Upon arriving at the Pelican Beach Resort,

Valet Parking: the valets were quick to open the car doors for you with a smile. At this resort, valet parking is mandatory (parking seems to be scarce in Ft. Lauderdale). The cost per day is $12, not including tips, and $8 for daily visitors.

Lobby: I felt as if I was in a Bahamas retreat! THe decor is very colonial with an upscale tropical theme. Think large overstuffed chairs, rattan, a cute gaming corner and tons of places to sit and relax with a newspaper. In the late afternoons, the smell of freshly buttered popcorn fills the lobby, it is free and you can get it at the bar (in the old-style popcorn machine). A definate favorite for adults and kids!

Room: I stayed with my husband and 21 month old daughter on the 6th floor (new building) in a suite. You first step in to a small entrence foyer with tiled floors, large mirror and table. The bathroom is off the foyer (the toilet and shower are in a seperate room from the sink area!). You then walk in to the bedroom area, either a king or 2 queen beds, two side tables and a large entertainment center with drawers. The bedroom is seperated from the living room by a door and french windows(with blinds on them). THe living room had a pull out chair, sofa, large entertainment center complete with mini-fridge and microwave. Off to the corner was a table and chairs. All furniture was white washed, linins on the bed white and the furniture was slip-covered on soft greens and reds. A crib was provided for my daughter at no extra cost.

Dining: We mostly ordered room service, ate at local samwhich shops, and went to the grocery store for small meals (cut costs down). The food was excellent! My husband recommends the Mahi-Mahi and I am a fan of the tuna wrap. The breakfast buffet was delicious complete with everthing form fresh cut fruit to made to oreder omletes to french toast. The buffet is $14 which includes drinks. We did not get to eat dinner at the Ocean Grill but is smelled delicious! THe Ice Cream Parlor is a definate plus, try the hot fudge sunday, very delicious!

Pool: There pool is one of those no-entry pools that goes as deep ad five feet. THe lazy-river is a definate plus, it is actually fun to flaot around it without the tubs...or try one of the noodles under your arms and under your legs, very relaxing! There are always plenty of freshly laundered towels poolside for your convenience, they are great on the beach as well.

Beach: Walk down front the deck with tons of rocking chairs (great for late afternoon drinks) and step onto the beach. Lounge chairs are provided for hotel gueast only, but there aren't any umbrellas. Contray to previous reviews, it looks as if the stopped making the guests wear arm bands for identification purposes. Never saw one or wore one the whole week I was there.

Cleanliness: Remember, this is a beach hotel with a pool. You would think that sand and water would be everywhere. Sorry to dissappoint, but the maintenance staff was especially diligent in cleaning up the sandy and watery messes, so clean that in fact there was never any mess! The housekeepers vacuumed every day. My only complaint is that a couple of them are not very friendly. A smile or two wouldn't hurt. I left a small baby sheet with the dirty towels...because it was dirty...but the housekeepers left the dirty sheet on the floor and took the towels. All in all, the room was kept very clen - no bugs or anything else nasty for the matter.

What we were shocked to find is that this resort charges your full stay in advance as well as puts a hold on your card for an additional $250 for "incidentals". The "incidentals" were things like tossing a bed out a window or hurling the tv into the ocean. Another note, when booking this hotel, specifically ask for the new building! (shown on the website). The old Sun Tower is just that, and old building that for some reason is part of the resort.

Will definatly stay again! The place was beyond my expectations and is definatly one of the best I have been at. Way to go Best Western!

We were supposed to go to Key West on July 9th, 2005 but Hurricane Dennis caused us to rearrange our plans. We decided to go to Ft. Lauderdale for two days and then go to Key West when Dennis passed. We checked the internet and decided to stay at the Pelican Beach Best Western. The hotel is FANTASTIC!! We had a wonderful room. The service was great and everyone we came in contact with from the front desk, to valet, to the bar/restaurant staff, to housekeeping, to just someone walking down the hall with a Pelican Beach nametag who asked if they could help (I guess I looked a little confused trying to make the business center computer work) were extremely helpful. Las Olas Blvd. was great - it is a MUST VISIT area if you go to Ft. Lauderdale. The pool, the beach, the lazy river, and ALL of the amenities are OUTSTANDING. I do suggest that you make sure that you stay in the main building and that you get a room on the third floor or above. I understand that 2nd Floor rooms do not have a private balcany as to rooms above do. I also suggest that you make your reservations via the Best Western website. I found that I was definately able to save money over reservations made via the hotel direct. We loved it so much that we left Key West early and returned for one final day at the Pelican Beach Resort before we had to go home...

We visiting the Pelican Beach Resort for three days in May. We absolutely loved it. The room was gorgeous... its decor was certainly in line with the traditional southern beach house style. There were definitely lots of families there, but we still had fun as a couple. During the day, we played with an adorable little kid in the pool and then enjoyed the beach and lazy rivers ourself. In the evenings, the staff was incredible helpful in giving us advice about restaurants, casinos, etc. One night, we took advantage of the beautiful porch on the back of the resort and enjoyed champagne while listening to the waves crash.

The staff was amazing. One night we woke up a little too late for breakfast, but one of the hotel managers still served us breakfast and made sure that we felt accomodated. He even offered to re-open the pancake and waffle station for us. We told him that wasn't necessary, but we took advantage of the rest of the breakfast buffet, so he charged us an extremely reduced rate for the breakfast. The food poolside was great also, and we enjoyed talking to the friendly waitress and lifeguard.

What a wonderful trip!

Visited this hotel/resort July 1st - 2005 for 2 nights, enroute to a cruise vacation.

There were 14 of us travelling together, which is alot of people, especially
when requesting a table for breakfast.

Best Western Pelican Beach Resort, was absolutely the most fabulous place
for us to be.

Rooms overlooking the ocean were so beautiful. Spacious, well thought
out floor plans, and gorgeous furnishings. Beds were comfortable, including
the single pull out couch!!

This resort was so accomodating at breakfast time, they had no problem
finding and setting us a table for 14 for breakfast, and not only that, they
did it with a smile on their face!! Service was very, very good, they
could not do enough to please you.
The front desk was efficient, and very professional, with all check ins and
check outs.

The lazy river pool, was busy when we were there, but there was always room in the pool for our family. There was even a BBQ lunch, that was
being set up around the poolside.
Great access to the ocean, and the wrap around porch area of the hotel
was truly one of the most relaxing spots to enjoy a cool drink.
Hotel bar was very nice, and the salads were delicious!!

Great location, a very nice mall nearby - just a short drive, as well as
some great resturants!!

We definitely will be back to this resort...it was a beautiful beginning to our
cruise vacation.

If there is one thing I could tell you about this resort, it would be every great
trip to Florida should begin and end at the Best Western Pelican Beach Resort!!!!!

Thanks from one happy Canadian family!!!!!