AmeriSuites - Fort Lauderdale 17th Street - OLD, but worth the price we got!
Written: May 24 '06 (Updated May 24 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap, worth the price we got
Cons: older
The Bottom Line: Please see the bottom of my review. Whether or not I recommend this place depends on what you are looking for.
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| HJS33's Full Review: Amerisuite Ft Lauderdale 17th |
1851 S.E. 10th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Phone 1-954-7637670
Fax 1-954-7636269
www.amerisuites.com
Recently, some of my family and I took a 5 day cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Sea. Just as a failsafe, and although we departed on a Monday, we spent the night on Sunday evening in Fort Lauderdale, just to make sure we did not miss the departure (and to get the full benefit of a LONG vacation).
Originally we were slated to stay at a different hotel, but due to unforeseen circumstances (basically, the prior hotel was taken over by new management and shut down so they could renovate), we needed to find a new place to stay.
After some sleuthing on the internet, and a great call by mom to go through valuetrips.com, we secured a suite at Amerisuites Fort Lauderdale 17th Street for $79!
Location
The hotel is pretty close to Fort Lauderdale International Airport (about 2 1/2 miles or so) and close to Port Everglades (again, 2 miles or so). It is also close to Fort Lauderdale Beach (about 2 miles), but the walk is fairly long, and I would not recommend walking it at night.
The Room
Now, if we were staying for days, I would say to skip this hotel, because the room was definitely showing its age and there are just not enough things close by to keep my interest, but for one night before a cruise, and for the price we paid, it is definitely worth it.
The room size was great. It is definitely larger than the typical double room, with a partial wall separating the bedroom area from the living room area. The bedroom area has two double beds, an open closet and the bathroom in it. The living room area has a desk, table and chairs, couch and seat and small kitchen area (not a stove or anything, but a microwave, small fridge and some counter space). We had five people in the room at once and it really was manageable.
Some things I did not like about the room are that the bathroom was too small and old. Basically, it had a shower and toilet and that is it. You could not fit anything else in there. Also, the shower drained very slowly and the lighting in the bathroom was a little low. The sink on the outside of the bathroom, however, was just fine (and I prefer having the sink outside of the bathroom so that one person can shower while the other brushes their hair, teeth, etc.)
In the suite itself, there just were not enough outlets. You always seemed to have to search, and they did not seem to be in places you wanted them to be.
Only one of the two phones in the room worked, and the broken phone was the one on the desk. I am happy we did not need the internet because I have a sneaking suspicion that would not have worked either because the line was faulty.
Other amenities in our room were:
AM/FM Alarm Clock (and it worked)
Air Conditioning (which we needed to have on high to feel the benefits)
Coffee/Tea Maker (we did not use as we got coffee from downstairs)
Dry Cleaning (never used)
Free Newspaper (supposedly we had this, but I never saw the paper)
Iron/Ironing Board
Microwave
Plates and Silverware
Refrigerator (used it...LOVE this little extra)
Basically, the room was large, and although it was old, it was clean. That is all I needed for a one night stay.
Amenities
This is a reason why we chose Amerisuites, other than the price, because this particular property offers a free shuttle to/from the airport as well as to the cruise port. The website mentions that the shuttle runs from 6am - 10pm. I am not sure how accurate that is, because we used it at regular times in the day.
The worst thing I can say about the free shuttle from the airport is that we had to wait around 30 minutes (possibly longer) for it to pick us up, but once we were picked up, the driver was very courteous. We departed for the cruise port at 11am (and I believe they told us that is when we were going to go).
They also have an outdoor pool that is accessible with a keycard (meaning, you can get to the pool from inside the hotel, but if you want to come back into the hotel from outside, you better have your keycard with you). I did not go in, but to tell you the truth, I did not really like the way the pool looked. It was small, but an adequate size, but it did not look clean enough for my liking.
The health club was a different story. I am still surprised at how large it is (for a fairly small hotel). There were quite a few choices of machines and everything looked clean.
Near the front desk, they have a lobby area with lots of places to sits, including tables and chairs, some couches, etc. This is where they have the breakfast buffet that is included in your room cost. You are able to get food from 6:30 am - 9:30 am Monday through Friday and 7 am - 10am on Saturday and Sunday. They have a decent selection of food (although I just cannot eat that early).
They also offer complimentary coffee, which I believe is always in the lobby. I remember seeing it there every time we came into the hotel. I cannot remember what kind of coffee they served, but it was not bad at all (which is a compliment in my book as I am a pretty picky coffee drinker unless I am very desperate).
They also offer popcorn in the afternoon. I am not sure what time they put it out there, but if I ventured a guess, I would say it was around 4pm.
Oh, and you can park for free in their lot.
Restaurants, Food, etc.
Sorry, no restaurants in the hotel, but there are two restaurants that are pretty much RIGHT next door to the property.
Directly next door is a Mexican restaurant that I believe was called Café Del Rio. The prices were average for a restaurant like this (think On the Border, etc.) We had some drinks and appetizers here, and I do not remember being shocked by the prices.
Next door to the Mexican restaurant is an Outback Steakhouse. We had gone here for an early dinner, because we were starving after the flights. Luckily for us, we hit happy hour and got some killer drink deals. The meals were typical Outback style and pricing.
There are other options to eat, but you have to walk a little bit. Although we enjoyed what we ate, the front desk attendant gave us the impression that there was nothing around the area and that we had no choice but to eat at one of these places. She was wrong. One block over there is a main drag that has a few restaurant choices on it (mostly seafood, steak and one Irish bar) and there was a supermarket that was about a block away should you need something.
Area Attractions
Other than the fact that you are close to the beach, there are other things that are nearby. The website mentions a jungle queen riverboat, which sounds like a lot of fun. There is a golf resort about 20 miles away (called RainTree). The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is 2 1/2 miles away. You could go to Sawgrass Park (20 miles away) or go to Sawgrass Mall (15 miles). The Riverwalk is 2 1/2 miles away and downtown Fort Lauderdale is only 3 miles away.
Overall
Basically, if you need a place to stay for one night, like before a cruise or a flight to someplace else, this is definitely worth it, especially if you can get a great $79 rate like we did.
If you are coming to Fort Lauderdale on vacation and want to stay for a longer amount of time or you prefer a nicer, newer property closer to the beach and other attractions, this is NOT the place for you.
Thanks to all who read/rate.
Heidi (hjs33)
Recommended:
Yes
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HJS33
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Location: West Bloomfield, MI
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