Beach, sand, balmy breezes – all present and expected when visiting a Fort Lauderdale beach hotel. What I hadn’t counted on was the luxury and sensory pleasures I’d discover at the Atlantic Hotel & Spa.
The joy of any visit to Florida rests on where you lay your head. Mine was luxuriously treated to featherweight comfort at the Atlantic Hotel, just steps from the waves on the waterfront. Notorious Fort Lauderdale spring break crowds have long since moved on and the city has stepped quietly in to establish a fine food culture, support an arts district, a science and arts center to linger in and encouraged construction of gorgeous hotels that take advantage of the long, sandy beaches. The canals host luxury yachts. There are restaurants and bars to please all manner of visitors and budgets. I was fortunate to check in at the Atlantic Hotel as part of the TBEX Food FAM Trip and couldn’t have been happier.
While waiting for my room, there was abundant WiFi and cooling fruit water to be enjoyed in the lobby. Color surrounded me from the rotating gallery of paintings by local artists to textures from wood grain to gilded mirrors.
The room was opened onto a small veranda where I was treated to a light show every morning as the sun rose over the waves and as it happened, to the full moon rise on my last night. The bathroom was spacious with two sinks, a full bathtub and separate shower plus water closet.
But the real surprise was the hotel restaurant, Beauty and the Feast. On the Sunday I checked in a buffet overflowed with brunch treats and a crowd filled tables inside and out. That evening as the bar sprang to life, I met my group of foodies. We sat in a private area as a series of small plates and one large platter rotated around the table.
From sunrise to sunset, a winning location and attention to detail, the Atlantic is one Fort Lauderdale beach hotel I’d happily return to.
My stay in Fort Lauderdale was partially underwritten by the Fort Lauderdale Visitors Center and part of the TBEX Food FAM trip. Regardless, the opinions shared are all my own.
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Places To Eat In Fort Lauderdale
There are endless places to eat in Fort Lauderdale, the place you dine at will reflect your tastes and budget. There are a high number of great low cost venues that provide American menus that will not cost the Earth. If you are seeking out a high quality dining venue these exist in numbers, but be sure to have placed a prior booking also check the dress code. If you just want quick food there are the familiar names like McDonalds etc are available, but if you want something a bit more edgy you should try asking a local or a taxi driver where they suggest. Part and parcel of visiting a city is to enjoy everything about it, including it’s food There is a wide variety of places to dine in Fort Lauderdale. whether it is a café, restaurant or the food that can be bought and eaten on the street. Check out local guides and press for offers and try something that you have never had before.
Recommended Places To Eat In Fort Lauderdale
1. Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill
2. Canyon Southwest Café
3. Chima Brazilian
4. Mojo
5. Market 17
Elaine, it was such a joy meeting you at the TBEX conference. Your accommodations look lovely! I hope to see you in the future, maybe WITS16 in Irvine, California. Stay your bubbly self and have safe travels. 😉
Fun meeting you too, Melody, even so briefly. I look forward to seeing you at WITS16 (my home base is just down the road.)
I’ve been in Fort Lauderdale once, many years ago, but stayed in a very cheap and ugly hotel. I wish I could have stayed at Atlantic Hotel & Spa, but at the time that was all we could afford. And it seems they have a good restaurant too.
If you get the chance to return I hope you can enjoy the upgrades throughout town. There are some very reasonable options too.
What a perfect looking place – unbeatable location, chic decor, and of course anywhere with Audrey is always a good idea!
Thanks, Jo, I agree that anywhere with Audrey is a lovely idea!
Did you swim only in the swimming pool?
I’m more a beach and sea person and if they are anywhere near me, I never need a pool 🙂
I’m a sea person, mostly, and only had time this trip to dip in the pool to cool off. Love pools for that and ocean for exploring.
Holy wow that sunset is phenomenol!! Sounds like you had a lovely stay – we haven’t yet managed to organize a trip to Fort Lauderdale, so I’m committing the Atlantic Hotel to memory – that’s a stellar room view!
It was the best room view ever. I told the front desk they had to put me on the ocean side so I could do my work!
Hey nice hotel you have here. I love the painting in the lobby and I love that the hotel is by the beach. Thanks for this review. I laughed a lot in that picture where you were all taking pictures of the food. I thought that was an asian thing. A normal occurence back here.
Thanks, Karla. It was a lovely hotel and I love that they keep rotating the artwork with local painters and artists. The picture of us taking pictures was just too much of a giggle not to share.
That sunrise looks spectacular!
Thanks, Fairlie, it was every morning I was there as long as I woke up early enough to enjoy it 😉
Looks like a great place!
It was a lovely stay.