Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach

This was our first visit to the Fort Lauderdale and Miami area. We did the drive to Key West and back. I was surprised by well-kept Miami Beach. The water was beautiful. Remember to bring your own beach umbrella unless you want to pay for a few hour of rental. A tour of the waterway while looking at mansions was the highlight of our trip.

Quick Tips:

Be sure to hop on a water taxi in Forth Lauderdale. We were lucky to have a very friendly captain who acted as a tour guard. He told us background of each mansion, which house was pick for which movie. You can get off and on at any of the stop without paying extra. Just be sure you know the taxi schedule so you are not wasting time waiting around for your ride. The best time to do this is in the morning so you can take full advantage of your ticket. If I remember correctly, the fare is not that expensive. I believe it was under per person.

Best Way To Get Around:

Just like all North American cities, you need a car to get around. It is about 45 minutes drive from Pompano Beach to Miami Beach. Half hour from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. There are meter parkings in all locations. It is hard to find parking in Miami Beach unless you go really early or late in the afternoon.

If you have been to other RCI gold crown resort, you are guarantee to be disappointed. This resort does not deserve the RCI Gold Crown rating. It is converted from a hotel and has a very low ceiling. We stayed in a one-bedroom unit that was actually two hotel rooms with two bathrooms. The so-called master bedroom has a queen-size bed push to one side . A pullout that convert into a very uncomfortable double bed. Another pullout in the living room area.

The pool is always dirty and very small. It is across the road from the beach, pool bottom is full of sand and the water looks muddy. There is nothing to do in the resort. Lobby needs a face-lift. Decoration and colour are from the 80's or even older. Elevator is small with dirty carpeting. This is one depressing place. No washer and dryer in the unit. Laundry room is dark and small at the end of the hall but only one to every two floors. It is a challenge to find a machine that is not in use by others.

Representative at the resort asked us to fill out a form to keep them in the RCI gold crown cat. You could tell they are desperate to stay in the 'good book' but lack of funding to achieve that. All in all, do not let pictures on the website fool your judgement. There is no view from anywhere, unless you want to look at other building rooftops.

Location is not as convenience as it says on the website . If you have a car and do not intend to return to the resort before 8pm. Good luck with parking. You may end up sleeping in the car.

Sorry for the negative input to Santa Barbara Resort. I will never stay there again. Not even if it's free.