This was my second stay at the Diplomat, for a conference.

It's a beautiful hotel and conference center. The service is excellent, and the rooms are fantastic. My only complaint about the rooms now and before is a moldy smell in the shower stalls.. The soaking tub is great. The bed is comfy. The A/C is kind of loud.

It's well established in other reviews that this place is overpriced and will nickel-and-dime you to death. This is true! Expect to pay the sort of ridiculous mark-ups that you'd see at a movie-theater concession stand. Water is up to $6 dollars a bottle at the coffee shop and $3.50 at the hotel store. Need a small bottle of Tylenol? $9.00. (Buying your own stuff at the grocery store first: priceless!)

The now have a beach. It's a really great addition. The umbrellas are overpriced--$50 a day--so slap on the sunscreen. The outdoor bar/restaurant is great.

One word of advice: check your bill carefully before you leave. In 2004, I was overcharged $13. No biggie but the principal of it bothered me. I was never able to get the $ back and plenty of time on the phone trying. I figure if it can happen with 13 bucks it could happend with $130.

At the conference rate, this place is amazing. Don't bother statying here for rack rate unless you don't mind wasting money.

Had our second stay at the Diplomat and let's start with the confessions - yes it was a business trip and yes (most of) my expenses were covered. We enjoyed a corner suite which was spacious with a balcony facing the ocean. Particularly pleased with the Bose sound system in both the bedroom and living area as well as the shower (separate stall, rainwater overhead shower as well as handheld shower).

Our family with three teenagers enjoyed what was predominantly a sun worshipping few days around the pool (for them - me, conference rooms until the sun went down). Poolside service was great and the Splash restaurant served a good meal poolside.

The hotel is quiet in the early morning and it's hard to beat taking a walk on the beach, then sitting by the pool with a coffee and the morning paper before heading in to meetings. With the crashing of the surf, it felt like a tropical resort.

From a business perspective, the conference centre is tremendous and provides a very flexible venue for exhibition booths, large presentations and small breakouts. It is attached to the hotel and makes it simple to visit your room in between sessions.

Let me second the other posts - no hotel gets 5 stars without providing free high speed internet, food service is expensive and you need a car to get food, sundries or shopping - there is nothing within a mile of the hotel.

This was a great stay as a business perk - not sure that it would be a good venue for a vacationing traveller - not enough nearby.

The Westin Diplomat Country Club is a wonderful small resort tucked away in Hallandale, Florida. Off the beaten path from the beach in Hallandale, this resort has wonderful customer service, friendly staff and wonderful grounds.

From the moment we drove onto the property, we were greeted by warm, friendly and professional staff at the resort.

We had a lovely room which had a view of the first tee and driving range practice facility. The room was nicely decorated, bathroom was large, stocked with plenty of towels, and soft plush robes. The sunken tub was perfect to soak in after a long day on the golf course, and the Westin provided bath salts as nice touch. The only draw back in the bathroom was that despite the bathroomhaving two sinks, with large bowl sinks, which left little counter space to place tolietries and a shaving kit.


The pro shop was well stocked and the staff were friendly, we also found this to be the case with the concierge, valet and the bellmen.

We enjoyed drinks on the lanai and had a delicious continental breakfast each morning. Service in the dining room was not rushed and our servers were very attentive to our requests for the daily 'bakery' basket contents.

This is a resort we would go back to again. Our only regret was that we were not able to play golf (as we missed our tee time due to flight delays) at the course which Troon keeps in pristine condition, nor did we have enough time on this trip (4 nights, 3 days-3 rounds of golf) to experience what looked like a top notch spa. Next year, we will stay longer, play the course and find time to visit the fitness and spa facility.

Overall, the hotel is beautiful and luxurious. However, thanks to other posts, I knew what I was getting into. I joined my husband who was there on business, so yes, most of it was expensed.
- Don't bother paying for a beach cabana if you don't mind the cost ($75 full day, $50 1pm-dusk) and lack of service. You will not get service on the beach. They gave me two stories: 1) the city won't allow it and 2) they didn't have enough staff.
- They didn't have enough staff for the pools. From my count, one waitress for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. Paltry.
- Drinks are expensive, but oh-so tasty!
- Sun is gone, gone, gone after 3 or so.
- South Beach is fantastic, and far away. About $100 roundtrip by cab, but SOOO worth it.
- Breakfast buffet is good, but the made-to-order omelets and waffles are superb.
- Not sure what they mean about 'heavenly bed'... perhaps I am too luxurious at home with my sheets from Marshalls and TJ Maxx, but I found the bed rather normal for a hotel. And my husband did confirm we had a 'heavenly bed'.
- The Hollywood boardwalk is not as near as we thought one morning. Quite a walk along the beach and we forgot to take water...
- Friendly staff and the concierge hooked us up to a FABULOUS restaurant in South Beach. Bravo!
- The double level of pools is really something else.
- Our room was rather big, no balcony, facing the intercoastal.

Loved my stay, but wouldn't choose to take the family for a vacation we pay for. There are much better spots for the cost.