Fort Lauderdale Hotels Guide: Accommodations and Where To Stay in the Fort Lauderdale Area

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Fort Lauderdale

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The Broward County hospitality biz was once heavily stocked with mom-and-pop motels but has recently broadened and deepened to include more than 600 hotels and resorts, with a growing number of higher-end properties. Starwood in particular is making a big push, with a spate of new properties set to open in the next couple of years. Another corporate hospitality group, LXR Luxury Resorts, bought and is upgrading the yachtie-popular Pier Sixty-Six, Bahia Mar, and the Marina Marriott. Meanwhile, Donald Trump himself is planning to add a couple of properties, as well. In the meantime, following is a look at a selection of top digs. Yet there are still plenty of independents and small properties from modest to exquisite (Fort Lauderdale was the birthplace, after all, of the 50-property Superior Small Lodgings program) and family-oriented to gay.

On the high end, many consider the current top of the line to be The Atlantic (601 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., 954/567-8020), a 124-room member of Starwood's "Luxury Collection" just south of Sunrise Boulevard that in 2004 became the first new luxury condominium hotel to appear on the Fort Lauderdale beachfront. Another sterling high-end beachfront choice is the veteran Sheraton Yankee Trader (321 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.; 800/958-5551), its 459 cheerful units split between two towers (connected to the beach by a skywalk); an iconic local steakhouse Shula's on the Beach is the house canteen. Also on the beachfront but below Las Olas and the main promenade is the five-year-old, 637-room Marriott's Harbor Beach Resort & Spa (3030 Holiday Dr.; 800/222-6543), with a 16-acre spread and the largest oceanfront spa in Fort Lauderdale (imagine the beachfront massages!). Not directly on the beach but occupying a scenic 22-acre perch on the Intracoastal, the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 (2301 SE 17th St.; 954/525-6666) has 380 rooms, the usual bells and whistles, and a well-known marina where the Forbes yacht used to dock. There's another amazing beach resort worth mentioning, but it's a few miles south, in Hollywood rather than Lauderdale proper: The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa (3555 S. Ocean Dr.; Hollywood; 800/327-1212 or 954/602-6000) is a gargantuan (1098-room) epitome of steel, stone, and glass with perks like a lovely 30,000-square-foot spa and gym; 18-hole golf course; 10 tennis courts; and glass-bottomed bridged pool with waterfalls flowing into a larger lagoon pool, below.

In the moderate range, the Mediterranean meets Key West at the fab, 212-room Lago Mar Resort and Club (1700 S. Ocean La., 877/524-6627), on a 500-foot stretch of beach not far from the Marriott Harbor Beach. Also in the vicinity is the Bahia Mar Beach Resort (801 Seabreeze Blvd, between Harbor and Hall of Fame drives.; 888/80-BAHIA), with 300 rooms and its own marina. An easy stroll to the beachfront but actually on the Intracoastal is the romantic inn-style The Pillars (111 N. Birch Rd., at Sebastian St.; 954/467-9639), Fort Lauderdale's only member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, with just 22 rooms. More Old World flavor combines with unbeatable access to Las Olas shopping and dining at the Riverside Hotel (620 E. Las Olas Blvd.; 800/325-3280; www.riversidehotel.com), a six-story 1930s landmark with perks including a pair of great restaurants and a pool. Finally, the Royal Palms (2901 Terra Mar St.; 800/237-7256) is an absolute gem that was recently named "best small hostelry" by local tourism folks; it also doubles as the top gay guesthouse in Fort Lauderdale.

Visitors looking to maximize savings don't have to settle for cheesy Motel 6 or Econo Lodge. Solid budget contenders several blocks in from the beachfront include the 20-room Sans Souci at the Beach (618 N. Birch Rd.; 800/684-6320), with a pool, sundeck and tropical landscaping; and Sea Chateau Resort (555 N. Birch Rd.; 800/726-3732), an Art Deco charmer with period furnishings in its 17 rooms and a pool.