South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Fort Lauderdale named a bucket list travel destination
Bloomberg has rounded up its top 21 global destinations for people looking to check off their travel bucket lists, and Fort Lauderdale was counted among the group.
The news service used data from Google and tips from travel experts to produce the list, which includes destinations in Brazil, Bodrum, Grenada and Kenya. The only other U.S. cities on the list were Houston and Savannah, Georgia.
“Among their draws: skyrocketing cultural cachet, major hotel openings, and new restaurants worth traveling for,” the report says of the various destinations.
Bloomberg noted “once sleepy” Fort Lauderdale “for the ease of a Miami getaway without the 24-hour party vibe.”
The report highlighted Broward county’s largest city for its new beachfront restaurant Dune “that spotlights charcoal-grilled dishes and Nappy Valley wines.” The restaurant is inside the Auberge Beach Residences and Spa at 2200 N. Ocean Blvd.
There was also a shout-out to The Dalmar Hotel, the 209-room hotel which will have a “retro vibe, with palm-printed wallpapers and midcentury brass chandeliers” and a rooftop bar at 299 N. Federal Highway. The hotel, which will have The Element hotel stacked on top of it in the same building, is set to debut this year.
Bloomberg also gave some love to Palm Beach’s new restaurant Florie’s, the 200-seat “Mediterranean-inspired spot in the renovated Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach.”
We didn’t need Bloomberg to tell South Floridians this, but the best time to visit the region is from October to April, when the temps are cool and breezy and not so sticky-humid. During that time, there are popular outdoor events such as the Las Olas Art Fair and the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
Miami is known for its boomboom-boom pulsing nightlife. Just ask Drake, Pitbull and the gang from MTV’s “Jersey Shore.”
But in a new national ranking of top cities for nightlife scene, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Pompano Beach all ranked ahead of the Magic City.
On Friday, Apartment Guide released its rankings for the 50 best cities for nightlife. The rental unit guide factored in “the ratio of bars, clubs, breweries and music venues to the population” of cities with more than 100,000 residents
It sounds like they didn’t actually spend any time partying at Club E11EVEN in downtown Miami, YOLO in downtown Fort Lauderdale or hit Clematis Street in West Palm Beach for the study. Researchers just did some math from their desks.
Fort Lauderdale came in No. 9 in the report, while Orlando was No. 10. West Palm Beach came in No. 12, one spot behind Las Vegas.
Pompano Beach was No. 18, while Miami came in 25th. The Miami ranking referred to the city of Miami and not Miami Beach.
Fort Lauderdale was highlighted for having a nightliferelated business for every 1,637 people.
“Just north of Miami, Fort Lauderdale is known as much for its beaches as it is for Las Olas Boulevard, a bustling strip of bars, cafes and boutiques,” the study said.
It counted 57 bars, 38 clubs and two breweries among the nightlife amenities. “And when none of your crew wants to be the designated driver, you can always opt for a different kind of pub crawl aboard a group bike.”
The study didn’t say much about Miami except that it has a nightlife-related business per 2,328 residents, while West Palm Beach had such a business per 1,778 residents.
The Midwest dominated the top of the list.
St. Louis ranked first, followed by Cincinnati, Dayton, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Cleveland.