I will be in Ft L for business last week in July. We were scheduled to stay at the Doubletree Galleria Suites, but the conference has now been moved to the Marriott Marina. How far apart are these two resorts? Doubletree has kitchen/separate living area and Marriott is a standard room. I'm wondering whether to leave my reservation at the Doubletree or go somewhere else. Not familiar w/either place here. We'd like to be close to the beach, nice view, and preferably kitchenette--or at the very least a frig and microwave in the room (we're not wanting to run up a huge "eating out" bill during the day!) Does anyone know of a place in close proximity to the Marriott Marina, where it wouldn't take me more than 10 or 15 minutes to drive to in the mornings? Also, any suggestions as to what the spouse and 2 sons (4 and 8) can do during the day (other than sleep or swim ) while I'm in a conference? Thanks for any help and advice.

Both places are on the Intercostal waterway, not the beach. However, the beach is about a 5 - 10 minute walk from the Doubletree and too far to walk from the Marriott.

They are actually pretty close to each other. From the Doubletree, take Sunrise Blvd to the beach, make a right, go about three miles until you cross the 17th St Causeway and the Marriott will be on the left. It will take all of 5 minutes. If the you get caught with the bridge up at the Causeway, it might take 10 minutes but no more than that.

The Doubletree is next to a fair sized mall. On the beach side you have the usual tourist shops and an awesome section of beach. On the city side, you have the mall and then you get into an older part of town called Victoria Park. It's an eclectic area with older folks & hippie types all living together. Lots of neat clothing stores, antiques and such in this area.

As for activities, you are right next to downtown Ft. Laud. Your wife & kids could visit the Riverwalk area (www.goriverwalk.com), Las Olas for shopping, take a water taxi tour or see a movie at the IMAX theatre. Take a look at that website for some additional ideas.

We have kids and also try to keep the dining bill as low as possible. If I were in your situation, I would stay at the Doubletree since you have the kitchen & the separate living area. There is a Whole Foods Market across the street and regular grocery stores nearby. There might be more stores & restaurants available within walking distance of the Marriott but I doubt your spouse will want to be walking around with the two little ones in the heat & humidity.

JohninMiami, that is a "Wild Oats" organic food market...which is a fabulous store, Whole Foods is on rte.1. We stayed at the Doubletree last week(we are moving to FLL in Oct.). It is a nice property(a bit dated, but nice) and I like the little kitchenettes. It is about 1/4 mile to the Beach. I would say as far as total experince goes, I too would recommed the Doubletree, There is agreat French Boulangerie/Pastisserie across the street from the Doubletree...it is GREAT! I adore the Galleria next door, it has Neimann's Saks, Dillards and Macy/Burdines plus the Captitol Grill(very swanky), There is also a movie theater next door to the Galleria. There is a state park right acroos the Beach that has some kid's programs too. FYI, Judy

Check out the Lago Mar Resort. It is right on the beach with 2 nice pools, and is only 5 min. drive to the Marriott Marina at the most. 1 BR suites have kitchenette and are reasonably priced. (lagomar.com).

thanks to all for your great replies! I still have the Doubletree reserved (can cancel up to 48 hours). I'm glad to know how to get to the Marriott from there and to know that it's not too far away. We are looking forward to the trip--kids are especially excited about the water taxi. JD, Lago Mar looks wonderful, also. I assume from the map that all of these places are not too far from Port Everglades-- we are taking the Discovery Cruise early Sat. a.m. to the Bahamas for a few days and need to be close to the port as well. I know I should go to another board for this, but has anyone done this trip? Previous posts have mixed reviews on it. Thanks again for the great tips and suggestions!

I have taken the Discovery to the Bahamas and did not enjoy it very much. But we only did a day trip, which was just too much for 1 day.Since you are staying a few days and are using it for transportation to get there, it will probably be fine. My advise is not to have too much expectation of the ship, and do not stay in Freeport.

I will second the suggestion to get out of Freeport.

Spent two weeks on a sailboat in the Bahamas (Out Islands) and the worst part of the trip was Freeport.