Ft. Lauderdale Florida - Scuba Diving, Restaurant and Hotel Review

Hyatt Place - Ft. Lauderdale. The Hyatt Place offered a pleasant surprise! Conveniently located near a grocery store, several restaurants and offering a free shuttle the Hyatt Place is only about 5 minutes from the airport. A 45 minute drive from Miami and only 5 minutes from the Ft. Lauderdale airport provides the opportunity to fly into either airport and get better airfares. Unlike many of the other hotels in town, parking at the Hyatt Place is free and convenient.

The lobby was warm and comfortable with various types of sitting areas. Some of the sitting areas were small coves with sofa and chairs others were booths, tables and a 'breakfast' counter. Televisions were located throughout the lobby and placed in or near the various sitting areas.

The rooms were large and comfortable with a sectional sofa, desk with free wireless internet, mini bar (refrigerator, sink and counter), large flat panel HD television complete with all the hook ups for DVD players and games. The bed was comfortable with a warm comforter and pillows that your head just sinks into. The only downside was that the toilet ran continuously after flushing and the air conditioner was a bit noisy, blowing right on the bed.

There was a continental breakfast included in the price with options to purchase a heartier, hot breakfast (pancakes, waffles, eggs, etc). The continental breakfast included juices, coffee, milks, yogurt, bagels, breads, cereals and fruit. There were also muffins and other baked goods, salads, sandwiches and beverages for purchase at the reception desk throughout the day. It looked as though beer and wine may be offered at a future date and possibly at other locations.

The Hyatt Place also had a small fitness center with a treadmill, bike and elliptical machine, accessible by room key only. There was also an outdoor pool that could have used a bit of cleaning, but since it was fall, it was mainly from the falling leaves.

The value at the Hyatt Place was hard to beat. The AAA rate of $79 per night included continental breakfast and airport transfers. This new chain is similar to what the Hampton Inns were when they first entered the market, but with more amenities. I highly recommend the Hyatt Place in 2008!

Scuba Diving: The scuba diving in Ft. Lauderdale was a bit different from traditional diving due to the many locals who dive in the area. Unlike most other dive locations, the dive shops don't own the boats. If you need to rent tanks, you will need to come back to the shop for fills after each trip (or rent additional tanks). The fill charge was only about $5 where the tank rental was about $15. Lauderdale Divers provided excellent service and was close to the Hyatt Place and the marina. The staff was friendly and helpful from providing information on shore diving to recommending restaurants in the area. Visit www.lauderdalediver.com for more information.

The American Dream II was located in the marina behind the Radisson Pier 66. The first trip was a Friday afternoon and went out with only 4 divers. It was great! The dives included a wreck and a shallow reef dive. The following morning, the boat was full (26 or so people!), again, diving a wreck and the same reef for the second dive. The afternoon was a drift dive and the same shallow reef. The drift dive and reef weren't crowded, but the wreck diving got a bit more crowded with a full boat. It is definitely worth diving in Ft. Lauderdale for a long weekend.

Restaurant Review: Southport Raw Bar, located on Cordova Road about 1 block off of A1A is a local restaurant with a large patio and a water view. The prices are reasonable and the service good. The inside is a bit dark with old booths and dark wood, but has a very local feel to it. The raw oysters were popular as were the mussels in garlic wine sauce - both were under $10. The garlic wine sauce on the mussels was delicious and an extra order of garlic bread was needed to soak up the rest of the sauce! Highly recommend the Southport Raw Bar to get away from the hustle and bustle of the main strip. For menu, hours and happy hour times visit www.southportrawbar.com