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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. |
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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.
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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)
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