Fort Lauderdale, FL, Decided.
Every decision that matters, on one page.
✦ Stay: Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale ($$$$)
✦ Eat: Steak 954 — book days ahead in high season (weeks for a prime weekend/holiday slot) — reserve via OpenTable. The play: a sunset-adjacent dinner as the occasion meal of a beach-luxe trip; ask about the ocean-view / patio seating. Off-peak (early or weeknight) is the easier window. It's inside the W — factor valet/parking.
✦ Stay: Pier Sixty-Six ($$$-$$$$)
✦ Eat: Boatyard — book days ahead in high season, more for a sunset water-view table — reserve via OpenTable and request the outdoor/Intracoastal side. Arrive by car or by boat (direct dockage; confirm dock availability with the venue). It's a common cruise pre/post-dinner given the Port Everglades proximity — book around ship days.
✦ Stay: The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale ($$$$)
✦ Eat: Lona Cocina & Tequileria — book walk-in-friendly for the bar/patio; reservations accepted (OpenTable) and worth it for a prime-time ocean-view table in high season. The play: sunset margaritas + shared plates on the beachfront patio, or an easy family lunch off the sand. It's at the Westin on the strip — factor beach parking. Confirm hours on site.
✦ Stay: The Dalmar, Fort Lauderdale ($$$)
✦ Eat: Casa Sensei — book days ahead in high season, more for a canal-side/outdoor table (the whole point) — reserve via OpenTable/Tock and REQUEST waterfront seating; it's first-priority-but-request-based, so ask. For the set-piece, book the gondola cruise separately (docks at the restaurant; ~90-min rides, meals arranged onboard — confirm current schedule/price with the venue). On Las Olas — walkable from a downtown base.
When to go: November, December, February, April.