My partner and I need to get away to the beach (probably early October). Any suggestions on where to stay in Fort Lauderdale?

Our preferances: Balcony overlooking the ocean and on the beach, prefer a pool on the beach with a bar and reasonable rates as it does not have to be fancy. Just clean and comfortable. Does not have to be exclusively gay.

Any other suggestions as far as bars, restaurants etc. will be appreciated, but I really need some help on accomodations.

Thanks for your help!

Try this link for a good overview of the gay accommodations, restaurants, bars, etc. in Lauderdale. As for nice places to stay I would suggest The Grand. It's not on the beach, but is two blocks from it, and about 10 minutes walk to the gay beach.

I'm sure some of the Lauderdale guys can give you some better ideas of non-gay places that are directly on the beach.

Have a great time! :cool:

If you're looking for a gay resort-type place, there's the Coral Reef, which is pretty top of the line, and the Elysium, which is a little closer to the beach and less pricey. Both are actually close to the gay beach, as are a couple of Doubletree hotels (which are not gay, per se). As for restaurants, Fort Lauderdale is gayer than a barn dance, so just about any place is gonna be gay-friendly. For a place right on the beach, I like Casablanca On A1A at St. Sebastian. If you want a specifically gay place, just about anyplace on Federal or Dixie between Sunrise and Oakland Pk. Blvds. will fit the bill. One completely casual. low-key option for food and drink is George's Alibi in the gay mall on Wilton Dr.

Might I recommend:

Windamar Beach Resort
543 Breakers Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Phone 954.561.0039
Toll Free Outside Florida 866.554.6816
Info@windamarbeachresort.com
http://www.windamarbeachresort.com

Just about as close to the beach (1 block) as you will get in a gay resort, and run by the same people who run the Townhouse in NYC.

Clean, Classy, Friendly, Relaxed, Moderately priced. Recently remodeled. They have a decent small pool, and a club membership at Better Bodies Gym. A great free Wine and Beer happy hour every Friday and Saturday Night. Plenty of parking space.

Alternatively I can also highly recommend The Grand:

The Grand
539 North Birch Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
954.630.3000
http://www.grandresort.net

Though Parking can be tight on weekends.

For Dinner some night I suggest :

15th Street Fisheries
1900 S.E. 15th Street
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316
954.763.2777
http://www.15streetfisheries.com
info@15streetfisheries.com

Seafood dining right on the water; friendly staff; call for upstairs reservations!

As for Bars and Clubs, FtL has EVERYTHING from one end of the spectrum to the other...

I used to stay at the Flamingo (Inn Amongst the Flowers) in FTL but the cute co-owner left and the place has lost all it's friendliness and charm.

A while back I was reading an article about how Ft. Lauderdale is so gay-friendly and it's not all club-oriented or really trendy like a place like South Beach. So it occurs to me -- perhaps the next Outsports convention could be held in Ft. Lauderdale during spring training? The Orioles train there as of now. I read that they may relocate in 2007, though. Any thoughts?

Great idea as I could join you all!! Ft Lauderdale has a very vibrant gay scene. Much better than Miami does currently. We've lost a couple of clubs recently to the hi-rise condo boom, and the Beach clubs don't get going until well after midnite....(well past my bedtime!). Although it's a hike, we always have a good time in Ft Lauderdale. Count me in!

They really don't want to move, but there are a number of factors at play here, one of which is their stadium. The city is trying to work out a deal with the Orioles, but the stadium in Fort Lauderdale is about 50 years old, and it's a dump. The O's are also the southernmost Grapefruit League team (the Cards and Marlins are the closest teams to them, and they're nearly 70 miles away).

As to gay life in Ft. Lauderdale, it's kind of where everything happens. Wilton Manors used to be the 'hood, but now is one of those areas where gay people moved in and turned their $50,000 houses into $250,000 houses. Most of the nightlife in that area takes place within a few square miles (Georgie's Alibi, Boom, Tropics, Ramrod, and Jackhammer are all reasonably close, as is Mills Pond Park, where the gay softball leagues play -- and I'll pretty much admit that on most Friday nights you can find me making the rounds between Alibi, Boom, Ramrod, and Jackhammer). It works pretty well, because it's pretty much halfway between Miami (where you've got South Beach, the late, late, late night party area), and West Palm Beach (where fun goes when it wants to die).

And as to the Marlins, my softball team is sponsoring a bus trip to Dolphins stadium to see a Marlins-Nationals game -- drinks, food, and the opportunity to hang out with a Gay World Series-bound softball team. What more could you ask? So yes, Ft. Lauderdale is definitely the place to go in gay South Florida....

I'm going to be in Ft. Lauderdale this weekend. My friends want to drop $30 each on tickets to a concert at the Coliseum night club. I don't really like hot, crowded, smoky nightclubs with techno music blaring for hours on end. But I've never been there so I don't know what to expect. Anyone who has been to that club recently that can help me out? Is it easy to go in and out, or if I want to go out and get some air will I have to fight crowds and wait in lines? Is it generally packed for concerts or will I have some personal space? Any other comments? Thanks!

Sorry...out of touch with what's going on up there. We also have friends in town from LA this weekend, so I'm sure we'll make a visit to Alibi and/or Ramrod this weekend...

Yikes -- Coliseum on New Year's weekend? Umm...hate to tell you this, but you're gonna be hating life. It will be packed, and it will be loud, and as far as personal space, well.....you'll be going to the bathroom a lot. I'll be at Alibi this weekend, and quite possibly Jackhammer and Boom. Alibi will be crowded, but the crowd is a bit less obnoxious than the one at Coliseum (and you will be able to wander outside fairly easily).

thanks...exactly what I needed to know!

Damn. We took our LA friends out in Ft Lauderdale the night of Jan 1, and all the bars were PACKED! Line out the door at Jackhammer. Music was great, but you could hardly move. Forget about even finding the dancefloor...Alibi was pretty good, Ramrod was fairly quiet, tho...

The nicest place there is Inn Amongst the Flowers - very European. The Grand is the largest Guesthouse I think; 2 pools - not as nice (in terms of amenities) as the Inn but super clean and reasonable. And lots of nice guests.

Stay away from the VillaVenice - we went there a few months ago on a recommendation. As I was sitting on the toilet someone was peaking in the bathroom window - it was a parade of people cruising the premises 24/7; and not in a fun or nice way. One guest spent the entire weekend changing outfits every 2 hours. He must have packed 3 or 4 suitcases for all of the costumes he had - think all of the Village people, Liberace, every combination of leather possible and then when we thought it couldn't get more bizarre he morphed into a white frilly something or another. Ugh.

All of the gay guesthouses are clothing optional I believe. The places I mentioned are a few blocks from one of the gay beaches; Sebastian.

If you go late Spring, the rates will be reasonable. There have been a few threads on FLL over the years with very good recommendations.

We were in Lauderdale in early March, for the Winter Party festivities in Miami. We stayed at the Worthington and the Cheston House, neither of which were particularly outstanding. There was a ton of construction going on in the area, so it was quite noisy (both of these B&Bs are right across the street from each other); in addition, the older man in the room below us at the Worthington died the first night we were there. Not the fault of the B&B, but unpleasant nonetheless. On the plus side, both were just a few blocks from Sebastian Beach, and it was very walkable.

On the same trip, friends of ours stayed at Pineapple Point. It is a few miles from the beach, but the place is spectacular. Clean, beautiful, quiet. More expensive than where we stayed, but next time (next march for the Winter Party), we'll definitely stay at Pineapple Point. And you are right, most places are clothing optional.

I've found a good listing on gay.com & other sites, but can't figure out which one to choose. Am considering the Grand Resort, Royal Palms, Pineapple Point, & Worthington, but would be open to other ideas.

I will be staying there on my own, basically looking to relax, have fun, & possibly meet some new friends. Would prefer to avoid any place where everyone else is likely to be part of a couple. But I really don't want a 24-hour orgy/circuit party atmosphere either.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Friends recently stayed at the Windamar, and LOVED it. Then again, they're a couple...

Err....live in Ft. Lauderdale, and have had a few wild nights at the Grand Resort....it's nice, and if you avoid the hot tub, it's a VERY nice and fairly centrally located place.

We stayed at the Worthington last March; not too bad, and very close to the beach. But there is a lot of construction going on in that area, so it was pretty noisy all day long. Friends of ours stayed at Pineapple Point; we visited them one evening, and just loved it. A bit pricey, and not close to the beach, but I would definitely stay there when we go back to Lauderdale.

Stayed at the Worthington a few summers ago - it was nice.

The Grand was next door - I've read they added a spa and it seemed nice back then. All of those places near the beach are the old mom and pop motels that have been converted.

The hubby and I will be in Ft. Lauderdale Dec. 14-17. It's been a few years since we've visited. Does anyone have any special suggestions or recommendations??

Thanks for moving this over to the appropriate thread. We already have lodging taken care of, but these other ideas are very helpful.