The hotel had very few guests during the time I stayed (two nights) yet I was allocated a room which overlooked the hotel loading bay. As I was only there for two nights this at first was not a problem.

1 Carpet fitters were installing carpets in all the rooms on my floor, work commenced at 7.15 and went on until early evening.

2 The glass of wine I was served in the bar was very off and even the barman could not figure out what was up with it

3 In the evening I waited for 45 minutes in the restaurant to have my order taken, during that time nobody came near me and there were only five other guests having dinner. They were very apologetic and said it was a mix up between staff who thought someone had taken my order.

4 The telephone in my room did not work the whole time and I had to use my cell phone to speak with the front desk

5 At 4.50 in the morning the TV came on - very loudly - I was told a previous guest must have set the alarm. Even after my telling the front desk about this it did the same the next morning. This was also joined by the noise of delivery lorries to the hotel from 6am onwards.

6 The hotel has wireless internet but if you use a Mac (as I do) it will not work.

I complained to the front desk and admit that I was very upset as nothing was being done to rectify the problems. The person who appeared to be in charge of the front desk ( Eric who I believe is German) did nothing to resolve these problems and appeared to treat me as a nuisance. However while I was waiting for the car to collect me I overheard his conversation with other staff and it is clear he does have problems.

All of this is a great pity because the hotel is lovely, clean, well equipped (if it all works) location is excellent and the staff (in my case with the exception of Eric) are friendly and attentive. This being so I will never stay there again and would advise anyone that when they book in they specify that they will not accept a room overlooking the loading bay.

We stayed at the Lago Mar Resort over the Labor Day weekend and had an awesome time.

The hotel is tastefully done up and the rooms are bright and clean. We stayed in a suite which was classified as "Pool View". However, they might as well have called it "Pool and Ocean View"! The suite was decent sized. The bedroom had a king bed and the living room had a double sleeper sofa. Even though the suite comfortably sleeps 4 adults, the bathroom can only be accessed from the bedroom so be warned!

The pools and private beach are excellent. There are free beach chairs available to hotel guests and cabanas / loungers can be rented for $10-$20 per day.

I would highly recommend the Lago Mar and am definitely planning to return there myself.

I stayed at the Lago Mar on the 6th and 7th of September after a cruise. The only downside was that I was not there long enough. The hotel is lovely, clean, and decorated nicely. We stayed in a one room ,not a suite, which was ample size and clean. The staff is attentive and friendly. I ate at the outside pool/bar and the food was good and plentiful. The place was relaxing, the pools were great , especially the smaller pool which was more for adults. The private beach was an added plus. I will definitely return.

Remember the 'Good Old Days' when you were an honoured guest at an Hotel and not just a booking number and a dot on the bottom line of a corporate balance sheet. Well welcome to the Lago Mar where I stayed recently for three nights with my family. After the hustle and bustle of Disney World for eleven nights with two grandchildren, even staying on a Disney property, Grandad and Nanny were in need of some big time TLC and boy, did we find it at the Lago Mar. From the moment we all piled out of the rented vehicle we were swept up into a carefree atmosphere and began to relax. We were ushered into our two bedroomed suite which was absolutely first class and the view from the balcony was just pure Florida, white beach, waving palms and a sparkling azure blue sea.
The decor was fine, not just in our suite but in all the public rooms and areas. The main pool was great with just the depths to feel comfortable in with the little ones, the problem was getting them out of the water at the end of the day. I thought after the delights of Disney that they would have been bored but far from it. They played with other kids and the staff we came into contact with mad a fuss of them and evem remembered their names, which tickled the boys to bits.
Before we ventured out each evening we repaired to the bar which was my idea of a bar. Just pull up a stool, order your drinks and that information is locked away in the bartenders mind so that next time you rock up, he or she not only remembers your name, they remember your drink as well, great.
Not only that, they were a mine of information when it came to dining out in the surrounding area as well as other 'touristy' things you may wish to get up to.
So there is my recommendation, my wife and I will be returning to Fort Lauderdale with friends in December to start a cruise but the line has already booked us in elswhere but I know one thing for sure. We will be returning to this great family run hotel next year for a short break, the measure being that it's a nine hour flight from the UK and some of you may feel that's a long haul just for a seven night stay. Believe me, the Lago Mar is worth it,. Enjoy