Upon your entrance thru the front gate you sense a positive, peaceful atmosphere that will reduce or eliminate any amount of stressfull baggage you may be carrying. You are welcomed with such warmth and sincerety that it feels as if you had just gotten home for the holidays. The property which has such beautifiul, luscious landscaping give the impression of being on a caribbean islande and gives you a greater sense of privacy ( very clean and tidy). The properties layout is such that you are able to be seen if wanted or not. Even when there is a full house there is always space to layout at either of the 2 pools. The hot tub ( which is the size of a small latin country) is always at perfect temperature and clean. The rooms in majority are all oversized and have all the ammenties/comforts as if you were home. I have been to several of the other guest houses in the area and Elysium has the best staff(including the Owners), atmosphere ( guests are all different age groups) and comfort (in and out of your room). Also I should note that the property is located in a safe area in which if you do not have a vehicle you will be fine because you are a block away from beach, walking distance to restaurants/pharmacies/bars/etc.

Being in Ft. Lauderdale for the first time, we booked our hotel at a beach front place, just not knowing. In about two days we discovered the gay guesthouse area and booked two nights at the Elysium.
A+ in everything from our experience.
If you are a laid back guy with no hang ups and enjoy meeting others, and enjoy a care free atmosphere - this is the place for you.
Unfortunately when we returned to Ft. Lauderdale the Elysium was all booked up and we could not stay there, so went across the street to their competitor which although it was a great guest house as well - our first choice would have been the Elysium.

A word of caution: Book as far in advance as possible - don't chance on the spot reservations, as we assumed just because it was off-peak there would be rooms - we were wrong.

Would love to come back to the Elysium soon!

PRO: The rooms are comfortable and clean, and the air conditioners do their work well. The grounds are IMMACULATE and beautifully cared for. The pools get good sunlight, and there are an appropriate amount of pool furniture and accessories. Elysium is located 3 blocks from the beach, and walking distance to some tourist retail stores and restaurants.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: The bathtub fixtures in our room need to be replaced or repaired. However, they worked well enough that we didn't raise the issue with the owners. I prefer a fitted sheet; they used flat sheets for the bottom sheet and it came untucked nightly. Again, we were just so happy to be in a beautiful place that we didn't speak up about it.

OBSERVATIONS: One of the owners had what can only be described as an awkward conversation with my partner. It wasn't insulting or rude, but it didn't reveal a purely customer-friendly mindset. On other occasions, the owners were perfectly friendly. I was shocked at the amount of smoking that still goes on in the world! Of course, that's beyond the owners' control (and they don't allow smoking inside the rooms, thankfully!) The other guests were very friendly.

We booked the Elysium Resort after rigorous research on the internet and checking on Trip Advisor. We stayed between the 21st and 28th of February 09 and this was our first stay in a gay resort hotel. We were absolutley delighted. We stayed in a junior suite with a king size bed, kitchentte, bathroom, seperate living area and an outdoor terrace with table and chairs. The cleanliness was impeccable with towels changed each day. Two great swimming pools, a hot tub and a seperte sun deck. Even the cable TV in the room had a gay TV channel. Gary and Steve have a winning formula with this resort and it is clear to see why. Just a block from the beach and 15 minutes from FLL airport it is ideally situated. Really friendly and interesting people. The staff were great. All round excellence. We will definitely be back! Thanks guys.