Great Hotel W/O: The Merriweather Resort: The Weather In Fort Lauderdale Is So Merry!
Written: Oct 12 '03 (Updated Oct 12 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: friendly and professional service, excellent location
Cons: the unit
The Bottom Line: I would recommend Merriweather Resort because it has a great location and superb service.
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| jetbluefan1's Full Review: The Merriweather Resort |
When one thinks of Florida, he or she may think of great beaches, hot girls/guys, people with great tans, and of course...Disney World! Before this summer, I thought of only Disney World when thinking of Florida. However, this August, we stayed in Fort Lauderdale for three days, Naples for four days, Hollywood for one day and Boca Raton for three days.
So anyway, Fort Lauderdale was our first stop on our nearly two-week getaway. I called up RCI, and I was offered a studio unit at Merriweather Resort. I’d never heard of the resort, but the agent over the phone told me that it’s located near the airport, is right across from the beach, and that it has very personable service.
Resort
The Merriweather Resort is located on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard which meets with Las Olas Blvd. The street has a strip of hotels like the Sheraton Yankee Clipper, Marriott, Silver Seas Resort (looked more like a motel than a resort), the Doubletree, and few other really nice hotels. The airport is about two miles away, but it takes around ten minutes to get there since the streets are usually traffic filled. The street the resort’s on is also one-way, so it’s a bit inconvenient to get around.
The Fort Lauderdale Beach is located right in front of Merriweather Resort. All you have to do is cross Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard and then you’re right on the sidewalk which leads to the beach. The beach is the main attraction in Fort Lauderdale, and as long as you have an easy way to access it, then you’ll have a fine vacation.
Upon arrival at the Merriweather Resort, I was not a bit shocked to see construction going on. I had received a phone call from RCI a couple days before we went, and the lady notified me that there would be construction. The construction was to renovate some of the units, and it never did impact our stay at the resort.
The parking situation at Merriweather is a bit difficult. You can park in the tiny parking lot next to the pool which has only like seven spots. In the back of the resort there are an additional five parking spots. Parking is free and is only available to the resort guests.
The resort is three levels and has only around 15 units. The hallways are outside, but it’s really nice because the property is really tropical. I saw several little chipmunks running around in the large garden at the resort, and I also saw a few little lizards which didn’t bother me much.
Outside each unit’s door are two plastic chairs, a plastic table and an ash tray. Right outside our unit was a little balcony with about five tanning beds and two grills. One grill had burnt my wife one day while we were cooking steaks together, and I told the Merriweather manager. The next day, she threw them out and bought new ones.
Arrival
We were the only people checking in at the little office. The lady there was extremely friendly. She was very welcoming and gave us advice on where to eat. She was the one who recommended us to check out Beach Place which is located next door to the resort. She also gave us a binder on how to use the appliances in our unit.
The day after our arrival, we decided that we would spend the day at the beach. I came down to the office and asked the manager (another lady) if there was a place we could buy beach products. She guided me to a part of the office which had folding beach chairs, buggy boards, beach umbrellas and beach towels. She said we could use them for free as long as we brought them back before the office closed (at around 9:00pm).
Unit
The unit was absolutely nothing special. It was actually a bit small and didn’t seem too clean. The furniture seemed to be falling apart on us and the appliances were outdated. The main room had a tiled floor, open-up coach, chair, coffee table, and a bed that opened out from the wall. There was also a tv with cable and several HBO channels. Accompanying the tv was a VCR and clock radio.
The kitchen was extremely small and could only fit two people comfortably. The silverware seemed very old and had some stains on them. The sink would spit out water a lot at a time, and other times it would only spit out just a bit. There was a microwave which worked well, and there was also a tiny dishwasher. The counter space was definitely not adequate enough to cook a big meal.
Next to the kitchen was a tiny room to eat. There was a glass table and four chairs. It was extremely cramped in that room, and since it was so cramped, we tried eating out or making meals to eat at the beach.
There was only one closet in the unit, and I was surprised to see (or not see) that there wasn’t a washer or dryer in there. Next to the closet was switch for the a/c which worked pretty well.
The bathroom was very small and had a little dinky window in the shower/ bath. The water pressure in the shower has hardly adequate, but there was plenty of hot water. There was also a sink which was tiny, and it was practically on the toilet. The bathroom wasn’t clean, and it wasn’t going to be “cleaned” again until next week (when Housekeeping would come).
Conclusion
Overall, there were some really good qualities of the Merriweather Resort. Its location is the most superb - excellent - exceptional. The beach was within a 30 second walk from my unit, and the service was extremely friendly and professional. The only bad quality was the unit which pretty much sucked. However, we only were in the unit only to cook and sleep. If you aren’t looking for the most luxurious accommodations, but instead are looking for friendly service and a great location, then Merriweather Resort is definitely the place for you.
This is a review for the Great Hotel W/O hosted by Lyagushka, Tombarnes and SurgRN911. The objective of the write-off to exand the amount of hotel reviews on the site. Check out http://www.epinions.com/user-lyagushka for more information!
Recommended:
Yes
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