Thursday night the third day of our vacation.I write this sitting under a canopy in the gorgeous pool area at our hotel,the cocobelle.Crickets chirping and soulful music wafting from a sole speaker the only sounds i hear.Lights wrapped around palm trees illuminate my writing.What can i say about a place that is so perfect for Karen and I.We are a couple in our late forties who were looking for peace and quiet,beauty,cleanliness,safety and intimacy,all of these things you can find at the Cocobelle. Anyone who needs to unwind and get away from the go,go,go of everyday life cannot,i repeat,cannot stay in a better place.Of course you could stay at the Pillars or The St. Regis or the Hilton and have more luxury,but at those places you are just another face,here,like Cheers,everbody knows your name.Close your eyes and imagine this scenario,you and your loved one are poolside,you can smell the salt in the seebreeze as it ruffles the pretty fauna surrounding the pool,birds chatter as you laugh together,tanning swimming loving,taking a fresh water shower that is by the poolwhen you are done.Fort Lauderdale has changed since i was last there 8 years ago and so have i,the a1a beach area is in transition,foreclosures have hurt the area,many mom and pop places going down the drain in the quest for bigger, better,more luxurious. Yet it does not affect us because we are in our little throw back to the time when service and the guests wishes were all the proprietors focused on,not just more money.If you stay at the Cocobelle you will want a car,it is needed,it is necessary.You can drive down to Publinx market,get some good chicken tenders,mac and cheese,a dessert and a six pack of beer or wine,do this two nights and you can easily save 100 dollars by not eating out.Sit poolside, eat dinner together on the nice dinner ware provided and well you can imagine the rest !!! We were on a tight budget and this allowed us to do things maybe we could not afford otherwise,things we will remember much more than dinners. I must say something,I HAVE NO AGENDA,believe me.I am just a regular guy from Boston,out to write an honest review of my stay. Karen and I were so happy with our tastefully appointed room,number 11,its king sized bed,so comfortable,2 excellent working ac units,yet all these things pale in comparison to our hosts,Dorothee and Ernst. I have become so cynical being from Boston,service is a forgotten thing in almost all phases of our lives and this was not the case at their exquisite little place. In our short stay, their way of doing things made it possible for Karen and I to shed the weight of the world and relax, truly truly,relax.Allowing us to explore our love and passion and the reasons why we fell in love,which are what vacations are for,right.!!! I can finish by saying this,any couple wanting a quiet,homey place,would be happy here. The beautiful city and beaches of Fort Lauderdale sit almost right outside the doorstep of a lovenest that will allow you the solitude and space to rekindle the fire or just relax and explore the city and surrounding areas. Thank You, Dorothee and Ernst, you made this couples four night ,five day vacation so special,we shall return. Charlie and Karen.

booked the Cocobelle following rave reviews on Tripadvisor and the hotel certainly lived up to it's reputation. Our room (9) was certainly big enough for a family of 5 which included two teenagers. The interior was bright, clean, modern and very comfortable with a tv in each bedroom. The hotel pool and outside area was like a little oasis away from the area immediately outside the hotel which, like a previous traveller, we considered to be off the beaten track somewhat and did not walk around when dark but took taxis. Don't get me wrong, did not see or hear anything untoward, just not well populated and a bit of a walk from the main street.

Every attention to detail was provided and the outside area was lit with fairly lights in the evening which gave a lovely feel when sitting out for dinner with a glass of wine.

Our hosts were very welcoming and gave us great advice on where to go and what to doand certainly looked after us well.

Would recommend this hotel to all ages

This is a nice little motel. I have to say that when we first arrived, we were kind of turned off. The area where the property is located at, is not the best. Empty lots and buildings, I didn't like that. Then we walked in and it looked just ok. THe pool is very small but the rooms are lovely and spacious. The kitchen is well equipped. The beds are comfy and the staff is friendly. A short walk to the beach, which by the way, was amazing. The beach is clean, warm, love it. Not too many restaurants near by, but, we went to a grocery store (Publix) and bought food. Rent a car, I did, and it was great. We went to Las Olas Blvd, ate a cheescake factory, we went to the grocery store twice, and went to the Galleria Mall. WE also went for dinner to Casablanca, expensive, good fish. Overall, it was a good experience. Not sure if I would rate it as the best hotel in Ft Lauderdale, but I can't complain. If you rent a car, try Priceline.com. I got an SUV for $15 a day plus taxes, what a bagrain!!

There were some positive things about visiting Cocobelle but some of the things that others mentioned didn't quite match our experience (eg. friendly service). The booking was very straight forward and simple, it was fairly easy to find, reasonably close to the beach (can walk), the rooms were very clean and homely and the owners were friendly and inviting/understanding to a certian degree.

When we arrived the owner was very eager and excited about our stay. She had our paperwork ready and a handful of towels prepared for us to go to the beach. I can't say anything negative about the hotel, but it just wasnt our taste...it's obvious that many others liked it. For us, our dislike may have been due to the lack of quietness & privacy, people walking by the windows, noise in the pool area and insufficient window coverings to be private.

The owner did take care of the hotel & you can tell by the cleanliness of the rooms and the property. For the most part, the stay was enjoyable but the only thing that made it not go so well was the large roach my 3 year old found in the kitchen area. She discovered it as we were looking around the room. During the entire stay, she did not want to walk around on the floor because she thought the bug would get her. If anyone out there who has kids & who's kids has never encountered a bug, especially the floridian cocroaches that are about 3" long... it is definately a scare. I'll admit, even my husband and I were somewhat uneasy about the incident. Was there more of these guys lurking around? Although it was almost dead, the legs were still kicking. My husband and I were okay and could have managed to stay the nights that we booked, but it was obvious that my daughter wasnt. Upon calling the owner, she was very apologetic and removed the bug immediately. That was great & we appreciated her honesty and explanation. What we didnt know at the time was that my daughter was very traumatised by the whole experience.

What we didnt appreciate was the rudeness that we encountered as we asked to check out the next morning. The owner acted like she knew what we had to go through that night to console my daughter. I'm sorry, but we waited 5 years to go on vacation, we planned for 4 months to book our hotel and our stay during our week long trip in Florida, it was our first time in Florida and wanted to make the best of our stay. It was our 5th wedding anniversary and we were not going to stay in a place that *everyone* in the family felt comfortable at. We barely spent time in the hotel and the time we did spend, was spent mostly on the bed with my daughter and for a quick change of clothes.

We apologized that we didnt want to stay & for the inconvenience, we offered to pay any cancellation fees and for the night that we stayed. We were NOT looking for anything free or to get away from paying for anything. We just wanted to stay somewhere else, even if it meant paying for the entire time we originally booked. But we were rudely told that "I dont buy your story". Who is she to judge our family and the care that we have for our children. If our child is not comfortable, we're *not* going to ruin our vacation by staying. Tell us what we owe & leave it at that, refrain from judgemental comments because it's just not good customer service! We're paying for our night & any other fees, but we would be paying a bigger price by staying here & not enjoying our trip.

I'm sorry, but if you're looking for a place with customer service, you might not find it here. They're apparently very friendly, that is if you have no concerns.