TRAVEL: Hoorah for Hollywood

Ruth Brindle discovers the joys of a broadwalk by the crystal clear blue sea.
Hollywood beachHollywood beach
Hollywood beach

With its retro charm, this fun-packed town on the sunshine state’s Atlantic coast near Fort Lauderdale scored a big hit on our recent family holiday.

The renovated two-and-a-half-mile Broadwalk is safe and has everything you need for a day by the award-winning Blue Wave beach.

With no cars about, strolling, jogging, cycling or rollerblading along the paved pathway past a vast array of shops, restaurants and hotels is stress-free. Walkers and riders even have their own designated sections.

With school-age children in tow we had to go at one of the busiest time of the year – Easter’s spring break – but nothing was unbearably busy here. The bustling atmosphere is what adds to the fun.

And it was very easy to get there from our beautiful hotel a couple of miles south at Hallandale Beach – the newly-built Beachwalk Resort (beachwalkresortfl.com)– which offers a free shuttle to and from the Broadwalk and also to and from the Aventura Mall. The hotel has a free electric buggy service to Hallandale Beach where we enjoyed free loungers by the surf.

Our spacious 23rd floor rooms had interconnecting doors, ideal for families or big groups and full kitchens, ideal for lazy breakfasts. The views from the huge balconies across to the sea and also the Intracoastal waterway were breathtaking.

The bright yellow water taxi (watertaxi.com), which conveniently stops at the hotel dock, is a hop-on, hop-off service taking you either to Hollywood or the other way to n Fort Lauderdale. There’s also a stop at one of Hollywood’s newest luxury hotels – the Margaritaville Resort (www. margaritaville hollywoodbeachresort.com).

In Hollywood also try: exploring or kayaking the mangroves at the 1,500-acre Anne Kolb Nature Centre; an airboat ride to see alligators at Sawgrass Recreation Park; shopping along Las Olas Boulevard or at Florida’s largest outlet mall Sawgrass Mills, plus family fun activities at the ArtsPark.

For more information on Hollywood, Florida, visit www.VisitHollywoodFL.org and for Fort Lauderdale, www.sunny.org and www.visitflorida.com

How to get there

America As You Like It offers a seven-night holiday to Florida, including return flights from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale on Norwegian, seven days fully inclusive economy car hire and seven nights self-catering at the Beachwalk Resort in a one-bedroom apartment from £1,160 per person, based on two people travelling.

www.americaasyoulikeit.com, 020 8742 8299

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