Cloudship

One of the things my Father wants to see in Ft. Lauderdale is the moon rising over the ocean. Unfortunately all the ocean front rooms are out of my price range (March spring break season ). So, I was thinking is there a restaurant anywhere along the beach on the top or even a higher floor of any of the hotels or other buildings where we might be able to watch the moon come up?

worldspan

The top of the Hyatt Pier 66 which is actually about 1/2 mile in from the beach actually gives the best view you are looking for. The top is strictly used these days for functions but if not being used as such when you want to do this you can get up there by using the glass elevator off the lobby. Been up there many times myself all times of day.

Sonesta which is across the street from the beach also has a glass walled
function rooms area with equally good views again on the top floor.

writerguyfl

As far as I can picture between Port Everglades (south end of Fort Lauderdale Beach) and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea (just north of the city limits), the best restaurant view would be the third floor.

If you're looking to escape the largest Spring Break crowds (and you have a car or taxi money), you may want to head north of the main beach area. The Pelican Grand Beach Resort sits directly on the beach...not across the street as many of the hotels/restaurants do on the main stretch of beach. They offer both a restaurant and a lounge with direct ocean views. More info:

http://www.pelicanbeach.com/

Going a little further north on A1A will take you to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. There are far fewer major hotels and more casual open-air restaurants. Plus, there's a 24-hour fishing pier that might offer a better view. Last time I was there, they charged $2 per person to sightsee or $7 if you want to fish.

Here is a Bing map showing these locations plus worldspan's Hyatt at Pier 66. I also marked the start and end of the main section of the beach.

http://binged.it/1vxaASn

Cloudship

I have never stayed at the Hyatt, but would feel kinda awkward going up to some deserted room at the top of the elevator.

They can get $2 just to go out on a pier? Wow! Sorry, not that much more special to be out on a pier versus on the beach.

writerguyfl

Yeah, I've never paid to walk onto the pier. They make money from the people fishing.

If I remember correctly, the public pier was destroyed in Hurricane Wilma back in 2005. It was going to get demolished, as it really only got used by fisherpeople. (Is that the correct gender-free term?) Some company offered to pay to have it fixed if they could charge people to use it. Anyway, I think that's the backstory.

bruceba

$2.00 is not much for the pier. The Hyatt may be your best bet, but you will probably spend more than $2.00 though.
http://www.timeanddate.com/moon/usa/fort-lauderdale

LPDAL

Hi Cloudship, nice to see you swinging around here! Remember that 744 trip

Anyway, in regards to your question,

As mentioned, you can go to Lauderdale by the Sea, which is actually where I live (Oriana Penthouses complex) and the pier is in my literal backyard. However,

-> Avoid the beach near my house-literally swamped during Spring Break.

-> Avoid any one-off motels or hotels--cheap, chain hotel rooms can be found in abundance here. One off, sketchy motels and hotels around here are often dirty and out of building code.

-> Regarding tip #1, there is a cafe attached to the pier's entrance, but the food is meh and overpriced (two fruit parfaits set my friend and I back $20). Mulligan's, 101 Ocean, and Village Grill / Pump have great food at decent prices. For a beach view, try Aruba Beach Cafe.

-> Avoid downtown Fort Lauderdale - very little to do in and around there and many sections are crawling with bums.

-> BurgerFi, while not on the beach, is a great burger joint with reasonable prices.

-> Avoid A1A and any drawbridges if possible--these are often clogged with tourists.

-> If you need any essentials, Publix is the best place to go.

Have fun,

-Colby

Cloudship

Hi LPDAL. Still looking forward to your trip report!

We are only going to be down for a few days. All I could afford, plus I want to avoid the spring Break crowds - I guess some schools are early this year. But I want to do one decent dinner. Just need to find something my father will enjoy. That is the hard part!

We will probably do the water taxi, he want to do Butterfly world. Any good suggestions for parks with nice trails or boardwalks, particularly something on a canal or lake? We both enjoy getting outdoors, and after being snowed in for months I cant wait to see water in a liquid state out of doors.

LPDAL

Don't mention it. ^ You can call me Colby, by the way. Don't worry about affording much here, there's not much to miss. :P

For parks with trails and canals, Birch State Park is protected by the EPA and contains plenty of woods, walking trails, and canals. There are also guided Everglades tours, though the Everglades is full of mosquitos.

As for my 747 report, it is coming next after my American Eagle First Class, E175+RitzC MIA✈JAX✈MIA report, which is number 24. I just finished number 23 here: Delta Air Lines First Class with the dead Cincinnati and Memphis Hubs PBI✈CVG✈MEM✈MIA | Trip Reports | FlyerTalk Forums, so it will be a little while. I'll definitely email you when I finish NR 25.

-LPDAL / Colby

anngi

I second Aruba Beach Cafe. Casual, good food, love the sesame ahi. Menu has something for everyone and good place for sunset.

LPDAL

I live a few hundred yards from Aruba Beach Cafe, and second that motion.

Though, avoid Lauderdale by the Sea's beach by all costs. Looking out my window, I see the sand is once again swamped by tourists.

The best time to come here, and airfares are lowest during this period, is the back to school season, which is our slowest. During the Spring Break and winter times, we're literally bogged down in snowbirds.

-LPDAL

Cloudship

So we didn't stick to plans too much, but we had a good time. I am glad because I was a little worried my Father was not going to like it.

We did a last minute switch to the GalleryOne. The view wasn't as bad as I was expecting, although there were some major glitches. We ended up going to Butterfly World, Secret Woods (we both loved those), Fern Woods, which was so-so, and drove into the Everglades, which was, frankly, quite dull. We never made it to Anne Kolb, which i think my Father wants to make another trip down just to see.Mostly though we just took the water taxi - twice all the way to Hollywood Beach, which is much nicer than Ft Lauderdale beach. We didn't end up doing any fancy dinners, but Dad loved Lesters, so at least i know there is someplace I can take him again.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

bruceba

I can remember Lester's one dollar breakfasts. Bacon Eggs Hashbrowns. My heart will never forgive me.