Fort Lauderdale sits on Florida’s coast, just over half an hour’s drive north of Miami. Known for its elaborate and expansive canal system, the city is often referred to as the “Venice of America”, and attracts major attention as a yachting port.

Once a popular spring break destination – as made famous in the movie Where The Boys Are – Fort Lauderdale has grown to become a family-friendly vacation spot, with an active beach, shopping and dining culture.

Fort Lauderdale Information

Population: Approx. 153, 000
Time Zone: GMT -5
Languages: English (official), Spanish, Native American
Currency: American Dollar ($USD)
Currency Exchange: Purchase your USD cash and travellers cheques before you leave Australia

Fort Lauderdale Climate

As typical in Florida, Fort Lauderdale is hot and very humid in summer. Temperatures reach the mid 30s (°C), and monsoons are common. While summer’s conditions can be uncomfortable, Fort Lauderdale often experiences cool sea breezes, which blow up from the Caribbean. The winter months are warm and dry, and see the city’s population swell with out-of-towners looking to escape blizzard conditions elsewhere on the east coast.

Fort Lauderdale Airport

Name: Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
Car Rental: Great choice of hire cars at mates rates from our car suppliers
Transfers: Shuttle buses are available outside the ground transportation area of the baggage claim
Taxi: Located outside the ground transportation area

The Atlantic Hotel

4.5 Star Property

Exuding elegance and style, The Atlantic Hotel holds claim as the only oceanfront luxury boutique hotel overlooking Fort Lauderdale Beach. Flanked by 37 kilometres of golden beaches, the hotel boasts dramatic ocean views. Just steps from world-class boutiques, galleries, restaurants, museums, theatres, casinos and nightspots, The Atlantic Hotel proves to be an ideal location for a Fort Lauderdale getaway.

Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach

4 Star Property

A premier Fort Lauderdale hotel, Crowne Plaza Hollywood rests amidst mesmerizing surrounds. Situated conveniently between Hollywood’s beachfront and touted Fort Lauderdale attractions like Gulfstream Park and Sun Life Stadium, the Crowne Plaza is a tropical sanctuary. Chic, yet affordable the hotel is a convenient and impressive holiday destination.

Pelican Grand Beach Resort

4 Star Property

Savour the remarkable views of Fort Lauderdale Beach, from Pelican Grand Beach Resort. Perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, the resort is one of the areas premier beach hotels, exuding old Floridian grandeur. Housing Fort Lauderdale's only ‘lazy river’ and private beach, The Pelican Grand ensures a fantastic stay for leisure and business travellers alike.

Beachcomber Resort and Villas

3.5 Star Property

Located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean at Pompano Beach, Beachcomber Resort and Villas hosts some of Fort Lauderdale’s the most pristine and uninterrupted beach views. Minutes from Las Olas Boulevard’s world-class shopping and the nightlife, restaurants and cultural and recreational attractions of downtown Fort Lauderdale, the resort is the prefect year-round holiday destination.

Bahia Mar Beach Resort

3.5 Star Property

Set on stunning beach frontage, overlooking Fort Lauderdale’s renowned marina, and just minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale, The Bahia Mar Beach Resort is popular holiday destination. Offering easy access to activities like water sports, deep-sea fishing, diving excursions, and Intracoastal Waterway cursing, the resort attracts active tourists looking for adventure.

Ocean Sky Hotel & Resort

3 Star Property

Overlooking the prestigious Galt Ocean Mile Beach, the Ocean Sky Hotel and Resort emanates a tropical ambiance and intrinsic Fort Lauderdale charm. Situated ideally near business districts, the convention center, shopping areas and dining destinations, this resort provides a great central location for sun and fun seekers and business travellers.

Dining

The greater Fort Lauderdale area hosts over 4,000 restaurants, ranging from small eateries to expansive fine dining establishments. Inspired by the 120-plus nationalities that call the area home, Fort Lauderdale's food scene is wildly diverse, and accommodates for all tastes.

Sample the area's best seafood, as voted by locals, at 3030 Ocean Restaurant, in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Try celebrated crab dishes, at Billy's Stone Crab Restaurant in Hollywood – voted by The New York Times to have “The Best Stone Crabs” – and at Rustic Inn Crab House – famous for its garlic crabs.

For a surf and turf style menu swing by Fort Lauderdale's best steak restaurant, Grille 66 & Bar. Or chow down on traditional southern delicacies, like catfish and calms, at Catfish Dewey's.

Taste the region's Caribbean influence. Drop into Aunt I's Jamaican Restaurant for oxtail, stewed chicken or jerk chicken made from scratch. Or take a culinary tour through America's heartland by way of the Latin and Caribbean islands at Jonny V.

Enjoy an evening of relaxed elegance at The Capital Grille. Voted by locals as Fort Lauderdale's "best fine dining" restaurant, The Capital Grille specialises in dry aged steaks, fresh seafood and award-winning wines.

For those with a palate for on-trend flavours, it's hard to go past YOLO (You Only Live Once) Restaurant – Fort Lauderdale’s favourite meeting place to dine, lounge, and socialise with friends.

Shopping

From upscale malls and boulevards, to outlet centres and flea markets, Greater Fort Lauderdale has a shopping experience for all types of retail aficionados.

Known as the area's 'style mile', Las Olas Boulevard is Fort Lauderdale's favourite shopping precinct. Lined with independently owned boutiques, lively lounges and cafes with sidewalk seating, Las Olas is the shopping Mecca with a relaxed vibe.

Boasting Neiman-Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue, and Macy's, alongside spas and fine dining, The Galleria is Fort Lauderdale's hub for upscale pleasures. With over 1.4 million square feet of retail space, The Galleria beckons sophisticated shoppers.

Fort Lauderdale also caters for bargain hunters, with a variety of discount shopping centres, including: the world's largest discount and entertainment mall, Sawgrass Mills; the largest outdoor/indoor flea market in the United States, the Swap Shop; and the quarter-mile long shopper's paradise, Festival Flea Market.

Shopping is such an institution in Fort Lauderdale that local shuttle buses run between the beach and shopping centres, and most hotels provide easy access for car-less travellers.