Trying to Understand the Hype around Beachplace Towers (Fort Lauderdale)

[jwalk03]

First week of March is College Spring Break. It will be crazy there. Just want to give you a heads up. I have been there in March.

Not just the first week. It most of the entire month of March with schools around the country having different spring breaks. We were there the last week of March and it was still Spring Break- though much calmer that week than the previous week according to the front desk staff.

 

[WorldT]

There are many places that have "public beaches" where they put lots of impediments in place to make the public beach as difficult to access as possible for the public with parking restrictions, gates, fences, landscaping, etc.

The beach itself is public at least up to a certain point from the water. That does not necessarily mean you can access the beach from every path from land. The city/county usually has public access points that you can use.

 

[dioxide45]

The beach itself is public at least up to a certain point from the water. That does not necessarily mean you can access the beach from every path from land. The city/county usually has public access points that you can use.

Thus my reference to Hawaii. In Hawaii when a new resort is being built the county (or state) requires them to provide some kind of public beach access as well as a few parking spaces for beach parking. There is one right in between Lahaina Tower at Maui Ocean Club and the Hyatt Ka'anapali Beach. I am not aware of any such requirement for beach access in Florida because not all dry sand is public in Florida.

 

[WorldT]

I was replying to post #22 and #23. A subdivision or community may not have a public path through their property (locked gate) but does that make the beach private? As far as I know in Florida it does not. There is a point from the water (I believe it is called high tide water mark) that is public although some local laws may allow all sand areas to be public.
How you get to that area below the high tide water mark or all the sand depending on where you are (access) is a different story.

 

[dioxide45]

I was replying to post #22 and #23. A subdivision or community may not have a public path through their property (locked gate) but does that make the beach private? As far as I know in Florida it does not. There is a point from the water (I believe it is called high tide water mark) that is public although some local laws may allow all sand areas to be public.
How you get to that area below the high tide water mark or all the sand depending on where you are (access) is a different story.

According to a Google AI results "In Florida, the boundary for private beach access generally ends at the mean high water line (MHWL), which is the wet sand area". There can be local ordinances based on a customary use and recently passed law that can make more of the beach accessible. Lacking that, what point is there going to a beach where you have to lay on the wet sand?

 

[jwalk03]

According to a Google AI results "In Florida, the boundary for private beach access generally ends at the mean high water line (MHWL), which is the wet sand area". There can be local ordinances based on a customary use and recently passed law that can make more of the beach accessible. Lacking that, what point is there going to a beach where you have to lay on the wet sand?

Just for clarity the line isn’t the sand that is currently “wet”. It’s the line of where the wet sand would be based on the average high tide mark. So you can lay on the dry sand- if that sand is typically wet at high tide basically.

 

[hangloose]

Ah, Beachplace. It's not our favorite, but we will visit. Villas are standard Marriott. Pros are: a great beach, ocean or intracoastal views, and urban location (walking distance to restaurants/bars/shops). Cons are: parking structure, low end shops downstairs, can be "spring break" rowdy, small pool, and slow elevators. Regardless, we do still enjoy visiting Beachplace Towers every now and then.

 

[pedro47]

We liked Beachplace, before or after a cruise. However, we have never rented a vehicle to stay at the resort.

 

[jellen613]

I have an exchange into BPT for the 1st week of March, 2026. We've never been there. We're going with my son and his wife (early 30's) so they will love the location. That being said, my son had a question: is the beach for BPT private or public?

I was wondering how difficult it is to get to the beach. Is there a walkway or tunnel? Or do you literally have to cross the busy road?

Beach is public, very easy to cross the road at the crosswalk. The beach chairs for people staying at BPT are free (first come first serve). The umbrellas you need to rent ($30). March is definitely in the middle of spring break (so it will be noisy at night). We stayed in April 2025 on the 19th floor on the inland waterway side. Amazing views and sunsets, and the ocean side has a huge lounge with outdoor seating so that you can enjoy the ocean view.

When we were there the ocean drop-off as described was not present, you could walk out 40-50 feet on a sandbar, however with storms, I am sure the beach has taken a beating. Thurs-Sat of our stay the riptide was so bad that no one was allowed in the water (a young man drowned while we were there).

We live in the city (Philadelphia) so we are used to city noise. Our home resort is Barony on HHI, we do like a quiet getaway for sure.
The pool area is the only thing about BPT that was underwhelming, however for our 7 and 4 year old niece and nephew it was perfect.
All the options for restaurants etc that are walkable were great. The resort was clean, the staff was very helpful, the villa was great. The parking was free as we are MVC owners. Yes you have to drive up to the 4th and 5th level to park, so we would plan our trips out. There is a CVS in the mall below BPT, so you can easily get something in a bind. We went over the bridge to a grocery store once in the beginning of the week to stock up for easy breakfast and lunch food, snacks, etc.

 

[normab]

Hmmm…..If you don’t Like BeachPlace Towers, then go someplace else!!!

Seriously, because we live in Florida now we have spent many weeks at Ocean pointe, Oceana Palms, Crystal Shores, Beach place and several Orlando resorts. They all have pros and cons. Isn’t great that we have so many choices?

We like the both the pool and the beach at BeachPlace, I especially like the fact that the pool gets very shady at 2 o’clock which is important when you’re trying not to get sunburnt or skin cancer….

We really enjoy the intracoastal view, it’s very pretty at night and it’s quieter than if you’re in an ocean view room. 80% of the rooms in the resort have a fantastic view. You can’t say the same thing for Ocean pointe…..

We have always found the staff to be so helpful. No complaints at all.

I love the CVS that’s right there on the Beachplace Plaza, it’s got whatever you might need if you don’t feel like making a run to a grocery store.

We also like Beachplace because we love walking to dinner and not taking our car out of the parking garage! There’s so many restaurants that are less than a 15 minute walk away. And there’s actually some good ones, not just the noisy ones.

I agree that I wouldn’t want to be at BeachPlace during spring break… But that goes for any spring break town anywhere in the USA. It’s not the fault of the resort itself.

The only thing we ever have complained about is the elevator system. It’s really awful, I don’t think we’ve ever been there when all four elevators are working. It’s sad, because Oceana palms has more elevators per unit and they always seem to be in working condition.

So, to each his own. As I already said, it’s great that we have so many options in the Marriott system.

 

[gln60]

We celebrate my wife’s birthday every year at BeachPlace in mid January…the weather is in the mid to upper 70’s as opposed to the 40’s here in NJ…the beach is across the street…the pool is not very large but decent…we never rent a car because we walk to one of the restaurants nearby..the villas are very nice..we always stay in a high floor Intracoastal villa…the staff treats us very well…nearby Publix delivers our groceries for the week..BeachPlace is an easy exchange thru II…We enjoy our stay every January and will continue the tradition…p.s….IMO..the elevator situation is the only drawback to BPT.

 

[normab]

“nearby Publix delivers our groceries for the week..”

Is this Instacart or Publix themselves? Do they deliver to the level 1 taxi stand, or your room, or somewhere else.

Loving this idea. We are going there at least two weeks every year now. Although we have not had good luck with people picking our groceries at home, I can deal with some errors…..what a great idea for Beach place.

 

[jp10558]

Is this Instacart or Publix themselves? Do they deliver to the level 1 taxi stand, or your room, or somewhere else.

Loving this idea. We are going there at least two weeks every year now. Although we have not had good luck with people picking our groceries at home, I can deal with some errors…..what a great idea for Beach place.

I have had pretty good luck with WalMart deliveries also - Have used them 2x at Branson and they've brought it to the door. Super convenient. Some locations though you have to meet in the lobby, but still less hassle than spending time in a grocery store while on a trip. Unless that's a thing you like doing, in which case great.

 

[jellen613]

Most people have mentioned issues with the elevators, we had no elevator issues in April 2025 (arrived the 13th). Again, since I live in the city I am used to tall buildings with some elevator issues, so not really phased by this.

 

[dioxide45]

I understand that over the years they have improved the elevator situation a lot. Modernization and improving the speed. The main issue is at checkout time, especially if you are on a low floor. Sometimes it makes sense to go up to get back down.

 

[gln60]

Is this Instacart or Publix themselves? Do they deliver to the level 1 taxi stand, or your room, or somewhere else.

Loving this idea. We are going there at least two weeks every year now. Although we have not had good luck with people picking our groceries at home, I can deal with some errors…..what a great idea for Beach place.

We use instacart..they have brought it right up to the lobby…very convenient

 

[JT]

I am trying to set my son up 2nd week timeshare for spring break. Is FT lauderdale the best spot to spend SB?

He does love Disney as well would orlando be ok for Spring Break and if so what Marriott property best for 21 year olds? They have fun but notcrazy fun. 1/2 Nerd 1/2 Athlete

Or is there another Tomeshare/City better? I am on west coast. He is at school in the South. Not sure what SB on east coast is like.

 

[geist1223]

I understand that over the years they have improved the elevator situation a lot. Modernization and improving the speed. The main issue is at checkout time, especially if you are on a low floor. Sometimes it makes sense to go up to get back down.

Use to do that at work at the end of the day when everyone was trying to use the elevators to leave. I would get on the Elevator as it was going up to the 7th floor (top floor). As it started down the Elevator would fill up. By the time it got back down to the 4th Floor on the way to the Ground Floor the Elevator would be full. So folks waiting on the 4th through 2nd Floor could wait or take the stairs down.

 

[silentg]

We have stayed at BPT a few times our son lives in the area and we go there when we visit. It’s good for walking to the beach and down the street many restaurants and shops too. We have stayed at Hollywood, Weston, Pompano Beach. We probably wouldn’t visit this area if our son didn’t live there. We prefer him visiting us in Orlando area. JMHO

 

[ljmiii]

I am trying to set my son up 2nd week timeshare for spring break. Is Ft Lauderdale the best spot to spend SB?...Orlando...Marriott property best for 21 year olds? They have fun but notcrazy fun. 1/2 Nerd 1/2 Athlete

This is the opposite of the usual question we get about Spring Break in Florida. Where would I most want to go for SB if I and my friends were reasonably athletic
21 year olds...

South Beach in Miami would be my number one choice. Partly because there is more to do than go to the beach, eat, drink, and party and partly because as a result he is more likely to meet interesting people from all over the world. But Ft Lauderdale is a close #2.

Having had to vacation subject to the school calendar for almost a decade I wouldn't wish SB in Orlando on anyone who has a choice. It's insanely crowded often with high humidity and temps in the 90s. Not that we didn't go every other year or so.

I am on west coast. He is at school in the South. Not sure what SB on east coast is like.

There simply isn't any west coast equivalent. Lake Havasu and similar places in Arizona pretend, but nothing is like SB in Florida. Young adults come from all over the country to go to Ft Lauderdale...and from all over the world to go to Miami Beach.

 

[Pamplemousse]

I am trying to set my son up 2nd week timeshare for spring break. Is FT lauderdale the best spot to spend SB?

He does love Disney as well would orlando be ok for Spring Break and if so what Marriott property best for 21 year olds? They have fun but notcrazy fun. 1/2 Nerd 1/2 Athlete

Or is there another Tomeshare/City better? I am on west coast. He is at school in the South. Not sure what SB on east coast is like.

Well certainly ask your son what he wants to do- beach, Disney, etc.
But another thing to consider is it’s more difficult/ costly to rent a car under 25 so there will be uber etc expense if they are not walkable to what they want to do.
Beachplace is very walkable and not far/ expensive by ride share from the airport.

For Orlando one of the Palms might be a good choice since they can use the pool and water slide at Marriott world center and there is a good court, sports bar and restaurants. Close to Disney springs too.
My other pick for Orlando would be Grand Vista- lots going on on site, but really nothing walkable.

 

[WBP]

I’ll chime in with a minority opinion, but, its our take on BeachPlace Towers.

First, our bias, we are not drawn to an urban/high rise tower (with a ghetto-like mall at its base, and a rather raunchy element of mall-gazers), for a beach vacation, I get it, there are multi-million dollar condominiums around BeachPlace Towers, and the location appeals to certain people, just not us.

I believe that when MVCI imagineered BeachPlace Towers, they made a number of strategic errors. There are age-old issues with parking at BeachPlace Towers. I don’t know what the story is with the Front Desk of BeachPlace Towers, but, the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday check-in days, seem to be accompanied by pandemonium, in a lobby, that seems not to scale/too small for the resort, and the number/volume of guests, checking in. I believe there are too few elevators for a building the size of BeachPlace Towers, and those elevators incur significant congestion on check-in/check-out days/periods (and, by housekeeping, as there is no Freight Elevator at BeachPlace Towers). The pool, in my opinion, is way too small for BeachPlace Towers, and BeachPlace Towers seems to be a magnet for chaise lounge hoarders. I’m not big on crossing 1A to get to the beach (above or below ground). BeachPlace Towers, and the area immediately around it, seems seedy, to me. Finally, I it seems like BeachPlace Towers attracts families/groups with more than 8 guests per villa, and the villas are often trashed, by some group, I don’t know who.

If we never saw BeachPlace Towers, again, we’d be happy.

 

[geist1223]

Now tell us how you really feel.

 

[JT]

Well certainly ask your son what he wants to do- beach, Disney, etc.
But another thing to consider is it’s more difficult/ costly to rent a car under 25 so there will be uber etc expense if they are not walkable to what they want to do.
Beachplace is very walkable and not far/ expensive by ride share from the airport.

For Orlando one of the Palms might be a good choice since they can use the pool and water slide at Marriott world center and there is a good court, sports bar and restaurants. Close to Disney springs too.
My other pick for Orlando would be Grand Vista- lots going on on site, but really nothing walkable.

Thank you for this. How is Panama City? Would be 2nd week March. Not sure if warm enough there??

 

[dioxide45]

Thank you for this. How is Panama City? Would be 2nd week March. Not sure if warm enough there??

We were at Legends Edge in Panama City in March of this year. There were people swimming in the pools, but temperatures can be highly variable. The area will be busy with Spring Break crowds.