QUALITY INN: HOLLYWOOD, FL
The Quality Inn>® & Suites Airport Cruise Port South is ideally located near the Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades Cruise Port. Stays at our hotel include the amenities you deserve, including free shuttle service to both the airport and cruise port. Greet each morning with our free hot and healthy breakfast. Free coffee is available 24 hours, too. Browse the internet or check emails using our free premium WiFi.
MY REVIEW:
We arrived at the airport, gathered our luggage and tried to figure out a way to push me in the wheelchair and handle 3 large luggage pieces.
The hubby pushed me with 1 hand and pulled 1 luggage and I used my left leg to guide the wheelchair in the right direction and Sakari pushed 2 of the pieces of luggage. It's a VERY long haul down to the area for off site hotel pick up. Then the hubby and Sakari switched places. Then I tried pushing myself with my hands on the wheels...whew! I've been doing this for months in my house but down a sidewalk that had dips in it, maneuvering around people and luggage, then the dips at cross walks....it provided to be a little too much for me. In the end, it worked best if I held on to 1 luggage, Sakari pushed me with both hands, and the hubby pushed the other 2 luggage. This trip is providing to be challenging right from the start...which I figured. We'll get it together sooner or later I promise.
We finally arrived at the off site hotel pick up area at the airport and called the hotel. The shuttle arrived within 10-15 minutes and then we were on our way to the hotel.
This hotel is one of those that you enter your room from the outside. Each room has a door leading outside. I actually like these types of hotels and you don't have to worry about going down a hall to get out. When I booked, I put in a request to have a room on the 1st floor. They actually did save one for me and it worked out great.
They do have a breakfast room and offer a free hot breakfast. I usually try to pick these hotels with this benefit...it just saves money.
The room was pretty small I have to say. Not much room around the doorway after parking a wheelchair there and the luggage as well. But, I reminded myself it's only for 1 night.
I do want to bring your attention to the bed by the bathroom. I'm not sure who designed this but....
They had a really nice pool area with plenty of seating. However...once again, you were not allowed to swim here after dusk. I've stayed in FLL plenty of times and I honestly don't remember this "rule" until the last couple of years maybe??? It seems to be at most of the hotels. Anyone know why?
They had several vending machines.
Now this hotel is not perfect at all...it looks worn and old. It was clean, there were no smells, but you could tell that it just wasn't a $180+ hotel IMO. Walls and ceilings were cracked and plastered, grout was missing in the shower and just things here and there that just wasn't appealing. But, it WAS the cheapest I could find in the area (or other places I have stayed before).
We didn't have to be out of our room until 11am and honestly I was in no big rush to get to the ship because, being Platinum, I don't have an assigned time I have to arrive. However, we did have a schedule to make it to breakfast before it closed so up and at-em fam! Momma bear was hungry!
Now I do have to say that this complimentary "hot breakfast" wasn't as extravagant as other places I have been to in the past. The only real "hot" food that I'm used to eating was scrambled eggs and sausage. They did offer the "make your own waffle" station, and assorted cereals, muffins and donuts, but nothing too fancy and no omelette station.
I kept seeing people with bacon....WHERE'S THE BACON????? I kept having the hubby go up and check and thought maybe they rotated the sausage and bacon bins when one ran out...but nope. Just more sausage. I still noticed several people with bacon. Then it hit me...there was a lot of seating outside by the pool and maybe...just maybe, there was food out there? I had the hubby go check and sure enough, there was the bacon! He made me a plate and I was happy. I didn't bother to ask if there were any other selections out there.
Now this hotel does offer transportation to the Miami Cruise port. We signed up the night we checked in. Now normally I would just use Uber or Lyft because they are a heck of a lot cheaper than a taxi or even a transportation service. BUT, in my CURRENT condition, we were going to require a LARGER van because of my wheelchair. We couldn't use just any small car. With the 3 of us, we fit nicely in a car with our 3 large luggage. But add a wheelchair to the mix and you have yourself a problem. You have to use the Uber XL or similar.
The hotel offered the shuttle at 2 different times (I believe 9:30 and 11:30). Since you can't rush a sloth, I decided 11:30 would work best for our family. The price was $20pp for adults and $15 for a child. They also offered transportation from the cruise port to FLL airport after the cruise. I decided that we would do both. So for $110 I was assured a ride with my wheelchair.
Now I guess it would have paid to check just how much Uber/Lyft would cost because for the XL it would have been $63 for us. $63 versus $55 with a savings of $8 by using the hotel transportation. Hmmm, if I would have checked, I would have just did the Uber instead. With Uber/Lyft, you are the only one's in the ride, no waiting for a certain time to leave, and no picking up other passengers from various other locations (not with the hotel, but if you use a transportation company, such as SAS, this will happen). But what was done was done and I'm ok with it this time. No worries. I was about to embark on a new ship and it was warm out and although this cruise would be a little different for me, I was going to make the best of it!
As we sat outside waiting for our van/transportation, Sakari was determined to find a lizard and she definitely did.
Our van pulled up, which had a trailer attached to it for all the luggage, and we all piled in and off to the cruise port we went. The other thing about riding with transportation is that the drivers usually don't seem to talk during the ride. So, it's a long boring ride to the port in silence. But I knew in a matter of an hour, there would be no silence on the ship, so I would just enjoy it for now.
Would I stay here again? Eh, I don't know. Would I recommend it? Eh, I don't know. I guess if there was a huge price difference compared to everything else in places I have always stayed, I might stay again. It wouldn't be my top choice, but money is a factor when it comes to picking a place I'm only going to be in for an overnight sleep.