Fort Lauderdale Hotel Tips by grandmaR

Sleep Inn and Suites Ft Lauderdale Airport: Take Off to a Cruise Sleep Inn and Suites Ft Lauderdale Airport Review

The hotel website said that it had free transportation to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and to the Port Everglades from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Miami International Airport is 20 miles away. A variety of specialty shops, restaurants and cocktail lounges are within walking distance.

Full-service features and amenities that we used include:

* Free deluxe continental breakfast
* Free local newspaper
* Free wired and wireless high-speed Internet access

Guests of this Dania, FL hotel will also enjoy the fitness center, outdoor heated pool and hot tub (but we didn't have time for this).

We got to Ft. Lauderdale just about 3, and checked in. This is NOT a no-smoking room, but they are apparently pretty full. I had made the reservation on the internet with a Far Eastern agency called Agoda and they wanted me to pay in advance (which I did) and use a voucher to check in. There was no problem checking in with the voucher. I made a reservation on the Port shuttle for 10:00. The TV reception was crappy and Bob did something to it and it came in clear as a bell - then he did something else, and it was crappy again. Finally I wiggled where the cable came into the TV and it was clear again, so Bob told me not to touch it again.

Unique Qualities: We went out to dinner at 5:30 leaving the TV on. After dinner, we filled the car up with gas and drove to the airport and turned the car in. Walked across to Terminal 1, and called the hotel for a ride back to the hotel on the shuttle. After about half an hour we were picked up, and came back and watched football and read the Sunday paper, which was complimentary apparently.

We had breakfast - this Sleep Inn had cranberry juice, and also you could make your own waffles, although I forgot to set the timer on mine. They had scrambled eggs in kind of a pancake shape, but they seemed to be kept warm in a kind of water bath. They were hard to
pick up with tongs - they fell apart easily. They also had orange quarters in addition to the sausage biscuits and all the usual stuff.

The front desk called us to come and get in the 10:00 van, which actually left about 9:35. One of the girls on the van was going to the airport. There were two other couples going on Celebrity. Then we stopped at the EconoLodge and picked up four more people. The other two couples were for RCI. There either weren't enough seats or the people in the back didn't sit close enough together - I think there should be space for four back there, but there were only three. So the wife of the man next to us sat on her husband's lap. She bumped her head on the roof when we went over bumps.

We let off the lady who was going to the airport first. So then we had enough seats.

But no - we picked up an additional man. This time one lady in the back sat on her husband's lap. Since our ship was first in line, we got out first. Then there was room for everyone to sit.

We handed our luggage to the luggage people, and then van drove off before we could tip the driver.

Address: 1500 SE 5TH AVE, Dania, FL 33004

Comparison: about average

Directions: From Turnpike Exit 595 East to I-95 South. From I-95 Exit 21, Sheridan Street East. Pass US1 .5 mile. Turn left on 5th Ave. Hotel is on right.

Phone: (954) 874-1800

Price: US$40-80

Theme: Hotel

Website: http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-dania-florida-FL664?sid=S4aHM.x$NyNgiRZ.2&sarea=85281&sname=Ft+Lauderdale&sstate=FL&scountry=US&sradius=40.23&slat=26.12