Need help choosing Ft. Lauderdale hotel

[beachbum53]

We will be flying into Ft. Lauderdale on Feb. 28 for one night. We are booked on a cruise leaving on Feb. 29. We're looking for a hotel that has shuttle service from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to the cruise port. We'd prefer (if possible) a hotel that has a store (or stores) within walking distance where we can buy a carton of sodas and possibly some other things for our cruise. And it would be a big plus if the rate is $150.00 or less for a decent hotel that doesn't have a bunch of negative reviews. Thank-you.

[shipgeeks]

Hotels on 17th Street/Convention Center area are close to a lot of stores, and are very popular with cruisers.  They typically have a free shuttle from airport to hotel, and a paid ($7-10 per person) shuttle to port.  We are familiar with Extended Stay America, Holiday Inn Express, and Hyatt; there are others in the area.

Sunny.org is a search site for the Fort Lauderdale area.  As well, you can use sites like Expedia.  If you come up with some possibilities but can't tell if there are stores nearby, you can come back here to ask.

Prices are very date-dependent.

[capriccio]

$150 a night at the end of February - in the midst of high season - is a tough order.  Check out www.sunny.org for informationon hotels.  The 17th Street area is popular because it is closest to the port and has lots of shops and restaurants.

[antmaril]

The Hampton Inn in Plantation checks most of your boxes, except it won’t be $150 at the end of February.  

[JohninDC]

You will need to bump your budget up by $50+ for a reasonable hotel in prime season. Don't focus on shuttles as you can use Uber or Lyft or a taxi - distances are not far and fares are reasonable.

[bouhunter]

3 hours ago, JohninDC said:

You will need to bump your budget up by $50+ for a reasonable hotel in prime season. Don't focus on shuttles as you can use Uber or Lyft or a taxi - distances are not far and fares are reasonable.

Yep, good luck finding anything decent (or at all) for 150.00.  And forget about the "free shuttles", it will just complicate your hotel search and limit your options.   Besides, hotel shuttle are inefficient and generally unpleasant.  Uber is cheap and quick.

[nhraformula00]

Hotel Morrison FLL Airport, Ascend Hotel Collection, Dania Beach

3-star3 stars

28 South Federal Highway, Dania Beach, FL, 33004, United States of America, 866-538-0251

 

3-star hotel with outdoor pool, near The Casino at Dania Beach

• Free buffet breakfast, free WiFi, and free parking
• Free airport shuttle
• Collect nights

 

[nhraformula00]

229 a night on hotels.com would be the most reasonable.

[btregoning]

If you are comfortable, I would suggest looking into an AirBnB.

 

We have a lovely place booked for 2 couples in a 2BR 1BA for the night before our cruise (Jan. 29 - Jan. 30), weekend of Superbowl.  I think we paid about $100 total.  I just look or a superhost with a lot of good reviews.

[skrufy]

On 1/1/2020 at 3:14 PM, beachbum53 said:

We will be flying into Ft. Lauderdale on Feb. 28 for one night. We are booked on a cruise leaving on Feb. 29. We're looking for a hotel that has shuttle service from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to the cruise port. We'd prefer (if possible) a hotel that has a store (or stores) within walking distance where we can buy a carton of sodas and possibly some other things for our cruise. And it would be a big plus if the rate is $150.00 or less for a decent hotel that doesn't have a bunch of negative reviews. Thank-you.

On 17th St. there’s a Holiday Inn Express, Renaissance, Embassy Suites, Extended Stay America, and Hilton Marina. All are about 2 miles east of the airport, and all are about a mile or so from the port. Plenty of stores within walking distance.

Edited January 7, 2020 by skrufy
Addition

[beachbum53]

Thank-you to everyone that responded. After further research, I discovered that rates at all of the better hotels in FLL (Hyatt, Embassy Suites, etc.) are higher at the end of February, due mostly to higher demand at that time.  Yes, there are hotels (Days Inn, Quality Inn, etc.) with lower rates, but far too many negative reviews to make them worth considering. We decided to accept the fact that it will cost more to get what we wanted, so we booked the Hyatt. 

[cruiseapril]

Many cruisers enjoy the Hyatt.  Do give us a review.

[BlueHerons]

On 1/6/2020 at 7:59 PM, btregoning said:

If you are comfortable, I would suggest looking into an AirBnB.

 

We have a lovely place booked for 2 couples in a 2BR 1BA for the night before our cruise (Jan. 29 - Jan. 30), weekend of Superbowl.  I think we paid about $100 total.  I just look or a superhost with a lot of good reviews.

I probably would not suggest a place if you haven't stayed there yet.  

 

OP don't forget to try Hotwire hot rates.

Edited January 11, 2020 by BlueHerons

[btregoning]

AirBnB takes a certain amount of trust. That is one reason I always look for a superhost and a lot of reviews. 
 

We have stayed in AirBNB/VRBOs in Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, etc and always had good luck. But we are always looking for a self contained unit. 

[capriccio]

1 hour ago, btregoning said:

AirBnB takes a certain amount of trust. That is one reason I always look for a superhost and a lot of reviews. 
 

Excellent advice especially in south Florida.  Many condos have strict rules, agreed to when buying a unit, prohibiting short term rentals.  Common is the requirement that a rental be at least 3 months long.