Wish List: Fort Lauderdale

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My hotel chain of choice is Starwood and I am a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program. Earlier this year, SPG ran the SPG Getaway Free promotion.  It entailed earning one free Resort Night Award for every three eligible stays at over 1,000 hotels across all their brands from May 1 through July 31.

During that time, I stayed a total of 8 nights – split between work and leisure – at the following hotels: Aloft Houston by the Galleria; Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel; Sheraton Reston Hotel; Four Points by Sheraton San Diego; Sheraton Mission Valley San Diego and Palace Hotel, San Francisco (one of my favorites!) These six stays earned me two award nights at over 200 of Starwood's resorts; I should have squeezed a night in a Philly Starwood to get 3 nights!
Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel, beach view, image courtesy of Starwood
The West Coast and Southwest choices were out of the question since the airfare would be prohibitively high. The majority of the East Coast choices were in charming, secluded locations – ideal for a resort, but not for an urban fellow like me.  This left either Virginia or Florida as my viable options.  I was going to cash in the reward for two nights at Virginia Beach during my visit to Hampton Roads for Steve’s retirement ceremony, but he needed Bonnie and me to stay at his house to help with logistics.  So I didn't have to use my nights in Virginia.  Of the Florida locations, Miami and Fort Lauderdale seemed to be the most carfree positive.  I called the Miami resorts first and they had no availability, but the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel could accommodate me. The only weekend that I had free was December 16-18 and there was a slot in the hotel then, so I booked. 

Then I bit the bullet to search for airfare and found a surprisingly reasonable scheduled flight to and from Fort Lauderdale for $191.40.  I snatched it up without any hesitation since it was non-stop on US Airways. I will favor the Star Alliance for my status. Resort: booked, flight: ticketed; now, I’m vacationing for a weekend in the sun the weekend before Christmas. 
Fort Lauderdale skyline, image courtesy Wikipedia
I have only been in Fort Lauderdale briefly in 2003 and it was just a brief skirting of the city.  I had lunch at a restaurant on S. Atlantic Avenue and I drove past some of the canals.  It reminded me of Venice Beach in Los Angeles.  However that’s all I really remember; don’t have a blank slate but it’s enough of a palimpsest that I can put new experiences down and they will be my only memories of the town. 

I’m must reiterate – I'm excited to be in Florida again in the beginning of the wintry season.  I was in Orlando in December 2009 and it was a treat to be in warm weather in a month that I’m usually bundled up in.  Also being at Disney probably helped keep the energy up, but there was something deviously exciting about Christmas decorations being staged in a climate of 70 degree weather – actually, like being in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in December. It’s like cheating Death, this cheating Cold. 
Stranahan House, image courtesy Stranahan House via facebook
Obviously, I will have access to the beach since I’ll be staying the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel and I can imagine a few hours of solace in the sun and with the sand between my toes.  For energy, I can head to S. Atlantic Avenue and Las Olas Boulevard to take in the boutiques, restaurants and people-watching. For attractions, the Stranahan House, the oldest building in the city and county, comes with high marks and there’s always Hugh Taylor Birch State Park with the possibilities of biking, inline skating, kayaking, canoeing and segway tours, as well as taking a good old fashioned hike. 

The food in Fort Lauderdale sounds inviting; the dining experience has been described as casual chic.  Being so close to Miami and the Caribbean, I am confident the Cuban cuisine will be out of this world and that I will find treasures like Puertoriqueño, Jamaican and Indian restaurants. I am going to yelp to find an intimate café or an al fresco waterfront eatery where I can enjoy phenomenal dish crafted with seafood straight from the sea and local fruits and vegetables. 
Christmas lights in South Flordia, image courtesy of Fort Lauderdale Christmas Lights
I'm going to make this trip my brief respite during the hectic time that is the holiday season. From work to family, my time between now and New Year's Eve is full and devoted to others.  So a few days of R&R will be good for my soul, so I can jump into the wonderful chaos that the Holidays bring.

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