[geoherb]

We enjoyed our stay at the Holiday Inn Express in the Plantation area of Ft. Lauderdale. The hotel lives up to its 3* billing on Hotwire. The rooms are comfortably furnished. We received a king-size bed on request. Our room overlooked the pool area, which is much nicer than looking out onto University Drive. We tried to check in at noon but were turned away. The front desk held our bags for us and we were able to check in after eating lunch in a nearby strip center restaurant.

The downside to this hotel is the location. The cost of cabfare from the airport and then shuttle fare to the cruise port was higher than I anticipated. Nevertheless, we saved considerably over the hotels that are closer to both because of the deal we were able to get through Hotwire. My Priceline bids did not get accepted. We stayed a Saturday night during a prime Spring Break weekend, so hotel prices were high almost everywhere in Ft. Lauderdale.

The front desk was easy to deal with when it came time to arrange a shuttle to take us to the cruise port the morning we checked out. If we stay here again, I plan to rent a car. It will be cheaper plus give us some freedom.

The breakfast was very good--premade omelets, French toast, cinnamon buns, cereal, fruit, yogurt, etc. The business center has two computers. We did not bring our laptops so I don't know how good the wi-fi connection is.