My friend had stayed at this Marriott and said she liked it. After staying here now, I see why!
- Check-in: We were allowed to check-in to our room early (Marriott Gold Elite, so we could have a good cup of coffee from the coffee maker in the room, which was badly needed after getting up at 3 am, and have a full day at the pool and beach. This hotel price more than I normally like to pay for a hotel before a cruise, but we used points when the point to price ratio was not too bad..

- Pool:
- Big pool with 5-6 rows of chairs, free umbrellas
- Two hot tubs. One lukewarm and the other nice and hot
- Waterfall but not attached to the pool, just for decoration and sound.

- Beach:
- Hotel is on the beach. There are walkways on the sand made it easier to get to the bar and a little way out to the beach
- Your resort fee includes beach chairs but not umbrellas, They cost extra.

- Food:
- Number of food options on-premise from grab and go, outside dining, inside restaurant, bar, Restaurants are a bit pricy. Starbucks.
- Sea Level restaurant and bar. Had live music at the outside bar. We ate some appetizers at the bar for dinner.

- Hotel Grounds:
- Impressive ballroom/conference facility with soaring ceiling.
- Large balcony with seating was nice at night

- Service: Service around the pool, beach bar, and at the outdoor restaurant was friendly and good. Pool bar service did not start until around 11 am.

- Spa: We did not use the Spa, but they sell Marriott gift cards. We needed to spend $50 more to get an American Express cash back offer, so we bought a Marriott gift card that we were assured could be used at other Marriott's. We tired to use it a the Westin Ft Lauderdale a week later, and they said they do not accept that card.

-Room:
- Room was fine but a bit plain, not luxurious. I preferred the beach motif of the Westin, but the room was comfortable and I liked the natural wood look of the headboard.
- Good coffee and Taylors of Harrogate tea in the room which was appreciated.
- Mini-fridge
- Balcony with two chairs and a table, but the balcony has half of the view obscured with a concrete block, part of the building design, blocking the view. You can move both chairs to the far end to see out the railing.
- The bathroom had a long sink vanity - plenty of room for cosmetics and personal items. I really liked the shower and the wood grain texture of the tile which had a nice feel and non-slippery underfoot. In addition to the shower, there was a hand-held sprayer bar.
- Bath gel, shampoo and conditioner bottle pumps. Soap at the sink and a nice eucalyptus scented lotion.

- Location: Coconuts restaurant is within walking distance, but this hotel is farther away from the main Ft Lauderdale restaurants about 25-30 minute walk.

Coffee maker and tea in the room

Beds

Shower

Pool with several rows of seating and free umbrellas

Big pool

Pool and waterfall (not attached to the pool)

Walkway to the beach. Left is a beach bar.