hi - i will be in ft lauderdale for three days (nov 11-14) and would like to find a clean, modern, smart hotel ($120 - $180/night) on the beach that is close to good restaurants, shops etc (i.e. central location). any recommendations would be much appreciated!

Sheraton Yankee Trader is often mentioned here. I've heard that the Waterfront Inn (not on the beach but across the street) is a good clean place to stay on a budget. Not modern & smart however.

www.waterfrontinns.com

check out the Radisson Bahia Mar. It has a walkway across to the beach, a great pool, and is within two hundred yards of the water taxi.

thank you for your suggestions - i checked out both hotels and am booked at the radisson bahia mar

Lago Mar is also in your price range and is right on the beach (Bahia Mar isn't). Also, Marriott Harbor Beach is wonderful , if you can get a good deal. Another nice, reasonable one on the beach is the Beachcomber in Pompano, which is right next to north Fort Lauderdale.

You'll enjoy the Radisson Bahia Mar. I live near Ft Lauderdale and took advantage of a 2 nights for the price of 1 special and invited my friend to come visit and we girls would stay at the beach... we loved it! The only down side is the balconies are tiny, only a couple feet deep and the width of sliding glass doors. Soooooo, if you want a nice balcony, don't stay there. We had a view to the north, they call it Marina/Partial ocean view and it was fabulous.

Have fun!