ocean view – DOWN THE BLOCK, AROUND THE CORNER

Fort Lauderdale: SNOOZE; a boutique hotel featuring just the essentials

SNOOZE; a BOUTIQUE hotel featuring just the essentials.

Fort Lauderdale, FL

“Who owns Snooze?” I asked,

“I do,” Robert said from his stool behind the small check-in counter. Robert, once a London-based

real estate investor focused on hospitality, had become an Owner/Registration clerk. No uniform

required.

“Nice place, great location, a bang for the buck,” I said.

“Bang for the buck is our target. Provide upscale essentials, just the essentials,” Robert said.

Snooze is located on the A1A strip in Fort Lauderdale Beach, far enough from the

Snooze, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, beach, undiscovered, hotel, A1A, deck, on the beach, beach, kitchen, boutique, waking path, jogging, ocean view, price, locals, — View from room 301

honky-tonk strip that only traffic sounds and Atlantic waves can be heard through your open window. A 2^nd floor deck offers box seats to view the fruit of A1A; the morning parade, afternoon bikinis and the stream of classic cars.

Why this place appeals to me. The view, the refrigerator, the cleanliness and the walking options.

Snooze is the best of the Roger Miller’s 1960’s tune, “No phone, no pool, no pets …” But Roger didn’t sing about offering the essentials; wine glasses, a corkscrew, refrig/freezer and three tables – one for work, another for vitals, and a 3^rd for stuff!

How Far Down the Block? [mappress mapid=”7″]

A 1.1 mile walk south on A1A to the Bahia Cabana bar on the inter-coastal.

Just step outside to join the A1A parade.

Far enough down the block to be out of range from the Spring-breaker throngs trying to resurrect the Elbow Room.

Why you might be nearby?

You’ve stayed at the Fort Lauderdale Ritz Carlton and this time you want to go local.

The Pillars is too wonderfully serene.

Lesser Known Facts

Snooze was formerly the eighteen room Ocean Holiday Hotel, distinguish by its flamingo pink exterior. A 360 degree view roof-top deck is planned for summer 2014.

Local Recommendation Upscale local, walk two blocks to the Pillars for an evening glass of wine.

Consider a cab ride to Casa D’Angelo for an Italian dinner.

Local, local; See if Jimmy Buffett stopped at the Bahia Cabana for a beer and takes the stage.

Something for Nothing

Snooze supplies free WiFi, free beach chairs, beach towels and umbrellas. Each morning God and Mother Nature provide the A1A parade. Two of everything joins the parade just after dawn. It is not possible to feel uncomfortable or out-of-place strutting on A1A at 9 am on a March morning.

Russell, New Zealand; The Duke of Marlborough Hotel & Restaurant

The Duke of Marlborough; a hotel and restaurant in Russell, New Zealand

Throwback hotels with a bar full of stories grab me. The Duke’s history is the history of New Zealand; a well-kept wooden hotel, serving New Zealand food on their harbor-view porch. Located two steps from the base of Russell’s pier in the Bay of Islands, thirst is soon solved.

The Duke lies four hours north of Auckland by car; only a cyclone blocked the path. In the Atlantic basin, a tropical cyclone is known as a hurricane, after the ancient Central American deity of wind, Huracan. In the Northwest Pacific Ocean windstorms exceeding 74 MPH are called typhoons. In New Zealand cyclones are just cyclones.

Tropical Cyclone June arrived in Auckland the day after the 6.3 Wine Trail earthquake rattled me awake from an afternoon nap.

Waterspouts and low vertical wind shear are side effects of tropical cyclones; glad to be driving, not flying, to Russell. Rain from the Cyclone June will be intense, but the 80 MPH winds should blow all rain right off the windshield.

How Far Down the Block? The easy route north from Auckland international airport is Highway 1, with a final jog down Highway 11. Two options will conclude the trip; either a car ferry from Opua with a final 8 mile drive into Russell, or continue north on Hwy 11 to Pahia, park the car and grab the people ferry for at 15 minute voyage to the pier in the center of Russell. The Duke of Marlborough lies at the base of the pier, along the Strand.[mappress mapid=”2″]

Russell is the quiet, proper, and affluent alternative to nearby summer holiday destinations. In the 1830’s it was New Zealand’s epicenter for prostitution, whaling and the first Christian church.

Why you might be nearby? A) You’re meeting your sailboat for the late January Regatta in Bay of Islands; B) take an overnight break on your drive to 90 mile beach in the far north of New Zealand.

If you’re staying at Eagles Nest where, rooms start at NZ$2,300/night and need a real people fix, The Duke is a five block walk down Tapeka Road. Don’t be conspicuous.

Lesser Known Facts: The Duke was the first establishment licensed to sell alcohol beverages in New Zealand; however, not having a license did not deter competitors in 1840. In 1840’s Russell was known as the Hell Hole of the Pacific. The Duke of Marlborough was called Johnny Johnston’s Grog Shop

Local Recommendation: Reserve a table on the porch overlooking the Strand for dinner; consider the Fish & Chips – the Duke turns this peasant dish into fine dining.

Cocktail hour take a bottle of NZ wine, drive the eponymous road to Long Beach – less than a mile from your room at the Duke. Be couth, bring a take-away cup and sip from a bench on the grass strand along the shore of Oneroa Bay.

Something for Nothing: In the early morning hike (known as a tramp in New Zealand) to Tapeka Point overlooking the Bay of Islands. You can shorten your tramp by driving to the end of Tapeka Road, park the car and tramp the final 800 meters to the point.