ft lauderdale
 

Hi Im from Australia and my hubby and I are travelling on Celebritys Millenium on Nov 30 out of Ft. Lauderdale.

We are flying in 1 1/2 days early and wanted to know suggestions for places to stay in Ft Lauderdale or should we try Miami? How far is it and also how close to the port do you recommend to stay? We wont hav ea car so will be using taxis and dont want to spend a fortune on Taxi fares for every outing we do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We are in our late 20's but I am pregnant so would be doing any wild partying! Thanks!

When I was last in Ft. Lauderdale I stayed at the Lago Mar and would definitely go back again if I ever go back.

www.lagomar.com

Stay in Fort Lauderdale in a hotel that has a water taxi stop. There are quite a few. You pay a daily fee for the water taxi and can travel to quite a few of the highlights of Fort Lauderdale.

Hyatt at Pier 66 comes to mind. Nice hotel in a great location, very close to the cruise terminals.

Of course, you are coming from a huge distance so maybe South Beach and Miami would be more memorable. Very different location with many excellent hotels. It is very much a walking area.

The nicest place is the Mariott Harbor Beach

http://www.watertaxi.com/FortLauderdale/FLLHome.Asp should be your bible. FLL is the one US port that is civilized in the Sydney sense, where you can crisscross everywhere among gentrified shopping, eateries, and sightseeing on excellant, cheap ($5 daypass?) public water tranportation. The waterfront mansions you pass are incredible, especially if you take the saturday excursion to Miami southbeach. In either case they tell you the stories as you pass.

FLL is a miraculous exception to most of US with very pleasant public transportation; you shouldn't even need an airport taxi. Most good hotels will be walking distance to a watertaxi (really waterbus) stop, but use their map to optimize (and be near their base #7 if taking the early departure to Miami).

Yes, the nicest place is...Marriott Harbor Beach and it is directly on the beach...you will love it. The concierge was so wonderful and they will make your reservations and have great tips and maps!

I live in Ft Lauderdale and can help with lots of your questions. I like the Marriott Harbour Beach, it's within walking distance to the Water Taxi's main office and right on the beach. Lago Mar is a little farther away and you'd have to drive or take a cab to the strip with all the restaurants, bars and shops.

If you don't want to stay right on the beach, the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Blvd is nice, too. Right in the middle of all the action downtown with lovely shops and nice eateries. This area is also a stop for the Waterbus/water taxi, so you can also get there by boat. You'll pass by some magnificent homes/mansions, too!

If you want to stay closer to Port Everglades, the Embassy Suite is nice, and just a short walk to the entrance of the port (but I'd take the shuttle if I were you) and they have a shuttle to FLL airport, too. However, the Embassy Suite is not on the ocean, but a only a minute's cab ride to get there. There are shops, restaurants, drug store and grocery store right across the street, too.

I wouldn't recommend staying in Miami when Ft Lauderdale is so lovely and close to the airport and seaport.