Tag Archives: beach resorts

Margaritaville Beach Resort, Hollywood

Located in the heart of Hollywood, Florida, Margaritaville Beach Resort Hollywood invites guests into the laid-back beach life of Jimmy Buffet.

Lobby Parrot graphic

Buffet’s loyal fans are known as parrotheads and colorful parrot images can be found throughout the Margaritaville resort. Lyrics from Jimmy Buffet’s hit songs adorn the hotel walls as totems of his gone fishing carpe manana beach lifestyle. Margaritavilles’s carefree vibe even extends to the wearable room key on your wrist.

Margaritaville’s spacious guest rooms are filled with natural light and offer wonderful views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal or both. These rooms bring the beach vibe inside with bleached, sand-colored wood floors and sky-blue accent notes.

The Jimmy Buffet Suite at Margaritaville Beach Resort
The Jimmy Buffet Suite photo credit: Sherel Purcell

Where to Eat at Margaritaville Beach Resort

Guests can dine at JWB Prime Steak and Seafood – upscale dining in a casual setting or party at Jimmy Buffett’s famous Landshark Bar & Grill. They can breakfast at Margaritaville restaurant, or dine with their toes in the sand at 5 o’Clock Somewhere on the Intracoastal Waterway.

JWB at Margaritaville
JWB at Margaritaville

JWB, named for James William Buffet, is a great steak and seafood restaurant with superb service. Start with one of their inventive cocktails.  If you like Mojitos, try the popular Caribbean Amphibian, made with pineapple vodka or a Perfect Partner – Hendricks gin with cucumber-infused watermelon – a refreshing take on a martini.

For starters, try the signature jumbo lump crab cakes, accompanied by a coleslaw, spiced with cumin, curry and golden raisins. Or the pan-fried oysters, presented in the shell on a bed of creamed spinach.  Both pair well with a dry Sancerre.  The JWB surf and turf gives you a great taste of both sides of the menu:  an eight ounce filet and a broiled lobster tail.

For dessert, try the caramel macchiato, where a chocolate bar meets a cocktail in a glass.

Things to do at Margaritaville Beach Resort

Lone Palm pool at Margaritaville Beach Resort
Lone Palm pool photo credit: John Cameron

Swimmers have the choice of three pools: The Lone Palm Pool, the adults only rooftop pool and the Landshark Pool which features a kid-friendly waterslide and tiki-style cabanas. There’s also a FlowRider, where pro surfers offer neophytes a lesson.  Resort fees also include chaise lounges set up on the beach in front of the Margaritaville resort and presided over by lifeguards.

Waterway Adventures at Margaritaville Beach Resort
Waterway Adventures at Five O’ Clock Somewhere photo credit: John Cameron

Next door to Five O’Clock Somewhere, Waterway Adventures guides kayak tours of the secluded mangroves on the Intracoastal. Paddlers enter a peaceful world that has not changed much since Ponce De Leon. It’s so quiet one can hear the pop of pistol shrimp. Watch out for the small black jumping crabs that also pinch: the larger the crab, the bigger the pinch.

Anne Kolb Nature Center
Anne Kolb Nature Center photo credit: Sherel Purcell

At the Margaritaville Activities Desk, sign out a bicycle and cycle north along the Hollywood Boardwalk to Anne Kolb Nature Center West Lake Park, one of the largest parks in Florida. Tour the wetlands on raised boardwalks to see a variety of birds, like the white ibis, osprey and peregrine falcon. A tower accessed by stairs or elevator provides good views of the surrounding area and waterways. You can sometimes spot manatees from here too.

For guests who want the ultimate in relaxation, try the St. Somewhere Spa, with eleven treatment rooms, steam rooms, scrub room, and rainfall showers. The 50 minute Swedish massage is highly recommended.

Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale: Your Perfect Beach Escape

Take a historic mid-century modern hotel, renovate with contemporary furnishings and hand-painted graphics and you get the beautiful Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale.

Kimpton Shorebreak Courtyard Pool
Kimpton Shorebreak Courtyard Pool photo credit: John Cameron

Guests have two heated outdoor pools to choose from – the courtyard pool and the rooftop pool with views of the Intracoastal Waterway. For swimmers who prefer the ocean, Fort Lauderdale Beach is one block away.

Kimpton Shorebreak Guest Room
Kimpton Shorebreak Guest Room photo credit: Sherel Purcell

Kimpton does a great job of maxing out the charm at each of their unique properties and The Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale is no exception. The three-story boutique resort has 96 well-designed guest rooms on airy breezeways and scenic courtyards filled with lush tropical flora

Kimpton Shorebreak Courtyard
Kimpton Shorebreak Courtyard photo credit: John Cameron

When it opened in 1949, the original Escape Hotel was the first Fort Lauderdale hotel to feature a swimming pool near the beach and operate year-round. Just off the lobby is the Shorebreak’s signature restaurant, La Fuga, meaning “the escape,” a nod to the original hotel.

La Fuga at Kimpton Shorebreak
La Fuga at Kimpton Shorebreak photo credit: John Cameron

La Fuga chef Michael Mayer’s contemporary menu successfully combines South Florida staples with Italian favorites. For starters, try their amazing Polpo Alla Griglia – grilled octopus, cannellini beans, cracked olive salad. Or the Cozze E Calamari, mussels and calamari, perfectly grilled in a pizza oven.

Polpo Alla Griglia
Polpo Alla Griglia photo credit: John Cameron

Lastly, finish with a great rendition of a favorite Italian dessert – panna cotta – large enough for two to share. Try one of the specialty cocktails, like their finely crafted Negroni Bianco, at La Fuga’s happy hour, Monday to Friday from 5 til 7pm.

Thoughtful Kimpton amenities include a yoga mat in every guest room and complimentary gourmet coffee and tea in the lobby. Guests have access to a well-equipped fitness center, complimentary bikes and oceanside loungers. Additionally, the evening social hour from five until six offers guests the opportunity to mix and mingle over complimentary drinks.

Furry friends are welcomed at the Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale with pet-friendly amenities like water bowls, doggie waste bags, leashes and treats at no extra cost.