Anyone know a good hotel in Ft Lauderdale?

[WalS]

Hello,

We are currently booked at the Pier 66 Hyatt in Ft Lauderdale the night prior to our cruise. I just left tripadvisor.com and read nothing but bad reviews about the place. Every single review, wow:eek: . I normally take bad reviews with a grain of salt, but there were to many consistencies to ignore. With that said, I am considering cancelling our Friday night stay in April. Can anyone recommend a nice hotel in the area? It would sure help. Or better yet, has anyone stayed at Pier 66? There has to be one good review out there. Either way, thanks in advance.

 

Wals,

[ekerr19]

You will find many here who prefer Pier 66, myself included. I don't know if the renovations have been completed, but that might be the reason for the recent poor reviews.

 

Last trip, we stayed at the Renaissance and it was disappointing compared to Pier 66.

 

I'm sure someone will post who has stayed there recently.

[Balliett]

just back from an FLL stay at Marriott Harbor Beach. Nice balcony room where you can see the cruise ships leave from the docks at sunset. Zagat highly-rated restaurant, Ocean 3030. Might be pricey. We used Marriott points, so can't say. Have stayed twice at Marriott Marina. Has a nice precruise deal, balcony room, breakfast, ride to the ship. A plus here is the water taxi stop close by. Rumor has it Marriott is selling this property. Jim

[LoveLifeAtSea]

I have stayed numerous times at Lago Mar Resort, which is a beachfront, private owned resort located between Marriott Harbor Beach and the hi-rise condomiums where cruiseships pass as they leave. I personally enjoy my stays there! Here is their link in case you are interested in checking them out: http://www.lagomar.com/

[exgman]

We've always stayed at the Embassey Suites. They also have a shuttle from the airport, free breakfast, and a free ride to the pier. Nice rooms also.

 

Dan

[sail7seas]

Hyatt Pier 66 has changed a lot. We have stayed there dozens and dozens of times throughout many years. We were last there in January for several days pre and post cruise and found a great many changes at this hotel that were not for the better, in our opinion.

 

We are debating whether we will return. This is coming from what was (until this experience) VERY loyal guests.....but were not satisified this last stay.

[Frogs]

Has anyone ever stayed at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel? How close is this to the port?

[bookworm0911]

Hyatt Pier 66 has changed a lot. We have stayed there dozens and dozens of times throughout many years. We were last there in January for several days pre and post cruise and found a great many changes at this hotel that were not for the better, in our opinion.

 

We are debating whether we will return. This is coming from what was (until this experience) VERY loyal guests.....but were not satisified this last stay.

Sail7Seas-- Would you tell us what the unsatisfactory changes are. We have stayed there and would be interested to know what the differences are before we go back which we might want to do before our next criuse.

[Pudgesmom]

We just had a delightful one night stay at the Best Western Pelican Beach Resort. I have no idea why it is a Best Western, because I felt it was far above the usual Best Western standards. We had a beachfront room which was affordable and delightful, and because it was a Sunday, we were able to watch several ships exit the channel in the evening

 

Beth

[Cruiseoften]

Pier 66 was used to be great - that said, it's now, in our opinion, overpriced and lacking in service. It's one H-of-a-long hike to those lanai rooms!....and no assistance offered.

 

We're looking for something more reasonable for one night pre-cruise - any comments on Holiday Inn, 999 Ft.Lauderdale Beach Blvd.?

 

Seems that a shuttle from the airport is available - that's good! Any idea how far it is from HAL ship boarding pier? - we're traveling in May.

[Cruiseoften]

Pier 66 was, used to be great - that said, it's now, in our opinion, overpriced and lacking in service. It's one H-of-a-long hike to those lanai rooms!....and no assistance offered.

 

We're looking for something more reasonable for one night pre-cruise - any comments on Holiday Inn, 999 Ft.Lauderdale Beach Blvd.?

 

Seems that a shuttle from the airport is available - that's good! Any idea how far it is from HAL ship boarding pier? - we're traveling in May.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Has anyone ever stayed at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel? How close is this to the port?

 

I stayed there for 3 days post cruise last summer. I thought the place was great. I'd say its about 10-15 minutes from the pier.

 

Bill

[Mr. Boston]

We stayed there last February one night post-cruise and two nights pre-cruise at the Embassy Suites. They are both very close to the port. I was not that impressed with the Renaissance as the pool was out of order and the water was green. Our room was supposed to be non-smoking and it reeked of smoke. They brought in the ozone machine but it did not resolve the problem. I've also stayed at the Renaissance in Chicago and I guess I would have to say I'm not a fan of the product. Too much emphasis on faux elegance and not enough attention to the basics.

[sail7seas]

. ........Have stayed twice at Marriott Marina. Has a nice precruise deal, balcony room, breakfast, ride to the ship. A plus here is the water taxi stop close by. Rumor has it Marriott is selling this property. Jim

 

 

No rumor about it. Mariott Marina has been sold. The same group that owns Hyatt Pier 66, Bahia Mar and Boca Raton Resort now own it.

 

Things are being done quite differently. They are investors; they are not hoteliers. Customer satisfaction is not their highest priority IMO (based only upon my personal observation and experience as a guest).

[ekerr19]

Has anyone ever stayed at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel? How close is this to the port?

 

Frogs - We stayed there last March. It was nice, but we liked the ambience of the old Pier 66 better. After hearing several longtime posters and fans of Pier 66 say they were dissatisfied, I think I'll go with that and book elsewhere in the future.

 

The one extremely notable thing I can say about Renaissance is regarding the service. The check-in staff, bell persons, management, etc. were extremely polite and accommodating - but when my daughter left her new iPod under the pillow (she did not discover it until we were at the pier ready to embark), I called the hotel manager from my cellphone and was told it had already been turned in by the cleaning staff and asked me if I wanted it sent to our house - he Fed Ex'd it that day and it was waiting for us when we got home.

 

I was very impressed - in most other hotels where I've stayed, it would have been long gone.

 

The water taxi is also very close to this hotel and definitely worth taking for a sunset ride.

[ekerr19]

oops, doubled it - sorry!

[torpeedo]

Spent two days pre cruise at Pier 66 in February. This was our first visit post construction, and 15th visit overall since 1995. We were very disappointed in the current product, and probably will not return in December for our next cruise. We stayed in one of the "new-upgraded" lanai rooms, and were not impressed. We fully share Sail7Seas opinion about the group who now operate the hotel. They are certainly not hoteliers, and the focus on our visit was to cater to large groups and conventions, rather than the leisure traveler.

[gypsylady]

We stayed at the Rennaissance Plantation on Feb 22/06, the night before our cruise on the Zaandam. The rooms were very comfortable with wonderful Egyptian duvets and sheets on the beds. The hotel restaurant has a wonderful menu. Portions were very generous and absolutely delicious. Great pool area as well. Customer service and hospitality have been major goals for all staff there and it has paid off. I have never felt more welcomed anywhere. The executive chef spoke to us in the lobby while we were waiting for the cruise pickup. When asked if we had lunch yet, we replied that we would eat on the ship. He quickly hurried away and returned with a complimentary bag of fresh fruit containers and yogurt for each of us with best wishes to enjoy our day.

[Himself]

A couple of years ago I stayed at the Holiday Inn at 999 Fort Lauderdale Beach road and thought it was a nice place. Cost me about 15 or 20 dollars for the cab to the pier. I walked a couple blocks south--maybe 3/4 of a mile and ate at Don Shula's across from the beach. No, Don was not there. I did like that Holiday Inn

[bruce-r]

No rumor about it. Mariott Marina has been sold. The same group that owns Hyatt Pier 66, Bahia Mar and Boca Raton Resort now own it.

 

Things are being done quite differently. They are investors; they are not hoteliers. Customer satisfaction is not their highest priority IMO (based only upon my personal observation and experience as a guest).

Thanks, that is good to know.

 

We stayed there a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, especially for the $60 a night we payed on priceline. Embassy suites would be my first choice now.