Hollywood, Florida, lost between the glam centers of South Beach and Ft. Lauderdale is making a comeback. Long a center for hordes of northern and Midwestern immigrants seeking an affordable beach stay, it went tacky from corruption and negligence in the 1950’s, and is only now heading “upscale.”
One of the early entries in the renaissance includes the Marriott Corporation with the newly renovated Hollywood Beach Marriott, located smack on the famous Hollywood Boardwalk, in front of the beach. The boardwalk is a 2 ½ mile concrete walkway populated by bicycles and walkers, and lined with restaurants, cafes, houses and hotels. There is also a band shell, performance stage, and parks, kept constantly busy. This is one great location, a more “real” option to the high-styling South Beach and offering greater value and fun than the trendy places to the south
Right after checking in, we traded our street clothing for beach wear and elevated down to the boardwalk bar and pool. This was the spot! Packed with other sun lovers from cold climes, we chatted, drank, ate appetizers and swam, all the while listening to the compelling beat of the hotel’s steel drummer. When the sun went down, we went up to nap before heading out for the evening.
Having had too much of everything at the pool and bar, we decided to stay in our room and order room service. The newly remodeled rooms are cozy and very nicely decorated, with exceptionally comfortable beds and soft linens. In fact, if you want the same ones on your bed at home, just pull out the descriptive brochure, pick the size you need, and add them to your bill!
Room service was quick and competent. And reasonably priced, compared to the typical room service menu. We ordered flatbread pizza topped with jerk chicken, roma tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. The nicoise salad was made with a large chunk of seared tuna over a salad with roasted tomatoes, asparagus, hard boiled egg and roasted potatoes. They supplied a variety of tasty breads, including crisped pumpernickel raisin with sprinkled sugar, parmesan crispy bread, soft French bred and lavosh cracker bread. With the bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir accompaniment, it was a late-night party extraordinaire.
Staking out an early position in the re-growth of Hollywood Beach is risky business, but it seems Marriott knows how to speculate successively. The hotel was completely occupied. We loved this place and recommend that anyone looking to see the “real” Florida head to the Hollywood Beach Marriott for a fun and fantastic time.
HOLLYWOOD BEACH MARRIOTT
2501 North Ocean Drive
Hollywood, FL 33019
866.-306.5453
www.hollywoodbeachmarriott.com/
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