Could not believe some of the negative reviews of this Hotel.I stayed here when it first opened 21 years ago and had a terrific stay hence, reading some other reviews made me worry that it might have fallen a few notches.I'am a normal Hyatt or Marriott person so I think I know what I should or should not expect from a Hotel.Rest assured that if you nose is not "in the air" you will enjoy this resort.
Yes food and drink can run you some good money but in my opinion there is value in it because they are done with great care.I did not meet one service person that did not go above and beyond and I asked or expected of them.(sometimes its how you ask that matters)
Pool was very nice,grounds well maintained and beach was the best in town. Rooms size was average but as clean as a whistle due to morning cleaning and evening turn down service.For those who cannot handle the food or beverage costs ,you can ask for a free refrigerator and stack it with goods from Publix to save a few bucks,but by all means do not fear to stay here ,the place is a great choice!!

Transfered here from te Holllywood Beach Marrriot because we were not happy with the location.
We were celebrating our anniversary and were staying on Marriott Awards. We were given an updated NOT renovated room.
It did have a plasma TV and the and great view. Room was an average Marriott room.
The lobby is very nice and the pool with waterfall area has a good tiki bar. Food was good at the pool and drinks were pricey but this is a resort.
Ate at their signature restaurant, food was well prepared and good but atmosphere was not really fine dining.
We had been given spa passes and enjoyed that very much.
Private pool without the noise or splashing of little ones.
Didn't have any treatments but used the sauna, hot tub ect...hughly recommend using the spa area.
All and all had a nice stay.
While there the US Truman was docekd outside our window and you can see cruise ships arriving and departing.
Beach is very nice and is walking distance to dining and bars.
Bet this hotel will be even better after renovations.

This hotel is quite beautiful along with the beach and pool areas. Our young children enjoyed the activities that the hotel provided.
Some were free and some were an extra fee. For the most part the food in the hotel was very pricey. The pool restaurant and breakfast entrees were extremely over priced. There was nothing in walking distance except for other hotels. We ordered take out from a few local restaurants on a few of the evenings. (This was more reasonable.) Overall this was a nice place to stay, but difficult if you do not have a car and if you are on any type of budget.

My wife and I just returned from a 6 night stay at the Harbor Beach Marriott on July 14th". While everything is not bad you should consider reading this entire review before booking here!
FYI... we are average everyday people who mainly stay at Hiltons and Marriotts every year for vacations.

First off they are doing room rennovations (which they clearly state on their website) however I had no problems with hearing any of the noise from the rennovations during my stay. While I was not fortunate enough to stay in a newly rennovated room I did stay in a King room that was average at best!!! The room size was typical for a hotel but is what I would call subpar for a hotel touting itself as a resort. While clean, the room is getting a bit worn, however they do note that they have upgraded their rooms with 32 inch flat panel tv's (although worthless since the signal is not high def but rather analog) and the pillows on the bed are new ..... BIG DEAL.... We received 8 pillows on a king bed .... who needs 8 pillows on a king bed?????? All I need is 2 KING sized pillows on a King sized bed not 8 -15 inch turtle shaped pillows that once you roll your head one way you head falls in between one of the other pillows. Needless to say I did not have too many good night sleeps with this sleeping arrangement!!! Maid service was adequate, however we did not receive maid service at all on one of the days of our stay.

The in-room refridgerator was stocked with soda and other items but the soda will cost you $3.50 per 12 oz can !!!! While I realize that the Marriott is in business to make money.... who pays $3.50 per can when you can buy a 12 pack for $4 bucks!!! I thought the idea of an in room refridgerator was for the guest to purchase items and use it for what they want, not to solely make money for Marriott. The only way to put anything of your own into the over flowing refridgerator is to take some of their stuff out and put it back in before you checkout.

While knowing in advance that the self parking garage is $21.00 per day plus tax... which I think is ridiculous!!!!!! I wonder what the people running Marriott would think if their favorite store ... say Wal-Mart, starting charging for parking!!!! Kinda puts it into perspective doesn't it !!!!

While the staff was very friendly we also were told about 2 restaurants in the area by the concierge that once we arrived...1 of the restaurants was not open on that day and the other was permanently closed... which made for a wild goose chase on 2 of the nights during our stay.

Now for the good, the hotel is in a good semi private location but still close to everything in the area, with an above average pool area with a fantastic tropical setting and plenty of chairs and umbrellas around the pool. Expensive food at the pool however Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza = $8.00 plus tax and a soda = $3.50 plus tax. We ate at Riva's restaurant once and 1 cheeseburger with fries cost $15.00 including tip..... I think above average food prices but about typical for the South Florida area.
Twice a day the pool side waiters hand out free refreshments usually around 11am and 2-3pm...nice touch.

The private beach was not crowded and was plenty wide with soft sand and very warm clear clean ocean water. No visible lifeguards were on duty at either the pool or beach but did not matter to us either way. Plenty of free chairs and $10.00 umbrellas were available on the beach. The Marriott also has waiters on the beach so you do not even have to leave the beach if you want something to eat or drink. Also available next door on the beach is a nice assortment of water sports rentals including wave runners, parasailing, kayaking, etc....

One more thing check your bill when you check out as they tried to charge us $10+ for sending/receiving a fax ..... which we never did... they did however credit us for their mistake with no hassles from the very pleasant hotel staff

Overall I would have to say that the Harbor Beach Marriott, while probably the best place to stay that is right on the beach in Fort Lauderdale (almost all of the other hotels in the area you have to cross route A1A - a four lane road - to get to the beach) In my opinion I absolutely do not think that it was worth $300+ per night ncluding parking.... maybe I would of had a different opinion had we stayed in one of the rennovated rooms .... guess I will never know as I will probably be going back to the Marriott in Myrtle Beach which is way better for the money!!!