Ocean Beach Palace Hotel and Suites

The Ocean Beach Palace Hotel and Suites is a budget property with a look to match. It has a motel-like vibe with its exterior doors, white railings, and tan-colored paint, set against a central with orange loungers. Lots of palm trees and greenery, alongside a water fountain and additional seating does elevate the atmosphere. While rooms are largely clean and well-equipped, wear and tear is visible and many past guests have reported maintenance issues.
Most guests who stay here are families or couples about to depart on or coming back from a cruise; few people stay here for an entire vacation. The beach is roughly a 10-minute walk away, but it’s not a straight shot due to fences along private properties. There’s no restaurant on-site, and little in the immediate area, so visitors should expect to drive or take a taxi when staying here.
The hotel’s sister property, Royal Beach Palace Hotel has a restaurant and popular tiki bar on-site, and it’s just down the road. For another low-frills budget option with more modern rooms, consider Snooze hotel.

Ocean Beach Palace is located just off the Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale, a stretch of sand lined by high-rise hotels and buildings. The building and its pool face a state road that forms the main street of this part of Ft. Lauderdale, and it abuts houses that park their boats in watery backyards. The beach is fairly average and swimmable and within a 10-minute walk of the hotel. There’s also a Winn-Dixie supermarket a five-minute walk down the street, across from the hotel’s sister property, the Royal Beach Palace Hotel, which has a highly regarded restaurant guests are offered a token discount. Beyond the beach, the only other attraction within walking distance is the well-rated Jet Ski Escape Room, a three-minute walk away. If there’s any swimwear left behind at home, there’s also a beach shop a three-minute walk away.
A few good restaurants within walking distance: the highly regarded Oceans Grille across the street, which serves up seafood, and the 3711 Beach Side Mediterranean restaurant and bar a six-minute walk away. A deli selling sandwiches, a McDonald’s, and a Dunkin’ Donuts are all within a few minutes’ walk of the hotel. It’s an 18-minute drive from Downtown Fort Lauderdale, 30-minute drive from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and a 30-minute drive from Port Everglades’ cruise ship docks (hotel transport to the port and airport is available for an additional charge).
Away from the Galt Ocean Mile, it’s a short car ride to popular spots like the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens (11 minutes away by car) and Anglin’s Fishing Pier (10 minutes away). Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is about 30 minutes by car. The only golf course close to the hotel is private, but there are many courses in the area a quick car trip away.

There are 133 rooms at Ocean Beach Palace Hotel and Suites, all decorated in a contemporary, albeit low-frills and drab style. Expect various shades of brown in patterned carpeting, light faux-wood furniture and wall panels, and brown sofas. Decorative elements include gold-brown bed runners and curtains, and one piece of beach-themed artwork. Note that windows look out onto the exterior walkways, so they lack privacy. Also on the downside, past guests have mentioned visible wear, thin walls, and maintenance issues.
On the plus side, each room comes with a coffeemaker, mini-fridge, microwave, safe, and iron, as well as a work desk and flat-screen TV with cable and pay-per-view movies. Bathrooms have attractive brown mosaic tiling, shower/tub combos, hairdryers, and basic toiletries. There are a few different room types available, from standard hotel units to studios with kitchenettes to Jacuzzi Honeymoon Suites with corner platform hot tubs and mood lighting in the bedrooms.

There’s no restaurant or bar on-site, but guests are offered a small discount for dining at the restaurant of the hotel’s sister property, Royal Beach Palace, a five-minute walk away. That property also has a well-regarded tiki-style bar with quality cocktails and service. Most guests opt for Dunkin’ Donuts or McDonald’s across the street for breakfast.

There are no real features here aside from the hotel’s small heated outdoor pool. It’s closed off from the adjacent road by a fence, and surrounding it are orange loungers, various seating, and vending machines that weren’t working during our visit. While it’s a three- to four-block walk to be able to access the beach -- the oceanfront condos block off beach access at more convenient points -- the hotel provides shuttles to and from the stretch of sand, as well as umbrellas and lounge chairs for the sand.
Wi-Fi is free.