Best Fort Lauderdale Hotels

If you’re looking for high style and you’re just not into all that marble, check into the W. This long-awaited hotel (announced in 2003) did not disappoint when it finally opened its doors in 2009. The beachfront high-rise makes the most of its location with enormous picture windows and balconies, while the interior is trendy mod to the max. Aimed squarely at the under-40s with cash to burn, the W (which is owned by Sheraton/Westin parent Starwood) has 517 rooms, including everything from basic rooms and suites to two-bedroom condos. Some people like it so much they’ve bought the condos. The W pitches itself as an alternative to pretentious upscale hotels, though it has its own hyperbolic vernacular: The lobby is called the “living room,” a bit kitschy but there are lounges, billiards, games and live music. It's cool to look up through the beamed ceiling into the glass-bottomed rooftop swimming pool. Just make sure you don’t lose any bikini parts diving in! In addition to contemporary and comfortable accommodations, the W is home to the much-lauded Steak 954 restaurant and the famous Bliss Spa. All of this splendor will run you, at the low end, $209 a night, but check the website for specials.

If the W seems a little too mod and you like being surrounded by marble when you’re paying top rates for a room, this Ritz-Carlton is exactly what you expect from the brand: high-end service, plush décor, fine dining and marble galore. If classic luxury is your thing, this is your destination. Everything you need or want is here, and if it’s not, they’ll get it for you. If you golf, you can play on the Grande Oaks Golf Course, normally for members only. All this is good to know, considering you’ll be paying $400 or more per night during the high season, but the Ritz-Carlton is never about the price, it’s about the value and the experience, and the Fort Lauderdale branch delivers in spades.

Yes, this is a Hilton, but specifically suited to South Florida visitors, with its ocean-blue and tranquil sand-colored décor, poolside and beach cabanas, infinity-edge swimming pool, and, like all good Fort Lauderdale hotels, the Spa Q, where you can take a massage or get a facial. Like all Fort Lauderdale hotels worth considering, this one allows you quick and easy access to the local attractions. Rates dip as low as $159 for a room with a king-sized bed and ocean view. You can even get a suite, depending on the time of year you visit, for $169; it comes with a few more perks than a regular room, like twice-daily housekeeping, kitchens with stainless-steel appliances, and deep-soaking whirlpool tubs in the Italian marble bathrooms.

Originally a bed and breakfast when it was purchased in 1948, The Pillars was reborn as a luxury hotel in the 1950s, then purchased again just 13 years ago. Today, it’s a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. There’s a restaurant—the Secret Garden—on premises exclusively for guests, 18 individually decorated rooms and suites in British Colonial and Island Plantation themes, views of the Intracoastal, and they have a partnership with two local spas, including the Ritz-Carlton Spa, so guests of The Pillars enjoy special privileges, including spa services in your room, poolside or dockside.

Billing itself as a “Key West-style” resort, this will fulfill your basic needs in a hotel: beds, bathroom, cable TV and, if you should choose a suite over a standard room, a pull-out sofa, kitchenette equipped with dishes and refrigerator. There’s also a patio bar, a restaurant with happy hour and live music at night, a marina, beach volleyball out back and a basketball court if you’re inclined to shoot hoops while you’re here, a pool and Jacuzzi, and a convenient little general store where you can pick up sunblock, magazines, postcards and candy. All that, and rates start at just $79 per night.