Welcome to Greater Fort Lauderdale
Greater Fort Lauderdale’s 24-mile span of golden beaches awaits. Hotels, restaurants, shopping destinations and attractions throughout Greater Fort Lauderdale’s 31 neighborhoods are ready to welcome your clients with gracious hospitality.
WHERE TO STAY
With more than 31 cities and towns—all on or a quick ride away from golden beaches—there are plenty of hotel options for everyone under the sun in Greater Fort Lauderdale. Looking for something within walking distance of the water? Check. A luxurious spa stay? Check. A pet-friendly spot that Fido will feel right at home in? Greater Fort Lauderdale has you more than covered there, too.
The hard part isn’t figuring out where to stay, it’ll be having to leave. Many hotels in the area are a destination in themselves. On Greater Fort Lauderdale’s sandy shores, you’ll find options like the waterfront Pelican Grand Beach Resort on Fort Lauderdale beach, where you can paddleboard, parasail, or snorkel right off the private stretch of sand, tube down the city’s only Lazy River, or dine under the stars by the beach.
If you’re looking to relax in a luxe suite, take your pick of hotels overlooking the water, from the beachfront Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale, where two private club-style pools also face the ocean, or the super-modern W Fort Lauderdale, which sits conveniently right off the boardwalk on the strip of buzzy restaurants and bars (some of which are at the hotel).
The 18-story, waterfront Margaritaville Beach Resort in Hollywood, meanwhile, is a resort in every sense, from the poolside bar and grill to the beachside water sports, like the FlowRider surfing simulator—plus an 11,000-square-foot spa, rated one of the Top 30 in the U.S. The Diplomat Beach Resort, also in Hollywood, has a beachside lagoon and infinity pools, as well as six culinary concepts, an expansive spa, and waterfront fitness activities.
Nearby, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood features not one but three towers, including landmark The Guitar Hotel, with its daily music and light shows. While not beachside, you can still spend your days lazing by the water at the beach- and lagoon-style areas, one of which measures nearly three football fields, making it ideal for a day of canoeing or paddle boarding.
Wilton Manors, the beating pulse of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s LGBT+ community, offers options that cater to families, like Inn on the Drive and Island Sands Inn (right near the city’s many gay bars, restaurants, and outdoor cafes), as well as pet-friendly hotels like Ed Lugo Resort, which is also adults-only, male-exclusive, and clothing-optional, if that’s more your speed.
THINGS TO DO
Greater Fort Lauderdale is packed with tons of attractions from the shore to the suburbs. Whether you want to embrace the great outdoors at the many parks and natural wonders—the grand dame of them all being the Florida Everglades—snorkel or sunbathe along 24 miles of beautiful beaches, or eat and drink your way around world-class bars and restaurants, Greater Fort Lauderdale has plenty to offer in every neighborhood.
Get your bearings and soak up the sights on a tour of your choosing—by yacht, Water Taxi, paddleboard, gondola, or bike. See why the city is dubbed the “Venice of America” while cruising along a small stretch of the 300 miles of inland waterways running through the area and eyeing mansions and superyachts on the iconic Millionaires’ Row along the way.
RESTAURANTS
From the boardwalks lining Greater Fort Lauderdale’s coast out to the suburbs near the infamous swamplands of the Everglades, you’ll find restaurants as diverse as the region’s landscape. Beachfront eateries teeter from toes-in-the-sand high-end seafood spots (that are both dog- and kid-friendly) to trendy taquerias pouring hundreds of types of tequilas and mezcals.
Along Fort Lauderdale Beach, hotels open up to farm-to-table eateries championing Florida’s finest farms (and fish!); world-class steakhouses sourcing prime cuts from across the country; and swanky Japanese eateries helmed by celebrity chef-trained teams for an atmosphere that’s cosmopolitan yet coastal chic.
SHOPPING
Whether you’re in search of a gift for a loved one or treating yourself to something new, there’s no shortage of shopping destinations throughout Greater Fort Lauderdale. Perhaps the most iconic experience is Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, and with more than 350 stores, it’s no wonder it consistently ranks among the largest shopping malls in the country. Another open-air shopping mall is the new Dania Pointe in Dania Beach, which has all your favorite brands. The whole family will enjoy a trip to Dania Pointe, thanks to the plethora of restaurants and entertainment such as a movie theater and bowling alley. Other outdoor malls around Greater Fort Lauderdale include Promenade at Coconut Creek and The Shops at Pembroke Gardens.
Las Olas Boulevard has been aptly called “style mile” for its tree-lined thoroughfares of restaurants, bars and boutiques. Think Tommy Bahama (which has an attached bar and restaurant), Yeti, Warby Parker, Lilly Pulitzer, Edward Beiner and art galleries.
