Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort — Hotel in Fort Lauderdale

Solid 3 star accommodation. This is an old apartment building that was converted to a timeshare property. The new management company has put a lot of money into it - painting, carpeting, lighting, appliances. The best feature for me is the location - 1-3 minute walk to the beach - depending how fast you walk. There are several shops outside - convenience, souvenirs, restaurant, breakfast, ice cream. As it was an apartment building, there are some unique features - limited parking, laundry in basement, basic lobby, walk in closet, powder room in unit. As it is old, the units are larger than average. Standard layout - kitchen, then dining room and living room with patio doors to a balcony. By the entrance is a powder room vs the standard 2nd door to the ensuite. Bedroom was a good size - king bed, firm matress, avg linens, long dresser, end tables with lamps, black out curtains, but no sheer curtains, large walk in closet with safe, very small ensuite washroom - old style bath/shower combo - tub has been covered with a vinyl fitting, low ceiling in shower, old rusted shower curtain rod, water gets warm but not really hot - was fine for me, but if you like very hot showers, you will not like it. Sink was very low. Smallest ensuite I have ever seen in a timeshare. Stocked with shampoo, soaps, skin cream. Towels were average thickness and better than avg softness. Small tv 32". Ceiling fan. Would be nice if they could make the walk in closet a lot smaller and expand the ensuite. For a short term stay, a large walk in closet is a waste of space. Kitchen - fairly new GE appliances - all worked well. As this was an apartment building, the stove vent actually goes outside vs recirculated like most timeshares. Fairly new pots/pans, cutlery, glasses. Sink/faucet is old style. Cupboards are old style. Stocked with towels, coffee, dish soap, dishwasher soap, sponge, Dining room - glass top bamboo furniture. Older but clean and nice. Living room - older couch, seat, murphy double bed, 50" tv - lots of channels - most I've ever seen in a timeshare - cable, hulu, prime, netflix etc.. Murphy bed would be a lot better than a sofa bed. Unlike other timeshares, they have towel replacement at no extra cost. Housekeeping comes by Monday/Tuesday (based on floor) to replace what you need. Biggest negative is there is no laundry in the unit. As the property was an apartment building, there is basically no grounds. There is a pool with a basic deck. Work out room was well stocked for a 3* property - elliptical, treadmill, weight machine - see pic. Front and back entrances are locked 24hrs a day - need key or buzz in. There are only 2 very small elevators - will be an issue when it is busy. I was here the last week of September - low season, peak hurricane season. When you check in, you pick up your parking pass from the "timeshare desk" where they talk you into going to a timeshare presentation. They take a hold on your credit card and say they will release it when you show up. I ended up canceling later at the front desk - they tried to tell me they don't have access to the system so they can't cancel - told them to pass on the message then. Just say not interested and move on. It's a solid 3star place. It's an old building that has been updated, but has that old building feeling to it. The building runs north/south - so views are of the ocean or city, if high enough. I was on the 3rd floor, so my view was of the parking lot and shops across the street. High floors would have nice views. Few bugs on our floor - that is Florida, not unique to this property. There are less bugs than other Westgate/Marriott/Sheratons where your unit door opens to the outdoors. This has indoor hallways - old apartment. This is good at night when bugs are flying around the lights outside your unit when your door opens to the outside.....no worries of insects flying in your room at FLBR. If you are ok with 3 star places, this place will meet your needs. It's old, but clean and...

During the last 20 years, we’ve stayed in at least 40 different rooms at Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort (FLBR). As a result, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect at FLBR, and we hope you will find the following information helpful.

PROs:

LOCATION: Great location for Beach access, State Park, Bonnet House, Restaurants, Water Taxi access, Publix Grocery, Galleria Mall shopping, and much more—all within walking distance. The resort is centrally located in Fort Lauderdale Beach and situated on a strip of land between the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean. A short block from the beach, the resort is in a small neighborhood that includes shops, restaurants, bars/lounges, and a 24-hour convenience store. The 180-acre Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (adjacent on North) provides safe, scenic & gentle walking trails as well as direct beach and water taxi access. The Bonnet House museum (adjacent on South) provides a window into the origins of the Fort Lauderdale area with a great tour and scenic grounds.

BEST BEACH: -- NEVER CROWDED -- Due to its unique location between the Hugh Taylor Birch State Park and the Bonnet House Museum/Gardens, the beach is never crowded. World-Famous beach is very wide with a gentle slope continuing into the warm, clear, aqua-marine water. Daily beach maintenance keeps the sand soft and clean. A shower is available at the exit of the beach to rinse the salt & sand.

GREAT BALCONY VIEWS: All 1 and 2 bed room units (above the 4th floor) have great views of either the Ocean (East) or the Intracoastal waterway (West). Many visitors prefer the Ocean view with the beach, ship traffic and ship lights at night. We prefer the Intracoastal waterway view with frequent yacht traffic, interesting draw-bridge traffic, and night lights of Fort Lauderdale.

ROOMS: The staff does a very good job of keeping the units clean and well prepared for guests. All 1 bed & 2 bed units are very large & all beds are king size. Most 1 bed units have 1 and ½ baths. All two bed units have 2 full baths. All 1 bed & 2 bed units come with a fold-out sofa and a more comfortable drop-down murphy bed for additional sleeping accommodations. Some furniture can be dated, but it is all very clean and in good condition. All 2 Bed/ 2 bath unit includes a separate 1 bed/1 bath lock-off section with its own mini-kitchen. Great for 2 couples + kids. (See the below “CONs” discussion regarding this lock-off section.) There is a flat screen TV in the living room and in each bedroom. Each bedroom has an overhead fan and a free security safe.

ADDITIONAL ROOM AMENITIES: A fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, an open plan living & dining area, cable TV with free HBO, a private balcony, A/C, hairdryers, DVD, and more.

RESORT AMENITIES: Free Parking • Free Wireless Internet • Free Internet Kiosks • Free Fitness Center • Concierge Services • Resort Activities • Day Spa • Sauna • Sun Deck • Wheelchair Accessible Swimming Pool • Whirlpool Spa • Laundry Facilities.

CONs:

Studio units should be avoided due to potential noise problems. The studio units are the lock-off section of a 2 bed/2 bath unit, and there is only a wooden door separating the units. If you have a neighbor, there may be a lot of noise. Conversations & TVs are easily overheard.

FINAL THOUGHTS: FLBR can provide an excellent vacation for families and seniors. It’s a low-key resort in an excellent location with the World-Famous Beach, State Park, Bonnet House, Galeria Mall, Publix Grocery, scenic views, and small local community. There’s a variety of food options: Italian, Irish, Mexican, Asian, Galleria food court, and up-scale restaurants at the...

I was checking in on 11/23/19, while doing so a gentleman found it necessary to stand beside me instead of behind and waiting to be asked to the counter.

Although there was an issue with my credit card, Sabrina was kind enough to help someone else check in and while I figured things out. I continued to check in with no issues.

Later that night, while guests where over, the door between the living and bedroom become jammed and locked. I called the front desk from the hall, because the phone was in the locked room. The receptionist came 30 MINUTES later to see what was going on. Because maintenance was already gone for the night. The receptionist then told us, there was nothing he could do for the rest of the night. And that my guests would have to stay here(hotel), until the next day. (keep in mind there was notices around the property that if you DO NOT have a parking pass you will be towed. Even if a pass was provided, how would it be put in the car when then keys are locked in the room. Roughly 30 minutes after the receptionists left, security came and tried to open the door like everyone else.

Now 2 hours go by with no word from anyone. Myself and a guests went downstairs to tell them, there was a medical reason we needed the door open, but before we could, they decided to break it down.

After the door was opened, I was left to clean up the pieces from the broken door (charge for cleaning service), that was made of cardboard.

I was left in a room with broken door. Not one time after the incident did anyone from the hotel staff reach out to me.

I checked out on 11/25/19 with Sarina(bad attitude) not to be confused with Sabrina(very helpful), and provided her with the door knob, explained the situation and asked to speak to the manager on duty, which was John Perez(GM), but told I had to speak with Keneisha(Front Office Assistant Manager). I asked Sarina to have whomever call me to discuss what happened, her LACK of concern wasn't a surprise as she barely cared to work.

After she checked me out, I was told I was free to go... Well I wasn't! if she would've looked, she would've noticed I made a cash deposit. I believe this hotel has a policy of not reminding guests checking out, about their CASH deposits. (Note, I was told that if I did NOT have the copy of my receipt, my deposit was forfeited.)

After waiting until 4pm EST to receive a call from John Perez, I called and was advised he WAS there when I checked out, and left at 3pm. I was when transfer to Keneisha, and explained the situation and she passed me off to John Perez's voicemail and left a message. I called and spoke to Keneisha again and she told me, the owner of the unit NEVER complained about the doorknob and it was MY fault for it being jammed based on what she was looking at. Well, if she was looking at it, you could tell the lock would NOT retract, therefore when it was last closed it wouldn't reopen.

as of 9:45am on 11/26, I still have not heard...