bdschobel

I was there January 20-22 and liked the hotel very much. It is indeed right on the beach. The hotel was a Howard Johnson's that Marriott took over and totally renovated. I got a beautiful corner room on the 7th floor with two balconies, one on the ocean side. The room wasn't huge, but it was certainly adequate. The hotel restaurant is very nice. The hotel generously gives Platinum guests free breakfast, appetizer, dessert and beverage coupons without any need to ask! I used all of them. The hotel has a good-size parking garage. Self-parking is $10/day.

Bruce

ohmark

Hollywood is nice for what it is; which is not South Beach. Downtown Hollywood has some interesting restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, and such, but a far cry from the international flair and partying atmosphere of SoBe. On the other hand, for families it might be just the ticket. But you will be far from the South Beach action, if that is important to you. The great shopping at Bal Harbor is about half way between the two. The heart of Ft. Lauderdale is about a 20 minute drive from Hollywood. Thoroughbread racing at Gulfstream Park is on Hallandale Beach Blvd in the Hollywood/Hallandale area.

zachs18

This post has been inactive for 5 years thought I would bump it up. I'm looking to stay here in May (or the JW Marriott in Miami or the Marriott Biscayne Bay in Miami). Would like to hear some imput from anyone who recently stayed at any of these properties. Thanks in advance.

bigguyinpasadena

Hi zachs18.
THANK YOU !!!!for doing a search first
However-there is more rcent info on this subject-and the properties you are inquiring about are not in Ft Lauderdale.
Now if you are going to fort lauderdale-then I would recomend the Renaissance-just do not go if there are going to be heads of states visiting.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440997

MsRoRo

I did 50 nights at the Rennaissance FLL last year, and 20 so far this year. It is by far my favorite hotel.

Marriott Biscayne Bay is OK, but not my style-
If you can do the JW- well, it is a JW there is nothing more to say.

Also, it depends on where you need to be. I worked in offices in Miami and FLL, but I usually still stay in FLL.

ssalt

Depends on what you are looking for...Harbor Beach is great for families...my kids loved it, (and so did I!) The Ren is fine, however there is not much of a pool. On the other hand, Harbor Beach has a wonderful pool area and is right on the beach.

ohmark

But the Ren is right on a strip mall parking lot. Advantage: Publix is right next door. Disadvantage: Publix is right next door.

zachs18

I'm looking to use rewards miles for one of these places. 3 nights at Harbor is 117k and three nights at Coconut is 100k. Anyone have any opinions on which I should chose? We just want to relax at the pool or beach and would like a nice comfortable room.

hhoope01

While I have never stayed at that Ritz, I have stayed a couple of times at the Harbor Beach Marriott.

I guess the answer might depend on a couple of things. Do you want a hotel right on the beach? The Harbor Beach Marriott is right on the beach and a fairly nice area of the beach at that. I don't think the Ritz is right on the beach. I know the pool at the Harbor Beach is very nice, but I would guess that the Ritz would have a fairly nice one as well. Do you want to stay in Fort Lauderdale or Miami? Most of the rooms at the Harbor Beach are normal sized rooms, though it is possible you could score a room upgrade. Most Ritz hotels tend to have larger rooms with more or upscale amenities. So is that important?

My personal opinion is that the Harbor Beach Marriott is one of the nicest Marriotts I have ever stayed at. When I travel to the Fort Lauderdale area, I try my hardest to stay there. But I prefer Fort Lauderdale to Miami and love the beach access.

I suspect that either will be very nice and will probably work for you.

zachs18

I'll tell you what. I am taking my girlfriend on a surprise trip to propose. She thinks its a business trip and has no idea. I want it to be a romantic spot with a nice hotel room. When we do make it out of the room, we love to go to the beach and shop. Ft. Lauderdale or Miami doesn't matter to me. I've never been to both.

hhoope01

Congratulations and good luck with your trip.

Again, I haven't been to the Ritz, but I would have to guess that the room itself would be head and shoulders better than the room you will get at the Marriott. So if you want the upscale room, the Ritz is probably the place.

If you want to be able to walk right out to the beach, and probably have a little more beach "scenery" right around the hotel, I would say that the Harbor Beach Marriott would fit you very nicely. I like the location of the Harbor Beach Marriott in that you are at the south end of Fort Lauderdale and can drive up A1A and have do some very nice shopping. With that said, I would suspect that the Ritz would be fairly close to some nice shopping as well. Maybe some who knows that area of Miami better can chime in.

mrforensics

I would say Harbour Beach Resort in Ft. Lauderdale. I stayed there once for 12 days for a FBI fingerprint course at BCSO and to relax a few days after. You walk out the hotel and your directly on the beach like the other posts stated you can walk A1A to the shops and their are places to eat. It's a mall maybe 2 miles up north called the Galleria Mall. You can then drive down to Miami and go to the Grove, Bayside, SOBE. Congrats

BeantownFlyer

And at Harbor Beach you can reserve a Cabana, which is located in a secluded area between the (noisy) pool and beach. $40/day on weekedays, $60-$75/day on weekends. Includes 2 lounge chairs outside the canaba (no fighting for a poolside chair), 2 sit up chairs, shower, tv with cable, etc. Nice hot tub that serves just the cabanas. Great deal compared to the $200+ a day common at other hotels that have things like this.

You can only reserve 7 days in advance - at least that is the official party line.

AdamUK

I need a Marriott to stay in for a night after arriving from the UK next April before I drive down to Key West. Budget $100-200, but up for paying more if needs be for a nice place after long flight. Have had my fair share of horrors at places like Spring Hill Suites - but are there any Marriott brands/owned hotels in the area that will fit the bill?

tfmpa

I have stayed many times at the JW on Brickell. It's a great place, with a nice concierge lounge with complimentary beer/wine and the hors d'oeuvres usually are substantial enough to make a dinner out of them. Good breakfast in the morning as well. If you prefer a substantial breakfast, the buffet has both European and traditional American fare including an omellete station.