We absolutely adore this resort: as well as having a beautiful 2.5 mile-long beach, a broadwalk for walking and a cycle path, it is safe and clean. Perfect for a family holiday.

We have travelled all over Florida and have stayed in many resorts (with the exception of the Panhandle) and are very glad to have discovered Hollywood Beach some 10 years ago. Now we cannot resist this resort and are regular visitors every year.

Click here for the Yahoo! map of Hollywood.

The telephone area code is 954.

12 reasons why we like Hollywood Beach:
1) The beautiful beach. Clean, well-maintained and safe with lifeguards, it is never too crowded.

2) The Broadwalk, a 2.2-mile long promenade, perfect for exercise: walking, jogging, cycling or rollerblading. There is nothing nicer than having a fast walk in the morning whilst watching the sun rise from the sea.

3) The certain quaintness that it has. There are almost no high-rise buildings (and our appeal to the local authorities: please, please don't allow any as you will spoil this beautiful area).

4) The many small, family-run motels and apartments. They are inexpensive with good facilities. You feel part of the family when staying there (some places organise a monthly barbeque for their guests which is great fun).

5) Its location: it is halfway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale so you can still enjoy all that those two big cities have to offer.

6) Johnson Street Bandshell Theatre. Free entertainment three times a week.

7) The friendly and helpful people! Whether they are locals or visitors.

8) The good public transport system (buses). You can reach almost any part of Broward County using it. Also, all almost all buses have cycle racks on their fronts where you put your bike for free and travel long distances. (Thanks for that!)

9) Good for shopping: the great Aventura Mall is only 10 minutes away by car. There are about another 10 malls within a 15-mile radius. Almost all are accessible by public transport as well.

10) The nearby Dania Pier (only two miles away). Completely rebuilt after Hurricane Andrew destroyed the original one. First class for fishing.

11) The three nature parks close by: the John U. Lloyd State Recreation Area, the Anne Kolb Nature Centre (absolutely first class) and the North Beach Park. (Say hello to the numerous stray cats there!)

12) The sports facilities on the Intercoastal: kayaks, power boats, jet skis, sail boats and more.

Lodgings: (back to top)
Sea Downs (2900 North Surf Road Tel: 923 4968)
Excellently run by the Herzog family, Claudia and Karl. Reasonably priced and well-maintained. Has many regulars that come back year after year. Highly recommended. (Also see its sister properties Tide and Bougainvillea).

Capri Apartments (345 Cleveland Street Tel: 922 5321)
A friend stayed there and liked it. Has a small but nice garden and poolside area.

Hollywood Sands Resort (2404 North Surf Road Tel: 925 2285)
Seen to be recommended by a few people on the Internet. Time-share resort.

See also Superior Small Lodgings website for more places to stay. Please note that not places are on the beach.

It is also great staying in a private apartment on the beach. Many are owned by SE Florida residents who rent them to holidaymakers. See here for such apartments for full details: Windwood Seas Apartments.

There are also some larger hotels in the area, like Howard Johnson and Holiday Inn Sunspree (2711 S Ocean Drive Tel: 923 8700), in which people stay as part of their package deal holiday. But, from the experience of many, you will enjoy you holiday far more if staying in a small family-run place.

Restaurants: (back to top)
There are numerous small cafes on the Broadwalk, particularly near Johnson Street.

Angelo's Corner (200 Garfield Street Tel: 923 0679)
Italian cuisine. Our German friend Lothar swears by it.

Las Brisas Restaurant (600 N. Surf Road Tel: 923 1500)
Argentinian cuisine. Medium priced. Recommended several times by the local media.

Mama Ilardo's Pizzeria (290 N. Broadwalk Tel: 929 7765)
Italian. Huge pizzas and yummy pasta dishes. Very popular and reasonably priced.

Martha's Restaurant (6024 N. Ocean Drive Tel: 923 5444)
First class American cuisine and expensive. Not on the Broadwalk but on the Intercoastal, allowing you to visit by boat.

Downtown Hollywood: (back to top)
A few years back it was neglected and rather seedy. But thanks to the effort from the local authorities, it has been almost completely done up and it looks great. There are concerts at the Young Circle park. There are numberous clubs, restaurants and shops there. Definitely worth exploring. (If without a car, take the beach trolley or bus 7 to Young Circle and walk along Harrison Street and Hollywood Blvd. and you will definitely find something of interest.)
Interestingly enough, Young Circle was featured in the film "Midnight Cowboy". Its main character, Ratso Rizzo (played by Dustin Hoffman), died whilst sitting on bus going towards Miami.

Some of the nicest places are:

Cafe La Belle Crepe (1925 Hollywood Blvd.)
Simple French food. Inexpensive.

Club M (2037 Hollywood Blvd. Tel: 925 8396)
Nice bar with live music almost every evening.

Kelly's Pub (1850 Harrison St. Tel: 925 2555)
Simple place with good beer and music on most weekends.

Mama Mia's (1818 S Young Circle Tel: 923 0555)
The Hollywood branch of the well-known New York restaurants of the same name. Good Italian food.

Now Art Cafe (1820 S Young Circle Tel: 922 0506)
Hosts poetry evenings.

O'Hara's Jazz Cafe (1903 Hollywood Blvd. Tel: 925 2555)
Sister to the famous O'Hara place on Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Packed almost every evening. Some first class musicians play here including Hollywood-born Valerie Tyson, a great blues and soul singer. Highly recommended.

Sushi Blues Cafe (1836 S Young Circle Tel: 929 9560)
A combination of blues and sushi - is there anything better? Famous family-run place with Mum in charge of the food and classically trained Dad and Daughter in the Sushi Blues Orchestra. A must.

Transylvanian Romanian Restaurant (109 S 20th Avenue Tel: 929 0777)
A surprise find, apparently there is a large Romanian community in Hollywood. Big portions, inexpensive and gypsy music at weekends.

Try My Thai (2003 Harrison St. Tel: 926 5585)
We love this place. Simple but good food.

Warehaus 57 (1904-B Hollywood Blvd. Tel: 926 6633)
A place to be seen in in Hollywood, it is a coffee house and a community centre. Hangout for local artsy types.

Shopping: (back to top)
For serious shopping, visit two nearby malls: Aventura Mall (change to bus 1 at Young Circle) or the new Pembroke Lakes Mall (direct by bus 7 from the beach).

Sports (participating): (back to top)
As we have mentioned before, there are numerous water activities on the Intercoastal. But there also the more usual things such as walking, cycling, jogging and rollerblading on the broadwalk. You can also play volleyball on the beach or play on one of the paddle courts on Garfield St. for free - it is addictive whether you watch or play. Meyer Lansky, infamous Mafia boss, used to regularly come and watch people playing. (Equipment and balls can be rented or bought at the courts.)

Sport (watching): (back to top)
Dania Jai-alai (301 East Dania Beach Blvd. Tel: 927 2841)
This ancient Basque is one of the fastest in the world - "pelotas" (balls) reach speeds of 190mph. Fascinating. Games everyday except Sunday & Monday. Inexpensive entrance; you can gamble on the premises.

Hollywood Greyhound Track (831 North Federal Highway, Hallandale Tel: 454 9400)
Open from December to mid-April. The name says it all. 

Gulfstream Park (901 South Federal Highway Tel: 454 7000)
World-class horse rising from January to March, including the well-known Florida Derby. However, we've heard that the 2001 season is going to be the last.

More Links: (back to top)
City of Hollywood Official site

Downtown Hollywood Lots of good info; dining, entertainment, shopping and more.

Hollywood Info from the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (Tel: 923 4000 or 800 231 5562)