The Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort turns the Jimmy Buffett brand into a full-scale beach holiday, and it works especially well for families and groups who want everything on site. It sits at 1111 North Ocean Drive, right on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, spanning the narrow island between the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway, so guests can walk out to the sand on one side and watch boats on the other. There are 369 casual-luxe rooms and suites, many with water views, expansive pool decks, the St. Somewhere Spa, watersports rentals, and a FlowRider Double surf and bodyboard simulator that takes two riders at a time and keeps teenagers occupied. Eight places to eat and drink cover every mood: JWB Prime Steak and Seafood for a proper dinner, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and LandShark Bar and Grill for casual meals, the License to Chill rooftop bar on the eleventh floor, Lone Palm beach tiki bar, Floridays Tacos and Ritas on the boardwalk, a lobby coffee shop and 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill on the dock, where live music and sunset gatherings draw a crowd every evening. The Broadwalk's cafes, bike lane and beach are outside the door. It is busy, upbeat and not for travellers seeking quiet, but for a family beach week in Hollywood it is the obvious base.
Hollywood offers a lower-key alternative to Fort Lauderdale's beach strip, and Margaritaville, which opened in 2015 as a public-private redevelopment at the Johnson Street end of the Broadwalk, gave it a resort anchor. The dock-side bar on the Intracoastal is the evening gathering point, the rooftop bar handles quieter views, and the Broadwalk supplies morning walks and bike rides.
The pools were built with families in mind: the main LandShark pool opened with a zero-entry section and a water slide, a second pool has a hot tub, and a third sits up on the eleventh floor beside the rooftop bar. The historic Johnson Street bandshell, next door on the Broadwalk, hosts live music and outdoor concerts.
Booking craft
Ocean-view rooms for the classic outlook, Intracoastal views for sunsets. Check current offers on the resort site, and reserve JWB for a special dinner. Pools are busiest on weekends and during school holidays; weekdays in the shoulder seasons are quieter and better value.
Practicals
About fifteen minutes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport and Port Everglades; resort and parking fees apply. Anne Kolb Nature Center and Mizell-Johnson State Park are short drives for nature days. Compared with the Guitar Hotel inland, Margaritaville trades the casino and concert arena for actual sand; compared with Fort Lauderdale's beach towers, it is more relaxed in tone and better suited to children running between pool and beach. Light sleepers should avoid rooms directly above the dock bar on music nights.
Why stay here
- ✓On the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk
- ✓Ocean and Intracoastal frontage
- ✓Surf and bodyboard simulator
- ✓JWB Prime Steak and Seafood
- ✓License to Chill rooftop bar
- ✓Dockside bar with live music
- ✓Beachfront tiki bar
- ✓Expansive pool decks
Good questions
Is the resort on the beach?+
Yes. It sits on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk with the Atlantic on one side and the Intracoastal on the other. Watersports rentals operate on site, and the dock bar on the Intracoastal side is the sunset gathering spot.
Is it good for kids?+
Very. Pools, a surf simulator, casual dining and the Broadwalk outside make it one of the most family-friendly resorts in the area. The FlowRider takes two riders at a time, the main pool was built with a zero-entry end for little ones, and the Broadwalk bike lane starts at the door.
How far is it from Fort Lauderdale?+
About twenty minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale and fifteen from the airport. Port Everglades is a similar distance, which makes it a cheerful pre- or post-cruise stop.
