I was very much looking forward to a five star romantic, luxurious weekend away with my husband. Based on what I have heard about other St Regis' resorts throughout the US and Bora Bora, I had high expectations for the newest Fort Lauderdale Resort.

I would be wrong. As a guest, I felt like a completely unimportant afterthought from start to finish.... First off, the lobby and reception area when you walk in is dry and sterile. The receptionist who checked us in was rude and argumentative. Then we went to our room... once again sterile and unremarkable.. small and average. The intracoastal view room we had faced a few unattractive commercial buildings. We put our bags down and went for lunch at the pool area, in an effort to decide what our next move was going to be.

And THIS is when we decided to leave.... Get this: The beach is no where near the pool. This is important to understand. If you use the pool (sterile and with few attendants) and decide to go down to the beach, you have to put all your clothes back on, go down in the elevator 7 floors, walk out through the lobby, and walk across two lanes of major traffic to an ugly, public beach. There is no service on the beach for St Regis customers.... Side note: When I spoke with the manager though, I was told that you can rent a beach chair or umbrella. Was surprised since this is a St Regis...

We were out of there and back at the Acqualina. Had a blast and salvaged our weekend. Would recommend that or the Fairmont Turnberry. This hotel may be better once the walkway opens but for right now, the St Regis needs a lot of work.

Overall a great experience. The St. Regis has service and amenities that rival any other luxury hotel in South Florida. Food and service especially good in both the street side outdoor dining and the pool deck. Rooms very attractive and furnished in a "beach house " sort of decor with light woods and fabrics. Great bathroom. A/C could be stronger on the ocean side - but that's nothing more than a nit pick.

Not a whole lot within walking distance of the hotel in terms of upscale shopping or dining, but that will change as there is considerable redevelopment in the area.

First impressions are the most important -
I felt that the front desk staff was indifferent, aloof- bordering on rude---
The carpet was stained.
They added charges to my room that I did not charge and then said they had my signature. When I asked for a copy they said they made a mistake --- Instead of removing the charge, they added it again. They sent me 6 incorrect emails of my bill, and never actually sent me a corrected bill ---
They tried to avoid my calls --- Finally I had to dispute the charge with American Express and write a letter to the General Manager.

Having used most of the facilities, i.e. manicure, pedicure, massage, facial and dining I felt that they were acceptable, but not what I expected at The St. Regis.

We stayed at the St. Regis through a Starwood 4th Night Free promotion, which made it about $210/night. We were upgraded to a gorgeous ocean front room on the 11th floor.

I cannot say enough good things about the service or the room. The room was spectacular; fantastic view of the beach, the ocean and the pool area (on the 7th floor). The sheets were to-die-for. Every whim was taken care of; robes, slippers, fabulous bath amenities. There was a deep bath tub, separate marble shower with 2 heads, 2 sinks and a huge closet with plenty of hangers.

We only availed ourselves of one beer out of the mini-bar, but I've never seen one so well stocked with whatever you might want. Of course, there was no price list, so that scared us off a little bit!

Our room had a balcony (I believe they all do) with a table & two chairs where we could sit and enjoy the view in the shade.

The room was serviced twice every day and left absolutely spotless. St. Regis has a butler service for every room -- we weren't quite sure what to do with it, but the butler did bring ice, and when I asked, extra shampoo/etc. They also offer to pack for you.

We arrived around noon and the room wasn't ready. The front desk clerk took a cell number, we went out for lunch, and the call came in 15 minutes later that the room was available. We were able to get a late checkout until 2:30, which was nice, as well.

The pool area is beautiful, though if you are a swimmer the pool itself may be disappointing; it is only about 4 feet at its deepest, and not very big. It seems to be meant for wading and cooling off. All around the pool are padded lounge chairs, which the staff assigns to you and covers with towels when you arrive. They bring ice water with lemon, and there is a full bar if you are inclined to spend $15 for a pina colada.

There are 2 hot tubs at the pool area, though Florida in June was not the time to use a hot tub!

The hotel is right on the beach - you do need to cross a road, but we didn't find that burdensome at all. The only slightly awkward thing is returning from the beach wet and slightly sandy from an ocean swim and having to walk through the ultra-deluxe lobby. But we were ok with that.

All of this said, we probably will not go back. This is not a slam on the hotel; in fact, this hotel in ANY city would have my business. Fort Lauderdale is a strange destination; it is like it cannot decide whether it is spring break or yachting. My boyfriend and I actually had a great time having dinner and beer at Hooters and then walking next door to the St. Regis, but we can see why lots of people would want a different next door neighbor than the "Beach Place" mall of bars and tacky beach-y shopping. There were some other restaurants within walking distance - we loved the mahi tacos at LuLu's Baitshack, and had a nice dinner just down the block, but the overall vibe is honky-tonk. Oversize margaritas, tacky t-shirts, tattoo parlors.

We did not rent a car and so were pretty limited in our travels, but then again, we were only there for 4 nights so it wasn't bad.

If you stay at this hotel, a drink in their fantastic bar is a must. The mural is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

We ordered room service on night on a lark, and it was shockingly reasonably priced and very good, plus a nice romantic novelty.

I loved the service, the room and the proximity to the beach. I could have used more in the area, and drinks at the hotel were very expensive. I would stay at other St. Regis properties based on my experience at this one....we felt so taken care of, and pampered, and we didn't want to leave!