Friday, June 22, 2018

Day 289-Lauderdale by the Sea at the Plunge Beach Hotel- Gems to “Plunge” into a Beach Getaway



As the summer commences there is nothing better than a quick  beach  getaway that does not break your  piggy bank.  From Pittsburgh there are reasonable and sometimes down right cheap flights to Fort Lauderdale.  When I think of Fort Lauderdale, I have flashbacks of my college crazy spring break days but  I recently discovered a quaint area to relax, Lauderdale by the Sea, just 7 miles north of Fort Lauderdale and a great boutique hotel located  on the beach, The Plunge Beach Hotel. This is a great combo that lets you  literally “Plunge” into it all!


Refection
I must admit that my initial draw to area was the inexpensive flights from Pittsburgh to Ft Lauderdale.  Spirit Airways has direct flights and we found round trip flights under $200 dollars,  even with the extra cost of the bags.


My last visit to  Fort Lauderdale was in my collage spring break days which was nothing close to relaxing so I was apprehensive about traveling there with only 3 days to rest.  I discovered Lauderdale by the Sea (LBTS) which is about 7 miles north of Fort Lauderdale and  my golden ticket to convenience and relaxation! 
LBTS is about 2.5 miles long and .5 miles wide, can walk to everything

LBTS  stretches approximately 2.5 miles  long and runs from the ocean about .5 miles to the intercoastal boundary. It is only a 30 minutes drive from the airport which was about a $35.00  Uber ride. Because of  its size,  everything is within walking distance  so you don't  need a car to enjoy. This is  convenient for your quick getaway.

Square with great restaurants and  with live music on Fridays

LBTS  has a   quaint square decorated  with  colorful  Adirondack chairs,  interesting shops, some great restaurants and free music every Friday night. The best part about this area are the many boutique  and reasonably priced hotels which are all within walking  distance to the square and the beach.  
 If you want to open your door and put your toes directly in the sand find a place on El Mar Drive although the next street over, Ocean Boulevard  runs the length of the area parallel to the beach (see the live web cam here). 


 I was drawn to the new Plunge Beach Hotel because it had an artistic fun feel and a great location on the beach. It opened about a year ago on the end of El Mar Drive which makes it very private.  The rooms were spacious. Overall the place  reminded me of  my stays at one of the W Hotels or the Hard Rock Hotels but  for half the price!  

You could not beat the convenience of walking out to the ocean and  having your beach chairs and umbrella brought to your spot each morning by happy staff . Be aware that the convenience will cost you about $30 a day in a resort fee which also covers access to bikes. 


Vinnie's oyster bar.

The down side of the Plunge Beach Hotel is that there are no ice machines (they provided ice at the bar) and no coffee in the room (there was a breakfast restaurant  on site and coffee in the lobby). The food at the beach side bar was better than most beach side food with nice  happy hour specials and music. 

Each night we walked to the square for some great food. We found our favorite place to be Vinnie's  because it had a fantastic raw oyster bar for me and a great chicken  parmesan, which is a food staple for my friend. 
Sunrise from hotel

Both  Lauderdale by the Sea  and  Plunge Beach Hotel were perfect for a 3 day reprieve to "Plunge" into the beach life!  I will definitely keep both in my empty-nest survival tool box but stay longer next time to relax and explore more of what these gems have to offer.  

Spiritual Reflection
Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wild world? What is his name-and his son's name? Every Word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection. (Proverbs 30:4-5)

Other Sources
LBTS Chamber of Commerce  http://www.lbts.com/