Ok. This is hard. I’m not a Karen but this review might make me sound like one. I’m generally very forgiving and understanding but I hate that I am walking away with more disappointments than happy feels on this trip.
Pluses:
-the property itself is lovely, the view is amazing and the decor looks modern and upscale in the pictures
-very short walk across the A1A to the beach.
-Air conditioner works well!!
-great fridge/freezer
-Loved having separate bedrooms with separate bathrooms.
-you can enjoy this place without having to rent a car if you desire
Minuses:
-you are in a Verizon cell phone hole here. I had one bar almost the entire time. Frustrating.
-The Wi-Fi is pretty unpredictable and crappy at times. Don’t expect this to be a solid place to run your business remotely or do zoom calls.
-I found the unit itself to be lacking in cleanliness and lacking in details that one would expect for an Airbnb.
-Kitchen was dramatically understocked, barely anything other than cups plates and silverware. The knife block was empty, and the knives were so dull that I couldn’t even cut apples properly. there’s no Tupperware, no bakeware, no spices or even salt and pepper, just basic things that I would expect an Airbnb unit would have as a courtesy to guests.
-Nothing to clean with other than a broom. No counter spray, wipes, kitchen towels… not even a swiffer. No laundry pods. We stayed 8 days. Didn’t want to have to buy all those things in full sizes or overpay for travel sizes at 7-Eleven.
-no notebook or anything that would give us a heads up about insights into the area and other things that we could have accessed, The kind of things that you can’t exactly find out about on the Internet. Or just how to take the trash and recycling out, what’s the deal with getting more towels… None of that information was provided.
Other things to know:
When we asked the front desk where the nearest grocery store was they made it sound like it was quite a hike. That basically our only option was the 7-Eleven in front of the hotel. Just know, It’s literally on the other side of the intercoastal waterway less than five minutes walk away. Honestly it’s almost closer than walking to the beach. It’s a Walmart.
the hotel people do not allow you to bring any food or beverages into the pool area. That’s a huge disappointment for a mom with kids. (The security guard stopped me because I was carrying a water bottle. They literally wanted me to pour it out in the potted plant before I went through the pool doors. That is utterly ridiculous. I don’t drink alcohol and I’m not gonna pay $18 for a margarita. I just need water. It’s Florida and it’s hot. It’s like they want to force you to buy liquor and overpriced food at the pool bar. So bring a big bag and sneak it in!!)
this isn’t exactly the most family friendly place. The pool area at times felt like I was on college spring break… With my underage children watching everything. Staff didn’t care about that.
you are right across the street from the fire station, and you are literally right next-door to the waterway with a drawbridge that has a ringing alarm every time they use it. So there’s quite a bit of noise pollution.
Dammit. I really wanted to love this place. I wanted it to be a slam dunk and it was just… not. I’ve been to Fort Lauderdale before and I was further east up the coast where there is a boardwalk, shopping, Starbucks, coffee shops, restaurants. In this area of Hollywood it is literally nothing but hotels, unless you’re walking away from the beach into the suburbs where the locals go shopping at Walmart and so on and so forth.
So while it gets a plus for proximity to the beach it’s lacking in some of the other things I would like to have experienced on a vacation to Florida with my children.
Once I arrived and communicated some basic concerns to the host, she handed me off to her property manager. he was somewhat responsive and finally brought over a spatula, some hot pads, and a box of Clorox wipes. After that point she didn’t respond to any of my requests until it was time to request a late check out due to flights being canceled due to weather.
Sadly I wouldn’t return again. Many of those elements are due to how the hotel itself is managed and are not the fault of the owners of this Airbnb.
I would happily give a rocking five star review if the owners were paying a little bit closer attention to the guest experience.