort lauderdale. We are booked on the 13th September Equinox ABC cruise and got a very good deal on the flights. I have been looking at hotel Pier 66 but there does not appear to be any restaurants roundabout for breakfast and so on.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Alan Taylor

 

1 hour ago, WatchHill said:

I travel to England at least 3 times each year, spending the first few nights in London and always book one of the boutique hotels [Park Grand] near Paddington. We have stayed at multiple Jury's [not impressed], a manor house or two, a pseudo castle,  and one of the local Hallmark hotels in Bournemouth. We have stayed in numerous small hotels throughout the UK, trying to avoid the larger chains to better appreciate our experience. In Southampton, we like the Novotel. I select US chain hotels when in the US; as a familiar/loyal member, we do receive perks and we know what we will be getting for a room. It appears we each do a similar thing when we travel beyond our own country.

 

Darcy

 

9 hours ago, ShonaTay56 said:

Hi folks I am looking for some advice on transfers from Miami International Airport to Fort Lauderdale and also hotels in Fort lauderdale. We are booked on the 13th September Equinox ABC cruise and got a very good deal on the flights. I have been looking at hotel Pier 66 but there does not appear to be any restaurants roundabout for breakfast and so on.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Alan Taylor

 

[Cruise a holic]

We really enjoyed staying at the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Blvd.  The hotel was great- perfect location.  Many restaurants for dining- Lot's to see and do.  We stayed in the new wing which was great.  A little more then the hotels we typically stay in at Dania Beach but so much better.

 

That is now our go to hotel in Ft. Lauderdale.

[vtcruising]

1 minute ago, Cruise a holic said:

We really enjoyed staying at the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Blvd.  The hotel was great- perfect location.  Many restaurants for dining- Lot's to see and do.  We stayed in the new wing which was great.  A little more then the hotels we typically stay in at Dania Beach but so much better.

 

That is now our go to hotel in Ft. Lauderdale.

Good to hear! We are staying there in a few weeks prior to our Flower Power Cruise. We have never stayed there, but there were rooms at a discount for the Flower Power Cruise. I ended up upgrading to a Executive Tower King w/balcony. Hopefully, it will have a decent view.

 

When we took the Carrie B excursion in November (boat tour of waterways), we saw the Riverside across the road from the starting point of the tour. It looked pretty nice.  I'm not sure if something is going on in FLL that weekend, but all our usual places were either booked or high-priced. It will be fun to stay with others going on the cruise - lots of tie dye, peace and love. 🙂

 

It looks like it has some good restaurants and bars in the hotel and nearby. I booked the Wild Sea Oyster Bar and Grille at 6 PM on the terrace for the day we arrive. They have happy hour from 5-7, including half off drinks and chef's choice oysters so should be a good way to start our vacation. We will probably take the water taxi around one of the days, if the weather is nice. If anyone has any restaurant recommendations or things to see/do, I would love to hear about them.🙂

[Northern Aurora]

The Riverside is also our "go to" hotel in Ft. Lauderdale.  Not only do they have good in house dining venues, there are a number of interesting restaurants along Las Olas.

[CruisersTimesThree]

7 hours ago, WatchHill said:

For our cruises out of Ft Lauderdale, we enjoy staying at Hyatt Place off 17th St. It's close to numerous restaurants and a nice shopping center with clothing, supermarket and liquor/wine shop. If you join [free] the Hyatt hotel chain membership program, you will also receive free breakfast at the hotel...this also gives you a slightly better rate.  Pier 66 used to be Hyatt Regency but has experienced significant damage after a hurricane. It was a nice place if you have a car, but not too convenient if only on foot. There are numerous hotels along 17th Street, too. 

 

Comments about Embassy on the FL board seem to suggest the hotel is getting a tad shabby.

 

Uber from Miami is your best option. 

 

Darcy

We are leaving next Sunday on the Silhouette and booked Friday/Saturday nights at Hyatt Place.  Being we won’t have a car it sounds like it is very conveniently located to things we will need within walking distance.