The month of March is the best time to plan a trip from Buffalo to Fort Lauderdale, FL. If you're looking for a relaxing and affordable beach vacation (even just a long weekend away), this is the place to go!
Get there cheap! -- Spirit has some FANTASTIC deals right now ($54 each way) to a wide selection of March dates. These are all direct flights. If you're willing to pack super light on a no-frills airline, and are willing to fly at crazy times to save a few hundred dollars (for a family of 3+), this definitely the way to go!
Ground Transportation: Renting a car is silly. Simply get a taxi or Lyft (Uber doesn't pick up at the FLL airport, and the airport shuttles are more expensive than a taxi). A taxi ride from the airport to your hotel will cost you approx. $35 each way for your entire family. Once you get to the hotel, everything is pretty much in easy walking distance.
Where to stay -- I found a great, beachfront hotel with a pool for $210/night on Expedia. This may seem a little pricey, but if hanging by the beach and pool is the sole source of your entertainment, the price is absolutely worth it! Check out the Plunge Beach Hotel on El Mar Dr, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL. It is right on the ocean, has 2 beautiful pools, on-site beach bar, and rooms that are modern and clean.
Convenient Things Nearby -- There's a bike rental place around the block. If you walk 9 minutes, you'll find some fantastic places that will help you save some money. Here are things located in the same shopping plaza a short walk away:
--> Publix Supermarket -- Buy some PB&J with bread, bagels & cream cheese, goldfish crackers (...or whatever your kids eat) and you'll have on-hand breakfast, lunch and snacks right in your room! You could even buy some cans of beer. Why not, right? I also recommend buying a handful of water bottles that you can refill in the hotel bathroom for the length of your trip.
---> Village Liquors -- If your kids are anything like mine, you'll need to make some mixed drinks or have a bottle of wine handy. Hotels usually have an ice machine, too.
---> Dollar Tree -- This is essential, because I'm all about buying cheap crap when you get there, instead of having to pay baggage fees. For example, these are some things I'd buy there and just throw away before I got on the plane. Travel coffee mugs for "coffee" (or margaraita on the rocks, from your room) poolside or on the beach. You may even find a cheap, styrofoam cooler that you can fill with ice when you get to your room, and take out on the beach with you.
---> CVS Pharmacy -- Don't pack sunscreen or ANY travel-size toiletries when you can just buy them when you get there. Again, if you buy the travel sizes, you won't be hauling them home with you, either. The hotel will provide shampoo, conditioner and soap. But you can buy the other things you want in tiny sizes here (instead of paying baggage fees to ship them there).
---> Subway Restaurant -- Cheaper, healthier fast food is always great to have nearby!
---> Jasmine Garden Chinese food restaurant -- If you're into Chinese takeout, this is a cheap dinner option.
---> Dunkin' Donuts -- If you're not crazy about the hotel's coffee, or want another breakfast option, this is also in the same plaza as all of the places above.
Beach Chairs: The nice ones you'll find ready and waiting on the beach are usually there for a fee, and someone will come around and charge you (appox. $25/day) to enjoy each chair. The easy solution is just to buy a couple of cheap ones from CVS and "forget" them in your room when you leave. Or, just go without a chair and enjoy sitting in the ones by the pool.
Dining Out -- If you walk 7 minutes south, there a bunch of nice (beachy) restaurants right down the street from the hotel! Most of them don't have kids' menus, but they can spit an entree. (My son usually only wants a side order of french fries anyway.)
