About
FORT LAUDERDALE
We spent the first several days of January 2023 in this beautiful oceanside city both with family, and for a few days just for a couple's getaway from the Minnesota cold. I'm already excited to return to the area one day with a few modifications!
THE DETAILS
After my husband and I drove around the entire state of Florida last winter, we fell in love with Fort Lauderdale. This time, we brought my extended family and spent 10 days exploring the area. The weather did not disappoint as the daily high was around 90, and I believe the lowest temperature may have reached 70 (I never wore a coat or sweatshirt). We spent one night bringing in the New Year with our daughter and her boyfriend before the rest of the family joined us for a week, then my husband and I spent a handful of nights in a small hotel across from the beach.
NEW YEAR's EVE
This was our third time bringing in a New Year in Florida, and it was easily my favorite! We rented a condo on the beach (Pelican Grand Beach Resort) for the night, and hit the bars on Central Beach before watching an awesome fireworks show at midnight with our toes in the sand and hundreds of people cheering on (it didn't feel overly crowded). Our room at the Pelican Grand had the most amazing view and an awesome lazy river (with iguanas watching us from nearby), but the food was mediocre and the drinks were insanely expensive. The room itself (rented from a third party on Hotels.com) was more than I would normally pay for one night, but I had enough points with Hotels.com to make it affordable.
OUR RENTAL
With 15 family members on this trip, we decided to rent a large house two blocks from Central Beach. As had our own pool, there were often times we simply hung around the property. Most days we spent several hours at the beach. The sun was pretty intense, so often those who are more sensitive to heat wouldn't come until after 2 p.m. when the hotel blocked the sunlight. We really enjoyed the Sandbar Grill - right on the beach with good drinks and food, great staff. This was definitely an ideal location for anyone who enjoys a quieter neighborhood and a more laid-back experience.
NEW RIVER
As the yacht capital of the world, the sites of New River are a must-see when staying in Fort Lauderdale! We visited the area one night for dinner and a stroll afterwards, then returned on the last day for a 2-hour cruise in which we stopped to hang out a sandbar. We didn't take advantage of the water taxis since we would've had to pay for a car ride to get us there, plus the cost of the water taxi, but they seem extremely convenient and would be a great way to see if river if you didn't want to pay for an excursion like we did.
TRIP SUMMARY
Overall, this trip did not disappoint! The weather was absolutely perfect, and the seafood was as delicious as one would expect on a Florida vacation! However, expect to pay quite a bit more for EVERYTHING. Even a package of paper towels was over double what we'd normally pay back home. Although it's an expensive area, there are still dive bars on the back roads that offer buckets of beer for cheap and restaurants off the beaten path that serve delicious food without breaking the bank. One night we hit the local fish market and made our own dinner for probably half the cost of going out. There's always a way to save money while staying in an expensive destination! However, with that being said, beware of the inexpensive hotels close to the beach. If they seem too affordable to be true, they probably aren't somewhere you want to stay (speaking from experience on our last two nights). Your best bet would be to either stay closer to the river, or several blocks away from the ocean.