sandy_b

Airfare is cheap for MLK weekend to Ft. Lauderdale. We are budget travelers . . . old (but very active) . . . we went to St. Pete Beach last year and had a ball. So, anyone have an opinion about Ft. Lauderdale? Or Lauderdale by the Sea? Let me repeat . . . budget travelers . . . can we afford either? We would like a hotel/motel under $80/nt . . . need a car? Ft. Myers also has cheap air . . . a better choice? We're coming from Dallas.

We have tickets to Ft. Lauderdale on hold for 24 hrs. Can anyone give advice? Thanks in advance.

Sandy (in Denton)

OceanBreeze1

I am in Canada so not up on all of the US holidays but I think MLK is around mid-January. Is that right?
I think it comes down to whether you prefer the east coast of Florida or the west coast. I prefer the east coast so my suggestion would be FLL or LBTS. You don't need a car but wld probably have to take cabs some of the time.
You may want to take a look @ www.tug2.net & see if you can get a last minute rental.( 45 days prior). Go to TUG BBS Online Forums/Login Now/Last Minute Rentals.
You may find something in FLL or LBTS or even Pompano.

ccolor

LBTS would be our suggestion - I love that little town! It's only about 20 minutes from FLL so cabs wouldn't be that expensive. The city is pretty small - you might be able to walk wherever you want to go. Good luck!

garyt22

Weather in Ft Myers in January is a roll of the dice... the further South you are, the better chance of warm... get a car just in case and you could drive down the Keys from LBTS.

floridafan99

You might want to consider flying into Ft Lauderdale, but staying up in the Palm Beach area, which is very geared towards active retired tourists...and you can certainly get a hotel room below $ 100 in West Palm Beach or Lake Worth...not on Palm Beach Island though.

OceanBreeze1

Palm Beach area is a good suggestion. Check air fares to Palm Beach International(PBI)/West Palm Beach.

Have you decided, Sandy?

sandy_b

Thanks for the responses. I made a decision in that I booked the tickets to FLL, leaving Sat a.m., returning Tues even, non-stop on AA for $199 ea.

Now the fun really begins . . . trying to find a hotel/motel that we can afford that is not a dump. Our standard modus operadi (in foreign countries) is to wait until we get there and find something. After doing a quick search on LBTS here and on Trip Advisor, it doesn't sound like that will work there unless we have a car. Should we rent a car?

Can anyone recommend any nice places to stay? Any mom/pop type places? Remember, cheap is our middle name!

Thanks,
Sandy (in Denton)