Splurge Hotels · Port Everglades
Fort Lauderdale has the real thing. A renovated resort a mile from the port, and two AAA Five Diamond hotels on the beach. Only one of them will drive you to the ship, and it takes two.
We looked for the nicest places to stay before a Port Everglades cruise, not the most practical — that’s what our top 20 is for. Tap the night you’re after and the pick lights up.
Four of the five are on AAA’s 2026 Four or Five Diamond lists. Pier Sixty-Six, which reopened in January 2025, isn’t, and Forbes lists it as soon to be rated. We note Forbes Travel Guide’s rating wherever there is one.
A renovated resort a mile from the ship, with three pools and a revolving rooftop lounge. It'll hold your car for $60 a night — it won't drive you over.
AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Four-Star — the only Fort Lauderdale hotel with both — on the sand at Las Olas. No port shuttle and no port distance.
AAA Five Diamond on the beach, Fort Lauderdale's only Forbes Five-Star spa, an adults-only pool, and a free ride to the port for two.
AAA Four Diamond since 2001, a 500-foot private beach, two pools, free parking and no resort fee, less than 10 minutes from the port.
AAA Four Diamond on the beach, where every room is a suite with a kitchen and a terrace or balcony. Valet is $60, and a fee tracker lists a $48 resort fee.
Hover or tap a hotel to light its column. Green is on offer, gold comes with a cost or a catch, grey isn’t there or isn’t stated.
| Feature | Pier Sixty-Six | The Ritz-Carlton | Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale | Lago Mar | Conrad Fort Lauderdale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAA rating | Not on AAA's 2026 lists | Five Diamond | Five Diamond | Four Diamond | Four Diamond |
| Forbes Travel Guide | Soon to be rated | Four-Star | Recommended | — | Recommended |
| On the beach | Free shuttle to the beach | Oceanfront | Oceanfront | 500-foot private beach | Oceanfront |
| Restaurant | Sotogrande, Calusso, Pelican Landing | Burlock Coast | Evelyn's, MAASS | Not stated | Takato, Spinnaker, Vitolo |
| Bar or drinks | Pier Top, 17th floor | Sea la Vie Sundeck | ViceVersa | Not stated | Not stated |
| Spa | Zenova Spa | The Ritz-Carlton Spa | Forbes Five-Star spa | The Spa | CONRAD Spa |
| Breakfast | Paid | Paid | Paid | Not stated | Paid |
| Kitchen | Not stated | — | Kitchens in residential suites | Kitchenettes in suites | Kitchens in every suite |
| Resort fee | None, the hotel says | $54.24/night per a fee tracker | None stated | None, the resort says | $48/night per a fee tracker |
| Parking | $60/night while you sail | $59 valet | $67.41 valet | Free, one car per room | $60 valet |
| Shuttle to the port | — | — | Free for two, once | Not stated | — |
| Distance to the port | 1 mi | Not stated | 5.3 mi | Under 10 min | 2 mi, per Hilton |
Only one of these five drives you to the ship: the Four Seasons, once, for up to two guests, booked 24 hours ahead. Only one publishes a rate to leave your car while you sail: Pier Sixty-Six, at $60 a night — the price of a garage, not a bargain. That’s the trade for the nicer night.
Pier Sixty-Six is a mile from the port by its count, and Lago Mar says less than 10 minutes. The beach hotels are farther up A1A, and the Four Seasons puts it at 5.3 miles, so book the car ahead. Driving? The port’s garages charge up to $20 a day.
Want a big hotel with a spa and the port on its doorstep? The Omni is the only hotel on port property, offers a free shuttle to eligible cruise guests, and ranks eighteenth in our top 20.
| Hotel | Why it isn’t in the five |
|---|---|
| Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel | The only hotel on port property, with a free shuttle to the terminals for eligible cruise guests. It isn't on AAA's 2026 lists, and it's No. 18 in our top 20. |
| W Fort Lauderdale | AAA Four Diamond on the beach, with Steak 954 and residential suites with kitchens. No shuttle, $63 valet, and a fee tracker lists a $55 resort fee. |
| The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort | AAA Four Diamond, oceanfront, and it says the port is less than five miles away. No shuttle, $62 parking, and a fee tracker lists $54.24 a night. |
| Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa | A private quarter-mile beach and an 8,000-square-foot lagoon pool, but it isn't on AAA's 2026 lists. A fee tracker lists a $59 resort fee. |
| The Dalmar, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel | AAA Four Diamond downtown, with a 100-foot rooftop infinity pool. It's a city hotel, valet only at $40, and a fee tracker lists $39.55 a night. |
| Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort | AAA Four Diamond on Hollywood Beach, less than a 10-minute drive from the port by its count. Its pre-cruise offer doesn't mention parking or a transfer, and the resort fee is $49 plus tax. |
| Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort | AAA Four Diamond under its old Diplomat name, with 1,000 rooms and three pools. Hilton puts the port 9.3 miles away, and valet runs $45 to $75. |
| The Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood | AAA Four Diamond, with a 13.5-acre lagoon pool and four fine-dining restaurants, but no beach and no port distance. A fee tracker lists $45 a night. |
Closest to the ship, Pier Sixty-Six. It's a mile from the port by its own count and reopened in January 2025 after a full renovation. It isn't on AAA's 2026 Diamond lists, and Forbes lists it as soon to be rated. On the beach, The Ritz-Carlton is AAA Five Diamond and the only Forbes Four-Star hotel in Fort Lauderdale, and the Four Seasons is AAA Five Diamond with the city's only Forbes Five-Star spa.
Two. AAA's 2026 Five Diamond list has the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale and The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, both on Fort Lauderdale Beach. There are none in Hollywood.
One does. The Four Seasons gives up to two guests a free one-time shuttle to Port Everglades, booked through the concierge 24 hours ahead. The Omni, which is on port property and in our top 20, offers a free shuttle to eligible cruise guests. Pier Sixty-Six says it doesn't currently offer port transportation, and the others on our list don't publish a shuttle.
Only Pier Sixty-Six publishes a rate: $60 plus tax per car, per night. Lago Mar parks one car per room for free, but it doesn't say whether that covers your nights at sea, so ask.
Both were renamed. The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort is now Beach House Fort Lauderdale, a Hilton Resort, and The Diplomat Beach Resort is now Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort.
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