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Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa: Traveler Reviews


Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
3030 Holiday Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
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Traveler Reviews

80% Recommend
4.0 of 5 stars 268 reviews
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Harbor Beach - Nice place for a few days

Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

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4 of 5 stars
danandbianca 5 contributions
Brooklyn, NY
Nov 17, 2008 | Trip type: Couples
3/3 found this review helpful

My wife and I stayed at the Harbor Beach Marriott in mid-November for part of our honeymoon. We actually stayed there twice in one week punctuated by a stay at the South Beach Marriott (my wife travels a lot for work and is a Marriott Rewards member, so we only stay at Marriotts).

On with the review. The hotel is kept in very good condition. The rooms are very clean and appear to be nearly wear-free. Our first room was on the 15th floor with an ocean view, and our second was on the 6th floor with an ocean/ pool view. Both rooms had excellent beds, balconies with chairs, a large flat screen TV and well-lit marbled bathrooms. Housekeeping visits the room three times a day and is quite friendly. On that note, all hotel staff was friendly.

It's probably best to have a car at the hotel if you're staying for more than 3-4 days since your dining choices in the vicinity of the hotel are limited. There are three restaurants at the hotel:

Cascades: Next to the pool; service is available right at your lounge chair. The food is on the expensive side-$14 for a burger/ fries, the same for a grilled vegetable sandwich. Mixed drinks average $11.

Riva: Mid-level casual dining in the north wing of the hotel. The food is good, but not great. Roast chicken is $24. Tortelini with sausage is $23.

3030: Upscale. $50 average entree. Could be $100 pp for full meal. We didn't eat here becuase we didn't think the value was there.

There's a place called Bahia Cabana within a 6 minute walk of the hotel. The food is average, but cheap. It's a good place for families and it's right on the marina next to the water taxi stop. Go here for breakfast if you don't want to be held hostage to the $20 pp breakfast at the hotel. You can get 2 eggs, 2 slices of toast and home fries for $5. Add sausage/ bacon for a couple bucks more.

There's another fun restaruant called Oasis Cafe about a 15 minute walk north of the hotel on Seabreeze Blvd (also called the A1A). They serve very fresh fish for reasonable prices ($20-$24), are across the road from the beach and also have tables/ chairs on gliders.

If you want the best of Ft Lauderdale, go to Las Olas Blvd, which is a 5 minute drive or cab ride from the hotel. There are many good restaurants on the strip.

A wide range of equipment rentals is offered through Aloha Watersports on the beach immediately in front of the hotel. Hobie Cats are $70/ hr, kayaks are $20/ hr/ person. Jet ski rentals are expensive ~ $90 per 1/2 hr. Parasailing, snorkeling, scuba and fishing are also available. You can book a tennis court at the hotel for $20/ hr. The basketball courts are free to use. The hotel gym is relatively small, but features well maintained equipment and 3 large TVs. The gym has free bottles of water and free powerbars. There's a large sauna in the men's and women's locker rooms. It's the hottest sauna I've ever been in (it gets up to 200 degrees F).

The hotel serves free cookies and lemonade at the pool every day from 2:30 - 3pm. The pool is warm, big and very clean. There are 2 hot tubs near the pool. One is quite hot, the other is more moderate. Secret: there's a third hot tub south of the main pool area in the private cabana area. It's not just for people renting cabanas, but no one was ever in it. It's nice if you want to get away from everything.

There are two large supermarkets within 2 miles of the hotel: a Winn Dixie on Cordova and a Publix on 17th St. It's worth buying some snack food so you don't get killed by the hotel food.

We live in NYC and were surprised by the cost of taxis in Ft Lauderdale: $2.50 initial charge, 40 cents per 1/5 mile, but still worth it if you decide not to rent a car. If you do rent, self parking is $22/ day. Valet is at least $30/ day. The water taxi is fun to ride for a tour, but too expensive and slow to use for transportation. If you buy a day pass for $14 pp, you can take it from end to end and see the megamansions and megayachts and megalawns and megacars and megawhateverelsereallyrichpeoplehave.

Be warned that the hotel is building a new ballroom on the waterfront. Construction is supposed to be complete some time in December, but it can be noisy during the week. It's not noisy in the rooms if you shut the door (the glass deadens everything), but if you're outside, you can definitely hear the construction work.

  • Liked — Proximity to beach.
  • Disliked — Must drive for good food/ shopping.
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay November 2008
  • Visit was for Honeymoon
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 25-34
  • Member since June 02, 2008
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Families with young children, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Outdoor / Adventure
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $390 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
fantastic hotel

Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

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5 of 5 stars
boardthedogandgo 4 contributions
WV
Oct 26, 2008 | Trip type: Couples
3/3 found this review helpful

We just returned from the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and would definitely recommend this hotel to a friend. I was most pleased by the helpful and friendly staff. Every staff person greets you with a smile and is willing to answer any question. The room itself is nice, has comfy bedding, flat screen/hd tv and mini bar. The location is probably one of the best on ft lauderdale beach. Most of the hotels are located across the street from the beach, but the Marriott is right on the beach and is also within walking distance to the "action" of bars, restaurants and shops.
Now for the negatives....the two biggest things that bothered me were the internet service and the high priced food/refreshements. The hotel offers internet service for $12.95 per day and it's not wireless! In the room the laptop has to be used on the desk because of the wired connection. The lobby and pool area do have wireless service though. As for the expense aspect, expect to pay. Breakfast was about $30 for 2, they do offer a buffet for about $20 per person but I was deterred from that after I saw children playing in the raspberries at the buffet. Lunch ran about $50 but that included drinks. As for dinner, we had to eat at the 30/30 because the other restaurants were closed (staffing issues I heard). That bill was over $100. The quality of the food was very good and the service was excellent, but you're paying for it.
Overall there were more positive aspects than negative ones. Given everything, would look forward to staying there again.

  • Liked — friendliness of staff
  • Disliked — internet service
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 2 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay October 2008
  • Visit was for Romantic getaway
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since October 26, 2008
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $390 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Great Place in October

Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

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5 of 5 stars
TulsaTraveller 1 contribution
Oklahoma
Oct 19, 2008
2/2 found this review helpful

This is a wonderful getaway place to go. Located perfectly, easy to get into and out of, great view, great beach. The Staff were all great! Rob in the Lagoon pool area, Andy with the Vacation Club, Zilya who took care of children's activities and our beach cabana, the quick response and handling by the valet team and the Bell Captain and his Team.

Plenty of children actvities to provide for loads of fun and time away for the parents.

October makes a perfect travel time for the Fort Lauderdale area. The hurricane season is nearly over, the water temperatures are still warm, the peak travel season is over and Stone Crab season starts! Catfish Dewey's, don't mind the name, is an absolute must go to place to eat. It is a local favorite and the perfect place to get Stone Crab claws....they even have an All-you-can-eat option - most reasonably priced!

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay October 2008
  • Member since October 19, 2008
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for A romantic getaway, Great pool scene, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $390 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Beautiful Resort

Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

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5 of 5 stars
RedteesMichigan 1 contribution
Michigan
Oct 10, 2008 | Trip type: Business, Couples
2/2 found this review helpful

We stayed at Harbor Beach Marriott for business/pleasure September 27th-30th 2008 and were very pleased with this resort. The hotel staff was friendly and efficient, the rooms were clean, the beds comfortable, the pool was fantastic, plenty of lounge chairs, two hot tubs and nice background music. The restaurants and bar drinks were a bit expensive. The beach area was very nice with plenty of lounge chairs. The hotel has a clean, fresh fragrance, which reminded me of fresh linens. I would highly recommend this resort and would definately stay there again.

  • Liked — Everything
  • Disliked — No fan in the bathroom so mirror gets steamed up
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay September 2008
  • Visit was for Other
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 50-64
  • Member since October 10, 2008
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Business meeting / Event, Outdoor / Adventure, Golf
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $390 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
A pleasant surprise

Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

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4 of 5 stars
jharris29 7 contributions
Milwaukee, WI
Oct 1, 2008 | Trip type: Couples
4/4 found this review helpful

My hubby and I just returned from a week at the Harbor Beach Marriott. This was a last minute planned retreat so I didn't do much research before booking. Thank goodness for Trip Advisor! HBM more than met our expectations. The room (4th floor ocean view) was great - very clean, beautiful view, plenty of room, very comfy bed with nice linens, flat screen tv, mini bar and drawer full of snacks for purchase. The bathroom wasn't anything special but clean and although small - still plenty of room for the 2 of us. It was obvious this room had undergone some recent renovations. We always leave a tip for the cleaning staff daily but were surprised to receive a thank you note....for our thank you!

The staff at HBM could not have impressed us more. We travel frequently and this staff ranks an A+ for friendliness, helpful, and eager to please. Did not find one staff member who didn't greet us with a smile.

There are only 2 full restaurants open at this time. Riva is a casual eating establishment with buffet in the morning along with a full menu. They also have a buffet on the weekend along with a full menu. The food was very good, service great and prices not to bad. We ate at the upper scale restaurant - 3030 - a couple of times. Food was fantasic....including the desserts with over the top service. This is an expensive place to eat - example: filet a la carte $45 but we thought it was worth the price to splurge. You can order food from the restaurant located by the pool (can't remember the name of it) but it isn't officially open to go in and order. The burgers and fruit plate are great out there but the other menu items are kind of like fast food quality.

The manager informed us that they were beginning major grounds improvement beginning next week. They are adding a full ballroom adjacent to the Riva (updating Riva) and redoing the patio area (much needed). You might want to keep this in mind for near future plans as the construction process will be extensive - although prices might lower to reflect same. The grounds, although very nice, are in obvious need of upgrading including the pool. The beach area is beautiful.

The hotel is in a good location. We arrived during rush hour but the taxi was under $20. The consignier was very helpful with restaurant/sight seeing suggestions. One note, when they tell you the water taxi is located right outside their door that isn't quite true. You need to exit the lobby going down the road to the right. Turn right when you get to 1A1 (I think that was what it was called but it is the 1st major street). Walk down about 2 blocks. You will see the fire department on the other side of the street. Cross and the taxi pickup is right behind the fire dept. next to the fishing boats. It is a bit hard to find but well worth the effort. If nothing else, it is fun to take the taxi at night and just gaze at all the mega homes - it is beautiful. There are taxis at the hotel - just ask a bellhop to whistle one for you. If it is not too hot, there are many places to eat within walking distance. One recommendation - the Grill at the Hyatt Pier 66. Wonderful food and great view.

All in all, I would recommend this hotel to our friends and we will return someday (I'm not much into repeat visits opting rather to try many different locations). Any questions, just email. Julie

  • Liked — A+ staff and beautiful views
  • Disliked — Grounds could use some updating
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay September 2008
  • Visit was for Quality time with family
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 50-64
  • Member since January 20, 2005
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Tourists
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Pet owners
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Gambling / Casinos, Outdoor / Adventure, Great food / Wine, Spa
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $390 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
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Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa Also Known As

Address: 3030 Holiday Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316