Post #353426 by GatorRob on Mon, Jan 7, 2008 5:58 AM

Hmm. You are aware that it's about a 4 1/2 hour drive from St Augustine to Ft Lauderdale, right? Not that it's not worth it, cause it definitely is, but some people forget just how big Florida is. At least it's an easy drive straight down I-95.

As for hotels in Ft Lauderdale, we usually stay at the Best Western in Oakland Park. It is 1/2 mile down the street from the Mai-Kai. Here's the website. Nothing particularly special about it except its proximity to the Mai-Kai, although it does have a nice pool area and free breakfast (if you wake up early enough - we usually don't).

If you can spare a little time, and you haven't been there before, you must make a quick stop in Daytona to see the Aku Tiki Inn and the Hawaiian Inn! They are very close to each other. Better yet, it's only an hour's drive from St Augustine, so drive down for a night at Teauila's Hawaii Dinner Show at the Hawaiian Inn or dinner at Julian's. It's great fun! If you go to Julian's, let me know and maybe we can gather some local ohana together to join you.

Here's a Mai-Kai tip I learned from Chip and I've observed several times since then: the drinks are better in the dining rooms than they are in the Molokai. They are served by two diffferent service bars. Not that they're bad in the Molokai, but they are defintely better in the dining rooms. But that's no excuse to miss happy hour in the Molokai!