ontariotraveller

DH and I are heading to the Fort Lauderdale area in January. We will only be staying one night and flying home the next morning.

I have booked a room at the Crowne Plaza because we are going to the Panthers hockey game our last night in Florida.

Now I am not sure if I want a room on the beach - any suggestions would be nice! Or if I want to be near the arena for easier driving.

Is it hard to get around the Fort Lauderdale area? And are things relatively close to one another - like the beach, BankAtlantic Center and the airport.

I do not want to driving around forever and ever lost!

Any help would be great - thanks.

rncheryl

Don't know about the Crown Plaza, but the Hockey arena is in western Broward County and easily accessible from the airpot/beach area. I-595 due west, about a 40minute drive depending on what time of day. Hockey arena just a stones throw from Sawgrass Mills outlet mall.

budget4me

Crowne Plaza, on Sunrise Blvd. near NW 136th Ave., is very convenient to the Panthers arena, a mile or two away. It is about 15 miles west of the beaches. Not sure what you consider to be relatively close. I'd say it depends on how early your flight is the next day. If you have a very early flight, you might want to drive at night after the game to a hotel closer to the airport, which is about five miles south of the beaches, and 20 miles from Panthers arena. If your flight is late the next day, then you could stay out west by the arena and drive at your leisure to the airport.

January is prime tourist season so traffic will be heavy. There is plenty to see at the Sawgrass Mills Mall, literally across the street from the arena, and it is the largest outlet mall in the country.

The two roads you'll use most are I-595 for east/west travel and I-95 for north/south. They are both toll-free roads with 65 mph speed limits.

ontariotraveller

Thanks for the replies!

We do not have a flight home yet - getting home is not always a priority! Getting there and planning is!

I have the Crowne Plaza booked as well as the Sheraton Yankee CLipper. I am leaning more toward the beach, so how far is that from the arena?? I am sure we can head to the arena early and check out the mall before the game - any good restaurants by the arena?

We will be coming from Fort Myers that afternoon after our 9:00 tee time - so hopefully we can get familiar with the area before we head to the hockey game.

Thanks again.

budget4me

My friend stayed at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper when he visited me. It's fine, but I'm not sure why you want to be so far away from the arena when it sounds like most of your trip is going to take place in the arena area. It's about 18 miles each way from the beach to the arena.

Your best bet for restaurants is probably the Oasis at Sawgrass Mills Mall. It's an outdoor area of the mall with several moderately priced restaurants to choose from such as Legal Sea Foods and Gran Luxor (an upscale version of Cheesecake Factory). It's pretty much across the street from the arena.

www.sawgrassmillsmall.com will have some more information. Also in the area are the usual suspects--Chili's, Applebee's, TGIFridays. If you are into diners, there is a Lester's Diner on NW 136th Ave. just south of Sunrise Blvd. It's less than two miles from the arena and a half mile from Crowne Plaza.