Tell Me About Ft. Lauderdale!!!

[Erica Ladd]

Thinking ok taking a weekend trip just DH and I sometime soon. We would want to Uber or shuttle from the airport to a hotel/resort and be within walking distance to a few restaurants, local establishments/shopping and a beach. We’ve never been so I have no idea where to start looking!

If this post is in the wrong forum sorry mods snd please redirect!!! TIA!!

 

[monsterkitty]

We stayed at the Marriott BeachPlace Towers. It's across the street from the beach and right in the middle of several restaurants. I think it's about 35 minutes from FLL.

 

[White Cat]

Nice place to visit. The New River boat ride was nice seeing the big houses. At the end there was an Indian wrestling an alligator.

 

[JimMIA]

The suggestion above of the Marriott Beach Place Towers seems like a good one. Lots of excellent hotels in that part of Ft. Lauderdale Beach, and lots of dining/shopping/bars within walking distance. In that part of the beach (and most of Ft. Laud Beach, the hotels are all across the street from the actual beach (very short walk).

May 8-9 they are having the Ft Lauderdale Air Show which will feature a lot of aerial acrobatics, including the US Navy Blue Angels.

There are several other areas of Ft. Lauderdale for dining and shopping, and most of them are accessible via the Ft. Lauderdale Water Taxi. That's different from the boat tour White Cat mentioned above, but a cool way to get around that hits all the major places you might want to eat.

 

[JimMIA]

Also when you start searching, you may get some hotels in the Dania Beach/Hollywood Beach area which is south of Ft. Lauderdale and south of the airport. The Ft. Lauderdale Beach area is much nicer.

 

[princesscinderella]

Also when you start searching, you may get some hotels in the Dania Beach/Hollywood Beach area which is south of Ft. Lauderdale and south of the airport. The Ft. Lauderdale Beach area is much nicer.

I disagree with you in that Hollywood beach is much nicer than Ft lauderdale there is much more beach as the erosion on Ft L. Is really bad plus you have to cross busy A1A to get to the beach from the resorts there. The Hollywood Broadwalk is great you can bike or stroll down it with no cars in sight. There are little restaurants and bars to eat at. Definitely not as fancy as Ft Lauderdale but much more relaxing. There’s a Marriott and the margaritaville if you are looking for a chain. Otherwise it’s a lot of little boutique properties.

 

[mikehn]

I guess everyone has their preferences. If you've never been, I would just stick with Ft Lauderdale rather than Hollywood. Las Olas Blvd is the place to be for dining and nightlife.

 

[lorimay]

Research Lauderdale By the Sea.
Small town with small boutique hotesl and a little town within walking distance to restaurants and shops.
Windjammer Resort or Costa Del Sol are 2 of our favorites.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Thanks for all the great ideas! It’s possible to Uber from the airport to these locations? Would it be expensive??

 

[lorimay]

Thanks for all the great ideas! It’s possible to Uber from the airport to these locations? Would it be expensive??

Lauderdale by the sea is close to airport, shouldn't be too bad at all.

 

[JimMIA]

Thanks for all the great ideas! It’s possible to Uber from the airport to these locations? Would it be expensive??

Yes, Uber is readily available. I checked fares from both MIA and Ft. Lauderdale airport for you on my Uber app.

FLL to that Marriott hotel recommended above was $22 for X and $36 for XL.

There's something going on at MIA. They must be short-handed because the fares were much higher than I expected -- $48 for X, but $206 for XL! I would normally expect X to be a little less than that and XL to be about double X, so maybe $90-$100.

Just FYI, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is about 5 miles north of the Marriott I used for reference. That should increase the Uber fare somewhat, but when I ran it through the app, the fares were just crazy -- over $100 for X from FLL. I was expecting about $35.

I don't think those are typical fares, but they are an example of what you might hit. The thing to do in that case would be to just wait it out until the fares got back to a more sensible range.

I know a lot of Uber/Lyft drivers are not currently driving because of covid and also because they got stimulus checks, so I'm sure that's affecting fares -- and obviously affecting them drastically during busier periods.

 

[JimMIA]

Las Olas Blvd is the place to be for dining and nightlife.

...and the water taxi takes you there!

A few weeks ago a friend retired after a long career in law enforcement and we joined he, his wife, and another old friend for dinner at 15th Street Fisheries. It was VERY good, but the other friend insisted on getting the check so I can't really tell you how the pricing was. Nice place, good food and service, so it is probably a little pricey. It's ALSO a water taxi stop!

 

[fancymouse]

We live in Fort Lauderdale. If you end up staying on Fort Lauderdale Beach, A visit to Coconuts is a must! It’s our favorite restaurant in town for the ambiance and view. Casablanca Cafe is another popular restaurant right there in that area. There are a few others in the hotels that have decent food, but there are also a LOT of cheesy, touristy places that I wouldn’t recommend for food. Drinks? Sure, but if you decide you want some more casual (and really by casual I mean not tourist priced food), go elsewhere! In that area we also like El Vez, and Park and Ocean.

On Las Olas Louie Bossi’s, Big City Tavern, and Rocco’s Tacos are solid choices. Kilwin’s is great for Ice Cream and Dessert. Vinos has a great little patio and is kind of hidden. Nice for wine and charcuterie. There are a few other decent places, but look for lots of reviews if you start researching. A lot of the restaurants turn over often and so the ones I mentioned before are established. Some of the others are hit or miss.

Some of our other favorite places to eat in town are Canyon, 15th Street Fisheries, Boatyard, Cafe Vico, Top Hat Deli, and Foxy Brown.

Really anywhere between the airport and Fort Lauderdale by the Sea will be very easy to utilize Ubers. Fort Lauderdale by the Sea is really the most northern part of town (where tourists would be interested). Don’t be afraid to go “inland” a little a get off A1A. Most of the best dining in FtL is not on the beach. It’s on the intracoastal or it’s around town. Let me know if you have any questions!

Oh and if you want to do a little boat ride tour, I highly recommend the Carrie B!! We used to just go ride it once and a while for fun. Long enough to be interesting, but not overly touristy.

 

[JimMIA]

We live in Fort Lauderdale. If you end up staying on Fort Lauderdale Beach, A visit to Coconuts is a must! It’s our favorite restaurant in town for the ambiance and view. Casablanca Cafe is another popular restaurant right there in that area. There are a few others in the hotels that have decent food, but there are also a LOT of cheesy, touristy places that I wouldn’t recommend for food. Drinks? Sure, but if you decide you want some more casual (and really by casual I mean not tourist priced food), go elsewhere! In that area we also like El Vez, and Park and Ocean.

On Las Olas Louie Bossi’s, Big City Tavern, and Rocco’s Tacos are solid choices. Kilwin’s is great for Ice Cream and Dessert. Vinos has a great little patio and is kind of hidden. Nice for wine and charcuterie. There are a few other decent places, but look for lots of reviews if you start researching. A lot of the restaurants turn over often and so the ones I mentioned before are established. Some of the others are hit or miss.

Some of our other favorite places to eat in town are Canyon, 15th Street Fisheries, Boatyard, Cafe Vico, Top Hat Deli, and Foxy Brown.

Really anywhere between the airport and Fort Lauderdale by the Sea will be very easy to utilize Ubers. Fort Lauderdale by the Sea is really the most northern part of town (where tourists would be interested). Don’t be afraid to go “inland” a little a get off A1A. Most of the best dining in FtL is not on the beach. It’s on the intracoastal or it’s around town. Let me know if you have any questions!

Oh and if you want to do a little boat ride tour, I highly recommend the Carrie B!! We used to just go ride it once and a while for fun. Long enough to be interesting, but not overly touristy.

I could eat dinner at Kilwins!

True story. A few years ago, a cousin was visiting from rural Georgia and DW& DD took her for a day in Ft. Lauderdale. Among other things, they used the water taxi to get around, so they were all over.

However, when they went to Kilwins, they behaved humanely and wisely. They brought home a 1/2 gallon of Kilwins Toasted Coconut ice cream.

Needless to say, no one but me was allowed to touch it!

 

[Erica Ladd]

The suggestion above of the Marriott Beach Place Towers seems like a good one. Lots of excellent hotels in that part of Ft. Lauderdale Beach, and lots of dining/shopping/bars within walking distance. In that part of the beach (and most of Ft. Laud Beach, the hotels are all across the street from the actual beach (very short walk).

May 8-9 they are having the Ft Lauderdale Air Show which will feature a lot of aerial acrobatics, including the US Navy Blue Angels.

There are several other areas of Ft. Lauderdale for dining and shopping, and most of them are accessible via the Ft. Lauderdale Water Taxi. That's different from the boat tour White Cat mentioned above, but a cool way to get around that hits all the major places you might want to eat.

sounds great thanks!! Is there a good place to see where this water taxi runs? Stops and stuff??

...and the water taxi takes you there!

A few weeks ago a friend retired after a long career in law enforcement and we joined he, his wife, and another old friend for dinner at 15th Street Fisheries. It was VERY good, but the other friend insisted on getting the check so I can't really tell you how the pricing was. Nice place, good food and service, so it is probably a little pricey. It's ALSO a water taxi stop!

we LOVE seafood!

We live in Fort Lauderdale. If you end up staying on Fort Lauderdale Beach, A visit to Coconuts is a must! It’s our favorite restaurant in town for the ambiance and view. Casablanca Cafe is another popular restaurant right there in that area. There are a few others in the hotels that have decent food, but there are also a LOT of cheesy, touristy places that I wouldn’t recommend for food. Drinks? Sure, but if you decide you want some more casual (and really by casual I mean not tourist priced food), go elsewhere! In that area we also like El Vez, and Park and Ocean.

On Las Olas Louie Bossi’s, Big City Tavern, and Rocco’s Tacos are solid choices. Kilwin’s is great for Ice Cream and Dessert. Vinos has a great little patio and is kind of hidden. Nice for wine and charcuterie. There are a few other decent places, but look for lots of reviews if you start researching. A lot of the restaurants turn over often and so the ones I mentioned before are established. Some of the others are hit or miss.

Some of our other favorite places to eat in town are Canyon, 15th Street Fisheries, Boatyard, Cafe Vico, Top Hat Deli, and Foxy Brown.

Really anywhere between the airport and Fort Lauderdale by the Sea will be very easy to utilize Ubers. Fort Lauderdale by the Sea is really the most northern part of town (where tourists would be interested). Don’t be afraid to go “inland” a little a get off A1A. Most of the best dining in FtL is not on the beach. It’s on the intracoastal or it’s around town. Let me know if you have any questions!

Oh and if you want to do a little boat ride tour, I highly recommend the Carrie B!! We used to just go ride it once and a while for fun. Long enough to be interesting, but not overly touristy.

thanks for all the great info! Everyone has been so helpful
I just might ask some more questions as we get closer to finalizing plans! I’m trying to earn A-list status for SWA and would love to visit places we’ve never been even if just short trips so the more I learn the better!!!

 

[JimMIA]

sounds great thanks!! Is there a good place to see where this water taxi runs? Stops and stuff??

Oddly enough, there is!

https://watertaxi.com/

 

[Erica Ladd]

Ok! With this cool water taxi thing I would love help planning our first trip!! It would be great to be close enough to walk to a beach but it wouldn’t be the focus of the trip, maybe a few hours on one day. It would be great to get a hotel that doesn’t break the bank but is still safe/convenient/walkable to at least a couple of restaurants, etc. And somewhere close to a water taxi stop! So we can walk from the hotel to a stop and go on an adventure for most of the day!!! Any more suggestions would be great! The Marriott mentioned isn’t available the dates I originally was looking at (although we are flexible) but finding something a bit less expensive would help us explore more and find new places to try. Thank for all the advice so far!!!

ETA - the more I learn the more questions I have!!!

 

[fancymouse]

Ok! With this cool water taxi thing I would love help planning our first trip!! It would be great to be close enough to walk to a beach but it wouldn’t be the focus of the trip, maybe a few hours on one day. It would be great to get a hotel that doesn’t break the bank but is still safe/convenient/walkable to at least a couple of restaurants, etc. And somewhere close to a water taxi stop! So we can walk from the hotel to a stop and go on an adventure for most of the day!!! Any more suggestions would be great! The Marriott mentioned isn’t available the dates I originally was looking at (although we are flexible) but finding something a bit less expensive would help us explore more and find new places to try. Thank for all the advice so far!!!

ETA - the more I learn the more questions I have!!!

The Riverside Hotel is really cute and it’s on Las Olas. It’s close to the beach but would be a pretty long walk. In an Uber it would be a very short ride. I don’t know what the prices look like, but anything off the beach usually costs less. And it’s right on the street with a ton of dining and the water Taxi stop is right behind it.

Blue Strawberry by the Sea also always looked adorable. It’s in Lauderdale by the Sea which is a little more low-key than Fort Lauderdale Beach and has it own dining area. The hotels around there aren’t huge towers and look more like motels. Some of them are definitely pretty cheap and not-so-nice, but this one always looked very cute, updated, and well kept. You could definitely walk to the beach and restaurants from there. Lauderdale by the Sea feels like a beach town from the 60s. It’s very cute and charming, but still only maybe 20 minutes from the airport and you could still Uber to other places in town. There will be a Water Taxi stop relatively close to that. May or may not be walking distance, but it would be a very short uber (or bike or scooter ride).

 

[JimMIA]

The Riverside Hotel is really cute and it’s on Las Olas. It’s close to the beach but would be a pretty long walk. In an Uber it would be a very short ride. I don’t know what the prices look like, but anything off the beach usually costs less. And it’s right on the street with a ton of dining and the water Taxi stop is right behind it.

Blue Strawberry by the Sea also always looked adorable. It’s in Lauderdale by the Sea which is a little more low-key than Fort Lauderdale Beach and has it own dining area. The hotels around there aren’t huge towers and look more like motels. Some of them are definitely pretty cheap and not-so-nice, but this one always looked very cute, updated, and well kept. You could definitely walk to the beach and restaurants from there. Lauderdale by the Sea feels like a beach town from the 60s. It’s very cute and charming, but still only maybe 20 minutes from the airport and you could still Uber to other places in town. There will be a Water Taxi stop relatively close to that. May or may not be walking distance, but it would be a very short uber (or bike or scooter ride).

Does Ft. Lauderdale have electric rental bikes and scooters? If so, those might be the easy and inexpensive way to get from hotel to beach or hotel to water taxi.

OP, sorry but I'm not familiar enough with Ft. Lauderdale to give you hotel recommendations. Fortunately fancymouse is!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

We love Lauderdale - our favorites hotels are the W or the Hilton next door. We don't get a rental car in FLL because you don't need it, we stay in an area where you can walk to dinner or take a short Uber. Please I HATE spending $50 a night to park my car that we never take our of valet

We also love Hollywood beach and Margaritaville or the Marriott. We eat every meal at some place on the Broadwalk or just across street at Opa's Gigi's or wherever. No care needed there either. We turn into major beach bums in Hollywood and love it. We've been there about 8 times and I love the little boutique hotels along the broadwalk - but always forget their names so I don't ever make a reservation to stay at one. I need to get better at that....lol