Driftwood On The Ocean, Hollywood

If you are looking for a safe beach ,home away from home for the kids, this is it. You have many types of room, efficiencies, studios, all on the beach. You see the ocean no matter which one you rent. We looked at all the hotels/motels between Hallandale and Hollywood. Nothing compared to the Driftwood. Considering that this place is so old, the upkeep is adequate. Do not expect luxury accomodations and you will find the place quite charming. If you are not happy with something, they will accomodate you. If you complain with a bad attitude you might have to wait a little longer haha. So be friendly and you will get more than you ask for. You will need a car to go get your groceries or to go sightseeing. There is nothing withing walking distance except a small grocery store inside one of the tall condo highrises nearby right on the beach. The driftwood is located at the end of a uiet dead end street so traffic is no issue for kids to skate or bike or walk around the area. The lawn is huge so you can lay in the sun there if you don't like the sand. You cannot put the Driftwood lawnchairs in the sand so bring your own folding chairs from home or buy one real cheap on Hollywood Beach near the souvernir shops. Youll find everything you need there. They have a nice boardwalk you can drive to in the evenings. You'll find things to do like miniature golf or catch some free entertainment, people watching lol ...

If you are looking for a safe beach ,home away from home for the kids, this is it. You have many types of room, efficiencies, studios, all on the beach. You see the ocean no matter which one you rent. We looked at all the hotels/motels between Hallandale and Hollywood. Nothing compared to the Driftwood. Considering that this place is so old, the upkeep is adequate. Do not expect luxury accomodations and you will find the place quite charming. If you are not happy with something, they will accomodate you. If you complain with a bad attitude you might have to wait a little longer haha. So be friendly and you will get more than you ask for. You will need a car to go get your groceries or to go sightseeing. There is nothing withing walking distance except a small grocery store inside one of the tall condo highrises nearby right on the beach. The driftwood is located at the end of a uiet dead end street so traffic is no issue for kids to skate or bike or walk around the area. The lawn is huge so you can lay in the sun there if you don't like the sand. You cannot put the Driftwood lawnchairs in the sand so bring your own folding chairs from home or buy one real cheap on Hollywood Beach near the souvernir shops. Youll find everything you need there. They have a nice boardwalk you can drive to in the evenings. You'll find things to do like miniature golf or catch some free entertainment, people watching lol ...

You can not get closer to the beach. There is not many areas where the public can come park and visit the beach so you have the beach to yourselves. The staff is friendly. The property is older but maintained. You are in between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. What more could you want?

Air conditioner kept freezing up and kitchen had ants. Hope it is better this time and hope we can get our same rooms.Pull out beds dusty and difficult to open. Location was perfect. All my friends and family have been told and visit the website.

We went after Christmas 2005, big room with a separate bedroom for the kids, facing out to the ocean had a balcony to sit out on. The beach itself beautiful, clean, great for those long walks! That was the good stuff. The room was very run down and neglected. Bathroom sink leaked, so we called they never came and the cabnet got damaged. The bathroom door was warped and didn't shut, carpets where very dirty and one was lifted right at the door way with the tacks sticking up. Stepped on it once, learned to step over it every other time. The fridge was dirty, the dishes where dirty, THEY PROVIDE NO DISH SOAP SO BRING YOUR OWN. What looked like little ants constantly crawled over the counter. In corners of the floor was built up dirt. There where finger prints and dirty hand marks all over the walls. The room didn't even smell clean after the lady with no smile would come in and...well they call it, clean. I don't think they used cleaning products! On a rainy day we decided to turn on the TV. One snowy channel, not sure what it was we where watching, thank goodness for portable DVD players. Beware walls are paper thin, even the staff kept us awake (their utility, laundry room was inline with our kitchen) We heard whole conversations, people passing gas, and even vomiting throughout our stay, not what I call entertainment! If you are not wealthy and want to take your family to an inexpensive beach front, are the low maitenence kind of family, heavy sleepers and don't mind bringing your own cleaning products and using them, then you SHOULD be okay. The place has great potential but they are not keeping up with maintenace or TLC.

We stayed at the Driftwood on the Ocean, Hollywood, in late March 2006. It could not have been better! We had a large, two-bedroom suite on the second floor, plenty big enough for myself, my mother, daughter and husband. The view was priceless - nothing but ocean. The full kitchen was a great touch - saved us a bundle on breakfast and drinks. I've noticed some reviewers had less-than-stellar experiences. I don't quite get it, but maybe they had rooms facing the back. We found it affordable and enchanting - we can't wait to go back next year.

My husband and I stayed at the Driftwood for the 4th of July weekend in 2005. We had room number 27, a second floor ocean view studio with kitchenette. Upon our early arrival, we were given our room key immediately and were able to unload. The room was in horrible condition, visibly dirty, rusty and unsanitary. Since I knew there would be a kitchenette, I came prepared with some Clorox wipes and paper towels. We were so disgusted with the state of the room, I decided to clean it up. I literally wiped black and green grime off the toilet bowl seat, door knobs and counters. Our pillow cases were stained and filthy. When I called and asked that they be replaced, the girl at the front desk responded "I'll see if we can". Eventually they were replaced with new ones by a maid with an attitude. She demanded to see the dirty cases and actually had the nerve to examine them and then ask me if I had gotten them from the closet. The air conditioner would shut off whenever it felt like it, causing us to have to get on our knees to turn it back on at the electrical outlet. To top things off, there is no ice machine on the premises. The condition of the room aside, this hotel is located in a questionable area. If you are looking for a hotel in a nice area where you can walk around A1A in the evenings and explore fun boutiques and seaside shops, this place is not for you. The location was very seedy and surprisingly run down. But now here comes the worst part of all: the noise. All we wanted was a quiet, peaceful getaway. What we got was a total nightmare that forced us to check out a few days early. Granted, it was the 4th of July weekend, but the walls were paper thin, and that, coupled with the class of guests this hotel caters to, proved to be an obnoxious combination. Guests were popping fire crackers during all hours of the night. And not just regular, old fashioned fire crackers. They were popping the ones that give off a hellish scream for about five seconds before the pop comes. This was going on at 12, 1, 2 and 3 in the morning. Not only that, but guests on higher floors would scream down to guests on the ground level and grass area...all night long. My husband and I figured that they would eventually tire out, so we tried to be patient and wait it out. The only channel we got in our room was the History channel, so we watched, and watched...and watched, and waited. We could not catch a wink of sleep. During the second night we realized that, like clockwork, the noise would stop sometime after 3:00AM. We checked out first thing the very next morning. As I read other reviews, I see most are negative. Take my word for it when I tell you that the positive ones have to be from management or simply people whose expectations are lower than most. Save yourself the hassle and opt for something else. It will be well worth it in the end.