Has anyone ever stayed at THE RIVERSIDE HOTEL Fort Lauderdale?

[rucruizin]

We've only been to FLL once before, purchased the hotel thru Hotwire and don't know ANYTHING about it. Except that it was expensive...hope it's a good one. I'm fairly familiar with the Las Olas shopping thing but I'm wondering how close it is to the beach and any other info you might have.

Thanks in advance.

[sue d. miller]

I have never heard of it, but here is a link that should help!!! It looks beautiful!! Nice catch!!! :)
[url]http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=dspv&itty=new&from=m&shtl=1&htid=21007&&zz=1099429670234&[/url]

[gfromftlaud]

The Riverside is a great choice. 5 minute drive to the heart of Ft. Laud beach. Both restaurants at the Riverside, The Grill Room and Indigo, are personal favorites.

Enjoy your stay!

Gary

[ivalee]

I stayed there last January and really enjoyed this hotel. Had a corner room overlooking the causeway. The Riverside is right in the middle of Las Olas Boulevard. It is right across the street from a really fun and good restaurant, just can't remember it's name. The Riverside has a nice restaurant, too. We had a most enjoyable breakfast outside. It is a few miles from the pier, but taxis are readily available. If I remember correctly, it cost about $25 for seven of us to rent a van/taxi to take us to the pier.

[Cruising Jake]

I have been looking at this hotel to book on my own. What price did you get through Hotwire? And what info did you use to get it: number of stars, location, etc.? I know the water taxi stops at Las Olas.

[rucruizin]

Wow! You guys are awesome, thanks for such quick replies.

Cruisinjake, I think I just selected FLL, then selected the "downtown" area and it brought up a list of prices and star levels. I got it for $130 a night but found it on Expedia for the same price. I had never used Hotwire before but figured it was much like Priceline...really the lowest prices. I was kind of disappointed when I found the same price on Expedia.

[Cruising Jake]

Well it is $143 as a AAA rate in the traditional building.

[rucruizin]

Cruisinjake, check out Hotwire for sure, the prices for our Miami hotel went down from the first time I checked. I guess prices must vary.

[Bestbubba]

We had luch at the Riverside last April prior to our Panama Canal cruise - it was fantastic!! Promised ourselves a stay there in the future, you will love it!!

Sue x

[dosi]

Just had breakfast there last week. They are in the middle of an extensive remodel so make sure to request a room away from the construction ;) !!

[Globaliser]

I booked myself in there for a one-night pre-cruise about 3½ years ago, and have constantly recommended it since whenever people ask about hotels in Fort Lauderdale. It's a pleasant change from the chain hotel drudgery that most people seem to prefer.

The interesting restaurant in the hotel is, I think, called Indigo - also highly recommended.

And as already noted, a short and very easy taxi ride to the port.

[regnig]

Oh yes we have, twice now and will be there a third time pre-cruise in February. The first time we were there we had a very elegant room in the original part of the hotel and so help me god the huge canopy bed had a mirror on the ceiling. :p It was nothing tacky or trashy at all, it was pure elegance. We just howled and then decided to make the best of it. ;) Last year we were in the new tower part of the hotel, again very nice, but no mirror. :rolleyes:

The cab ride from the airport is about $10 as I remember and once you reach the hotel the bellmen will take your luggage from the curb and you won't see it again until you get to your room. Kind of pratice for boarding the ship. It's in the heart of Las Olas Blvd and there are lots of small interesting shops to visit, plenty of good resturants, and even benches to just sit and people watch. The hotel has a very nice pool on the back side next to the canal. The canal taxis also make a stop there. We usually eat late lunch/early dinner down the block but have always done breakfast at the Riverside. In the morning just tell the desk what time you want to leave for the ship and they will have a cab waiting for you. Again it's about $10 to the ship and from the time the bellman picks up your luggage from your room you won't have to touch it until you are onboard and unpacking. It's a great place to start a perfect cruise vacation. Enjoy your stay, Barb

Oh and they do have a web site - [url]www.riversidehotel.com[/url]

[DeltaOne]

I'm glad you posted your question as we've booked the Riverside for our one night pre-cruise stay in January.

We didn't use priceline.com this year, we booked direct with the Riverside. Got a room for four for $220. $55 a piece ain't bad...

We chose the Riverside because we wanted a place on Los Olas Blvd.

[Coral]

You need to be careful with Hotwire - they post hotels at near rack rates at times. For example - Embassy Suites is listed for $191 for a date I was looking at when rack rates were $189. They also listed Amerisuites for $121 and I was able to get it through Valuetrips for $79.

Hotwire can have some great deals but they also list hotels when they don't have great deals. You need to do your research - Burbunny's site is very good for hotwire and trying to figure out which hotel is what.