I have to say that the level of drama expressed in some of these reviews makes for amusing reading, but I can't really say that they're very accurate. I was at the Bahia Mar from 6/14 - 6/17 for a conference, and found it not spectacular, but okay. I think part of the problem is that they call themselves a "resort" and so I had visions of being surrounded by lovely gardens and waterways. The dock is right behind you, but otherwise you basically have a highway in front of you, and a large parking lot on one side. There is a swimming pool and tennis courts, but it's still not exactly what I think of when I think "resort." The hotel exterior is also kind of dated, but the lobby and public areas were very attractive and fresh looking.

I found my room to be quite clean, and there was certainly no smell (I was on the 11th floor). The wallpaper looked new, as did the bathroom sink (although not the tub, which was a little chipped around the edges). The carpet was new-ish looking, although there was a spot on one side. I personally found the decor to be kind of ugly, but everyone's taste is different, and the room was comfortable enough. There were plenty of towels and toiletries provided throughout my stay. The balcony is small (large enough to step out on, but not enough for a chair).

The front desk help was not overly friendly when I checked in, but there was no wait, and the evening staff were very pleasant. They agreed to a late check out (12:30) with no problem, and even printed out a boarding pass for my flight the next day, which I thought was really nice.

The restaurant was fine for lunch, if a little expensive, as was the deli. To get to the Las Olas shopping district you can walk down to the corner of Las Olas (about an 8-10 minute walk), and catch a Number 11 bus down to the shopping and restaurant area. (you should check the bus schedule, though, because they only run every half hour or so). Someone in an earlier review recommended the Floridian for breakfast, which I would second. Joe Picasso is also good for coffee, and there is a great bakery, called I think Il Forno. If you like traditional French, Cafe de Paris is very good.

All in all this was an okay place to stay. I would stay there again, but it wouldn't necessarily be my first choice.

I was there for a conference and when I arrived the front desk rudely sent me to an already occupied room. When I came back down with ALL my luggage she was rude and flip about the whole thing. After i was tossed another room key I found the most dirty room. There were stains on the carpet that made me too scared to walk barefoot. I went out and bought flip flops just for the room and shower. I had my 6 month old baby with me so I had to go out and spend a fortune in bottled water to clean his bottles and bath him in as the water was yellow (made me very nervous for his health).
When you call for any kind of service they either refuse or agree and never turn up! Pizza boxes from other rooms were sitting out in the corridor for 3 days. They were still there when I checked out.
Heaven forbid you might want a roll of toilet paper!!!!
I will Never stay there again and I can only advice you DON"T GO!!!

I'm staying at the Bahia Mar for a conference. I was initially booked in the Annex and had a similar experience as many of the other reviewers. The rooms are pretty dumpy and the walls are paper thin. After requesting a change to the tower 2 days in a row, I was finally switched. The tower room is nice - much more like what I expected. Make sure to stay in the Tower - the Annex is not worth the money. While the Bahia Mar is defiitely past its prime, I think many of the other hotels in Ft. Lauderdale are similar. Some of my colleagues are staying at other hotels (e.g. Marriott, Sheraton Yankee Clipper) and they report that those hotels are also not doing a good job of keeping up the facilities. Must be a trend in this town.

Regarding the hotel buffet, skip it! It's $20. The food's good, but not worth $20 and the service is SURLY! Worth about a 5% tip, not the automatic 18%.

We just came back (4/19) from a two day stay at the Bahia Mar and was pleasantly surprised. We booked the marina room. When we first arrived I noticed the room was too close to the elevator so I asked if there was a different room available. The front desk upgraded us to an oceanview room. The front desk was extremely friendly and accomodating to us. The room was a bit outdated but I found the room to be clean and smoke free. The location of this hotel is great. It is near everything. The pool was very clean and the food at the the pool bar was reasonalbe. Also I might add the staff at the pool were so friendly and helpful. We bought lunch at the Bahia deli and ate at the pool. I would however not recommend breakfast at the bahia deli. I thought the bagels and coffee were not that great and expensive. In addition - my daughter by mistake bought two muffins instead of one and they would not let her return it even though it was unopened and with the receipt. The deli has a no return or refund policy. That is bizzare! I would recommend the Floridian diner for breakfast - the food was plentiful and good. Also - I would recommend buying an umbrella on las olas blvd - cheap for around $15 worth it. Oh and another note on the hotel after we checked out - I forgot our umbrella at the pool the day before - the hotel with no problem gave me a key - the umbrella was safely put away at the exerise room - again I thought the staff was extremely accomodating to us. For the price, we were satisfied with our stay.