We just stayed one night at the Il Lugano Hotel, and we were very happy with the room. There were unusual perks like a washer and dryer - and great fluffy towels and comfortable bed. Our view from the balcony overlooked the Intercostal. I believe the hotel is close to the beach, but our intention while in Ft Lauderdale was boat shopping. We were meeting a broker at 9:30 and asked for a drive to the brokerage (not too far away), and were told NO, but they would call us a taxi and it would be here in 30 minutes?!?

We didn't have a car, but assumed the water taxi and escalade would be available to drive us short distances. This assumption was sadly incorrect. In fact, there was every excuse in the book not to provide this service. Because the Il Lugano is a bit out of the hub, the hotel advertised this service to accommodate their customers. Our taxi driver told us this is a common complaint from the people he picks up at the Il Lugano.

I was also surprised when I asked to cash a $100 travellers cheque in exchange for money to pay for my taxi, and the staff said no, because they wanted to leave their cash in the drawer and that we could walk to an ATM 2 blocks away!

The staff is a bit flaky, but this may be growing pains, as they just opened in January. This hotel has the potential to be a great spot to stay, but they just need to provide the advertised servcies already!

PROS: Large, clean room; excellent distance from the beach; comfortable beds; free breakfast; transportation service

CONS: flaky staff; disrespectful towards young people; far location from downtown; pool nice, but 99% in the shade 24-hrs of the day

For the most part, I enjoyed my stay here, but too many negative issues occurred that could persuade me to stay here again. Overall, there was a lack of respect towards my guest and I. Like any other guest, I am a paying guest who deserves equal respect, regardless of my younger age. I witnessed the way older residents and families were treated, and after close comparison, I feel I was treated with far less respect.

For the success of this establishment and the pleasant accommodations of future guests, I hope the il Lugano gets its act together.

Il Lugano is a wonderful place to stay. We stayed for a week with twin 1 year olds and were on the 6th floor with a huge balcony that we spent many hours on. The view is spectacular. Huge Yachts go by all day. The room's decor is wonderful, not super child friendly, but we moved stuff around to make it safer for them. The concierge people are lacking information about local restaurants. We looked on the internet to find the best child friendly places. It is a super short, nice walk to the beach.

Everyone who works there was very helpful and friendly. They went out of their way to help us, and not in a "I want a big tip" kind of way." They seemed to get a kick out of our babies, and made a point to pay attention to them and help us with them.

I wouldn't stay anywhere else in Ft. Lauderdale!

Stayed 2 nights in an upgraded ocean view room, king bed. Nice details in the room made the room special - 2 flatscreen HD tvs, Bose system with iPod docking, full kitchen with honor bar, 2 bathrobes,Bulgari toiletries etc.
Complimentary breakfast and evening wine and cheese were on 6th floor suite with intracoastal view - I enjoyed this best, sitting outside on the balcony. We didnt make use of the Cadillac Escalades, boat, pool or hot tub or the fitness room but they all looked top notch. Valet parking was $25 per day, room was an American Express card deal/steal for $239.
Only glitch was that the room was not 100% clean when we arrived, there was a cleaning cloth left on a sidetable and the dish washer had dirty dishes in it. The level of music playing in the sound system seemed a tad loud for us sometimes but maybe it was due to the lack of other noise, very few guests around at any time and we almost never shared the elevator with anyone else! I'm sure that will change with time when word gets out.