You want a hotel in South Florida. You don’t want to pay a lot of money. You aren’t particularly picky about location. So you’re curious about the La Quinta Cypress Creek in Fort Lauderdale. Let’s take a look…
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I booked this room direct for a Sunday and Monday to take advantage of a Wyndham points promo and was able to get it for $101.45 a night. You might see this hotel or others like it in a range from $70 to $130 depending on demand. You can check the current prices for the area here on Expedia. La Quinta Cypress Creek has a 7.6 Expedia rating at the time of this stay.
I chose this hotel specifically because La Quintas are a real coin flip. Some of them are as nice as a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn. Others are just a glorified Days Inn. This one appeared to be somewhat recently renovated online.
La Quinta Cypress Creek Location
This hotel has one specific positive going for it in terms of location. It’s very close to Chase Stadium, which is the home of the Inter Miami pro soccer team. It’s close enough that you can keep your car here and walk to the game.
If you’re not in town for a match though, this location hasn’t got much to offer. It’s not bad. It’s not a sketchy or dangerous area. It’s near 95 and you can drive to the beach in a few minutes.
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It’s just not good either. It’s about eight miles north of downtown Lauderdale. There’s a general aviation airport across the street which takes up a lot of acreage. A large portion of the surrounding area is given over to suburban office parks and light industrial.
La Quinta Cypress Creek Property
The hotel appears renovated online and in fact there are updates evident. The property is clearly on the older side and demands quite a bit in the way of maintenance. In fact some work was being done during my stay although it wasn’t very loud or intrusive at all.
Unfortunately you can tell that management is sort of half-assing the renovations. A huge tell is that they have just painted the doors, which are of metal construction. So as you pass down the hallway you can see every ding and dent in every room door from time immemorial. Most of them probably put there before this was a La Quinta and some of them, no doubt, put there maliciously.
There’s other areas where an effort to save money is apparent. The fitness center is unimpressive despite being a decent size. Sun loungers at the pool are so old they’re reminiscent of Poppy’s by the Tree.
There’s free breakfast here but it’s not going to knock your socks off. Still, the ability to grab a banana and a muffin or a bowl of cereal with a cup of coffee is better than nothing. McDonald’s is right next door and Starbucks nearby if you want an upgrade.
La Quinta Cypress Creek Guest Rooms
The interior of my room was renovated and was overall much nicer than the rest of the property. The TV with dish network is a Samsung and nicer than most hotel offerings. Bed is very large and comfortable. Furnishings and fittings have been updated so things like the lamps and window treatments are modern and well-chosen.
But there’s a bit of wear and tear here too. Things like the walls, moulding and bathroom door that a full renovation would have addressed but where it makes sense to cut corners if the budget isn’t there.
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One unique feature in this hotel is large trash cans and even a recycling can. Almost every hotel all over the world embraces these teeny tiny wastebaskets now that are barely bigger than a cup of coffee. So you put your coffee in and suddenly it’s 80% full. With many hotels skimping on housecleaning post-covid trash pileup can become a real problem so kudos to La Quinta Cypress Creek for nailing this one simple thing that most overlook.
About Cypress Creek
As I mentioned above this location is not great. It’s hard to tell who this hotel is for other than ‘people on a budget’ generally. If you flew a private jet into this airport, you’re not staying here. If you’re a client of one of the many corporations nearby you’re still not staying here. (A lowly consultant? Maybe. But none of the guests here look the part.) If you have to make a long trip along I-95 you’re still probably not staying here, as it’s so close to the end.
But it’s good enough. There’s plenty of free parking. Most people here are definitely arriving by car and not concerned with the airport. There’s plenty of amenities nearby with a McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Wawa, and Shell Station being the immediate neighbors. There are plenty of strip malls and shopping plazas within a mile of here.
Bottom Line
It’s not bad. Staff seemed pretty friendly. After having stayed previously at the La Quinta Tamarac I would have to give this one a slight edge.
If you’re coming to Florida to cruise, fly or enjoy the beach I would try your luck on Expedia before booking here. But if you’re trying to keep it around a hundred and prices are up in the area La Quinta Cypress Creek is a decent choice.
