My family stayed at Lago Mar Easter week choosing this place because of all the rave reviews and dismissing the minority of negative reviews, assuming these people as being extremely picky. Well I have to apologise to those people because they were right! This place is nowhere near what I expected. The room was nice and we expected that at $500 per night.
As for service, well there just is not any. It's mainly a counter service kinda place. The beach grille which sounds lovely on the web site is basically a glass greenhouse with two little ladies squished into a corner servce counter about two feet long, one taking orders the other cooking. You get your food at the counter and take it to a greasy dirty table, eat and dispose of your own dishes MacDonalds style.I.e. No waiter service here.
The soda shoppe is One woman taking the orders and cooking- There is a counter about eight feet long with chairs- sit yourself down- greasy diner style- No waiter Service here either.
The tiki bar which serves drinks and lunch type food- No sit down waiter service here .
If you want a drink poolside get up and get one yourself.
Acquario is the only sit down place and the food is so bad it is empty most of the time. Honestly, we were here Easter week and most of the time the tables were filled with groups of 8 employess hanging out. We had one meal here, it was awful . It literally was food that was cooked the day before- and reheated in a microwave. I had scallops and salmon which was rubberized!!
The beach looks lovely- from a distance- If you do not mind garbage (I mean literally people's garbage from their, trash cans) blowing all over the place, floating in the water etc.
Last but not least- this place is dirty! the patio around the pool is filthy and muddy. - the so called nice restaurant Acuario is covered (and I mean like trafalgar square)with bird poop.
The pool is cloudy and full of sand. it's just horrible.
I was really disappointed, Call me picky I do not care- but with two little kids on board it was really not relaxing to have to take them up to counters all the time to have our meals as a family.
On the positive side, with service and some full time staff hired to clean the patios, wipe the tables, and clean up the beach every day, replace the chef at Acquario this place could be awesome.
Remember, They do charge 18% gratuity for absolutely NO waiter sevice

My Friend and I were looking for a relaxing hotel and stumbled upon Lago Mar, the hotel is magnificent and we have never experienced such incredible service before. I was a little worried before going because I read some of the other reviews all my fears were put to rest when I entered the resort it was beautiful just like the pictures on there website. I had a great time. The staff offered excellent service, and we were literally steps away from there private beach.

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Ft. Lauderdale. We stayed at Lago Mar for two nights. We parked our rental car ourselves (for free!) in the lot alongside the hotel and had no trouble finding a space. We checked in a few minutes before 4:00 and our room was ready (although I think a few other folks waiting in the lobby were waiting for their rooms to be ready). We took our luggage up to the room, which was a very clean executive suite with three separate rooms - a bathroom, a bedroom with two double beds, and a living room with a balcony overlooking the pool and the ocean. After we got settled we put on our swim suits and headed down to the beach. We were expecting to pay for our chairs based on some of the reviews we'd read here, but when we got down there at about 4:30, the attendant was already beginning to pack up the unused cabanas and umbrellas and said we could sit anywhere we wanted (although he also pointed out that the blue chairs are always free). So we lounged around on the beach and watched the ships come in and leave. We ordered pina coladas at the beach bar (about $8 each, but if you add the dark rum on the top they are about $11, and if you get them virgin they are about $6). They were good. We took a walk down the beach, came back, and headed back up to the room to dress for dinner at the Acquario, the onsite restaurant. When we first approached the restaurant host, he stared at us for a few seconds like we were intruding. My husband had to ask to be seated for dinner. Our waiter was excellent and we were very pleased with the menu and the pricing. It was a lot of food and we couldn't eat it all. The next morning we ate the breakfast buffet, which was very good but a little overpriced at around $15 per person, so our second morning we drove to a nearby Denny's for breakfast (not within walking distance). We spent the next day going between an umbrella we rented on the beach ($20 and well worth it since it saves your spot and gives you a little personal space) and the lagoon pool, which is fairly shaded. We had lunch at the little Oceanside grill, which was much cheaper than Acquario and had good lunch food. We also each had a massage at the spa. They were fine, as expected, and went much like the day spa I go to at home. We slept well both nights. We did drive offsite for dinner the second night up at Las Olas Blvd to save a little money and explore the town but I think we would have been just as happy at the onsite restaurant. All in all, this is the first vacation we've taken in years where I actually got a chance to relax. I don't know that we'll go back simply because we make it a policy to never go to the same place twice, but I would heartily recommend it to anyone else looking to vacation in Ft. Lauderdale.

Stayed here 6 days 4/24-4/29/06 with my family (wife, 12 year old son, 17 yr old daughter) This place is tucked away in a quiet area which was awesome yet you're only about 2 minutes from the honky tonk stuff and five minuted to loas olas blvd. We arrived at Noon and were able to check in early. The common areas were very nice. We had a one bedroom deluxe in the North (old) buliding with a view of the pool (lagoon pool). The North building is very nice. I found the room to be in excellent condition and it exceeded my expectations. The balcony was large and we could see the beach and ocean from the balcony which was a plus. The bathrooms were awesome, marble, robes, large, clean, etc.. Tthe bedroom was very nice, and the furnishings were also nice. The living room was large with a good lay out and the kitchen was perfect with a table and 4 chairs. We didn't cook there, but it was nice to have the fridge and table for cereal and snacks. The table was also a nice place for the lap top. The wireless was great with many different access points to choose from. I had a full signal!! It would have been nice for larger tv's as both tv's in the room were 20 inch old cheap RCA's but we were not there to watch tv, and only had them on early in the A.M. and late at night. The elevator in this wing is slow too, but we took the stairs most of the time anyway (we're a fit family, and like to stay that way!) The lagoon style pool is very nice albeit shallow. The other pool is deeper but is in need of refurbishing. The concrete apron is cracked around that pool. That pool however has a better breeze from the ocean. The outside bar is nice. The drinks are expensive outside, but the food is reasonable and quite good. At least you're not paying a resort fee, which makes up for pricey drinks. Having said that, the drinks are cheaper than Miami area resorts. Also a bonus was the self parking for free! This is rare in south east florida. The soda shoppe sandwiches are good but the breakfast at the soda shoppe was pretty nasty. The buffet breakfast is good but expensive. 70 bucks for breakfast for 4 first morning. The beach snack bar was also not so great. My 12 year old had a burger that was pretty nasty. We did not eat dinner at the resort so I can't comment on dinner in the main dining room. The fitness center was very small and not well equipped. The spa was also a dissapointment. The putting course (mini golf) was awesome! Suffleboard was good as well as volley ball nets. We did not play chess nor did I see anyone playing with that big huge chess set? Tennis courts were in great shape. The beach was awesome! Water was clear, clean, and warm. Free chairs at the beach was a HUGE bonus. I would return. This was pricey, we paid about 400 per night, but I would pay it again for the Lago Mar. I would NOT go here with just my spouse. When we go to Florida without the kids, we go to south beach which is about 40 minutes with traffic, 30 without. The Lago Mart is family oriented. if I had any complaints it would be all of the little kids. My kids are a bit older and I guess I've gotten use to the peace and quiet. There were quite a few babies and TONS of 2-8 year olds yelling and screaming around the grounds. It was so bad at the pool one day, we went to the beach to avoid them. Not sure if it was the parents or the kids fault! Some freaking people!!!!!!!!!
Not a deal breaker just something to be aware of... Also, there were quite a few senior citizens as other reviewers have mentioned this place is also a club for locals. This was not a problem. I never had any problems with towels or finding chairs on the beach or at the pool. The staff was friendly. I will return to the Lago Mar again with the family it's the best place in town to hang witht he family for a nice sun fillled vacation!