Having just returned from a tropical excursion to Curaçao earlier in the month, I was ready for yet another opportunity for some R&R. This time, instead of the Caribbean’s promise of an island paradise, I made my way back to The States to the white-sand coastline of South Florida—Fort Lauderdale, to be exact.
The crystal clear water of the idyllic Fort Lauderdale Beach is a sight to behold, and the award-winning W Fort Lauderdale acts as a perfect luxurious complement to your beachy escape. Nestled on a beachfront location along 315 feet of the coastline, the lavish hotel is within walking distance of the beach, must-try restaurants, and Fort Lauderdale’s bustling nightlife and social scene.
But even if you rarely want to leave the property, from the 24/7 Whatever Whenever room service to the access to a WET Deck that entices you to lounge near the pool and a wealth of curated experiences, the W Fort Lauderdale comes equipped with amenities galore that ensure guests have everything they need in one place. It was undoubtedly the perfect place for me to kick back, relax, and unwind.
Courtesy
The Rooms
The W Signature bed in one of the W Fort Lauderdale's king rooms.
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
The attention to detail can be felt in the chic design of the hotel, with inspiration drawn from the very ocean the property boasts sweeping waterfront views within each and every one of the 447 rooms. Speaking of the rooms, similar to the nautical-inspired decor sprinkled throughout the hotel through intentionally placed surfboards or even looped light fixtures, the subtly gets turned up a notch decor-wise with bold choices like a blue carpet reminiscent of the ocean floor.
Each room also has blue ombre curtains that frame the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom and the bathroom. With an expansive walk-in shower and a soaking bathtub, the destressing elements the bathroom provided helped me fall for the sanctuary of my hotel room even more.
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
The private balcony where you can opt to have breakfast, answer emails, or even just revel in the views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal waterway also doesn’t hurt.
The theme of luxurious indulgence is further accentuated through thoughtful touches like terry cloth spa robes, and Comfort Zone amenities, and I’d be remiss not to note the slice of heaven that are the W Signature Beds (and let me just say, they are as tempting as they are inviting).
Luxury Essentials Cart
Courtesy
The hotel is all about finding luxury in the mundane and reminding yourself that luxury is something we all can have at our fingertips. The team at W Fort Lauderdale also recently unveiled their Luxury Essentials cart. The guest-centric offering is available upon request and allows guests to have access to the finer things in life through on-loan designer and high-end items.
The specially-curated cart emphasizes “taking care of the little things,” and features items like sunglasses, purses, fragrances, fashion tape, hair styling tools, and more from designers like Tom Ford, Gucci, and Christian Dior, to name a few.
Courtesy
Dining
The Living Room in the W Fort Lauderdale
Courtesy
Fort Lauderdale might be a lowkey foodie destination, but the W Fort Lauderdale hosts a plethora of dining options without even having to leave the property. With its sleek feng shui design, specialty cocktails, and delicious finger food, the Living Room gives the lobby area a major upgrade. Take the vibes a step further by soaking in the immaculate oceanfront views on the Living Room Terrace.
The W Fort Lauderdale Living Room Terrace
Courtesy
For a more sit-down dining option, the hotel has El Vez, Steak 954, and SoBe Vegan. El Vez and Steak 954 are two restaurants helmed by Stephen Starr, an award-winning restauranteur, and provide very different vibes while packing tons of flair and flavor.
The dining area at Steak 954
Courtesy
As its name suggests, El Vez is a restaurant that, in addition to serving incredible Mexican cuisine and craft cocktails, also treats guests to an ambiance featuring incredible oceanfront views. Steak 954 is giving elevated surf and turf with a focus on seafood that is freshly caught and, of course, steaks. Such expertly curated menu selections are complemented perfectly with cocktails as well as fine wines and a stunning visual of the restaurant's 15-foot aquarium, which is home to over 100 jellyfish.
The colorful and vibrant interior of SoBe Vegan's Fort Lauderdale location.
Courtesy
SoBe Vegan is a fast-casual vegan spot that gives boldness, big color, and big flavor when it comes to its fun vibey decor and menu offerings. The restaurant keeps it all plant-based but isn't afraid to experiment with a variety of vegan takes on popular foods like burgers, sausages, jackfruit tacos, pancakes, milkshakes, and more.
You can also take your time heading out for the day or get your midnight snack on after a night out, thanks to their 24/7 Whatever Whenever room service that has beverages, food options, and even a specially curated late-night menu for after hours.
Jackfruit tacos at SoBe Vegan
Courtesy
WET Deck
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Just a flight of stairs away from the Living Room is the hotel's WET Deck, where shoes are optional, and bathing suits are a must. The rooftop pool sizzles just as much as it sparkles. Features like black and white tiled decks and the pool's transparent walls make for an Insta-worthy time whether you decide to lounge in a day bed underneath some much-welcomed shade, sunbathe in lounge chairs directly underneath the sun's rays, or get your feet wet and take a refreshing dip in the water.
What's even better is that guests can also enjoy colorful cocktails and treat their taste buds to light bites at the poolside bar. You'll never want to leave.
AWAY Spa
The pedicure station in the AWAY Spa
Courtesy
One thing about me, I'm going to book the massage, and the AWAY Spa perfectly encapsulates its mission to "detox, retox, and repeat." Pamper yourself with signature massage and facial treatments. From Detox Treatments and Prescription Facials to 50- or 80-minute full-body massages, there is something on the spa treatment menu for everyone.
The colorful and vibrant touches of the W Fort Lauderdale can be seen boldly throughout the spa, which still manages to be a tranquil oasis.
The interior of the AWAY Spa in the W Fort Lauderdale
Courtesy
The outside terrace at the AWAY Spa
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Courtesy
Guests can shower before slipping into their robes and sitting in the waiting area or on the patio, where you can take in picturesque views and have a beverage before heading into their massages. The AWAY Spa has a full beauty menu that includes hair, makeup, and nail services. Everything you need, the AWAY Spa has thought of it.
Additional Perks
As a dog mom who likes to find excuses to take her dog anywhere with me, the fact that the W Fort Lauderdale is dog-friendly really stood out to me. And since elevation is the name of the game for the hotel, dogs are welcome to have their own “treat yourself” moment. In addition to hotel rooms, dogs are permitted in the Living Room and the Living Room terrace, as well as on the patios of the on-site restaurants, Steak 954 and El Vez, respectively. During their stay, dogs are provided with a doggie bed, food and water bowls, and a doggie menu that is specially curated, to name a few.
In true bright and bold fashion, the property also provides courtesy white and pink cruiser bicycles for guests to use to exercise or explore Fort Lauderdale staples like the art galleries, shopping, and dining options of Las Olas. You could also tap into working on your fitness through the 24-hour FIT gym as well as morning workout classes. Information on both experiences can be found here.
All in all, I love the way the W Fort Lauderdale served as a reminder that you don't have to go far to get your fill of a beach escape within a tranquil oasis. Luxury could be found in each and every detail, and I can't wait to return and experience it all over again.
W Fort Lauderdale
401 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Book at (954) 414-8200 or www.wfortlauderdale.com.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
RELATED
Ding. Ding. DING.
A life coach by the name of Thomas Leonard once said that “Clarity affords focus” and, believe you me, when it comes to dealing with other human beings, if you don’t get clear on where you stand when it comes to your interactions with them, you can very easily find yourself “focusing too much” on those who don’t deserve it and too little on those who absolutely do. And y’all, this lil’ PSA couldn’t be more relevant than when it comes to what I call “casual friendships.”
Let’s dig — and for some of us, dig our way out of — what it means to have a casual friend, so that you can get clear on if you really need those in your life…and if so…why?
Article continues after the video.
It Can’t Be Said Enough: Always Remember What “Casual” Means
GiphyThere’s a reason why I decided to share two videos by mental health coach Isaiah Frizzle at the top and bottom of this article. It’s because a lot of what he shares in both of them complements a piece that I wrote for the platform last year entitled, “This Is Just What Purposeful Relationships Look Like.”
It’s the author M. Scott Peck who once said, “Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it” and please believe that the older (and hopefully more mature) you get, the more you tend to see just how valuable — and fleeting — time is; and that is what plays a huge role in motivating you want to only involve yourself with people, places, things and ideas that will honor your time — and when something is casual? In my opinion, it’s highly debatable that it’s worth much of your months, days, hours, or even too many of your minutes.
The main reason why is addressed in an article that I wrote back in the day entitled, “We Should Really Rethink The Term 'Casual Sex.'” The gist? When it comes to relationships, “casual” is certainly not a favorite word of mine because I know what it means. Have mercy — why would you want to invest your time, energy, and emotions into something that is, by definition, apathetic, indifferent, careless, lacking emotional intimacy, and/or is without purpose?
I don’t know about y’all but that sounds like a complete and total crap shoot to me — especially if you are going to go so far as to consider this type of dynamic a true friendship (check out “Ever Wonder If A Friend Is Just...Not That Into You?,” “6 Signs You're About To Make A Huge Mistake In Making Them A Close Friend,” “5 Signs Of A Toxic Friendship That Is Secretly Poisoning Your Life,” “12 Friend Facts That Might Cause You To Rethink (Some Of) Your Own,” and “Less & Less Of Us Have Close Friends These Days. Why Is That?” ).
To me, when you decide to call someone “friend,” it means that they are loyal, reliable, consistent, trustworthy and willing to be there to support you to the very best of their ability — even if it’s inconvenient to do so sometimes (check out “Life Taught Me That True Friendships Are 'Inconvenient'”). How in the world can you expect that from something that has the word “casual” in it?
And you know what? That actually segues into my next point about casual friendships pretty darn well.
Ponder the Purpose “Casual Friends” Serve in Your Life
GiphyA couple of years ago, Verywell Mind published an article entitled, “How the 4 Types of Friendship Fit Into Your Life.” The four that it listed were acquaintances (which I actually don’t consider to be friends; check out “6 Differences Between A Close Acquaintance And An Actual Friend”), casual friends, close friends, and lifelong friends. After reading the piece, I think they consider casual friends to be the “pleasure” friends that I mentioned in the article, “According To Aristotle, We Need ‘Utility’, ‘Pleasure’ & ‘Good’ Friends.”
And although I certainly get that, I think my “cause for pause” is calling those people “friends” when they probably should be called something like an associate or possibly even a buddy instead. Why do I feel this way? Well, I’ve shared in other articles that I think social media has jacked up vocabulary words and their true meaning on a billion different levels.
Take “friend,” for example. Facebook had us out here calling everyone we connected to on their platform “friends” when some of them, we’ve never even spoken to before — and I personally think that influenced, affected and perhaps even infected our psyche to the point where we will call folks, both online and off, “friend” even when they haven’t earned it and/or who possibly don’t deserve it.
That said, do I think that we all could use lighthearted interactions that don’t go very deep and are filled with not much more than fun? Sure. However, if we were to move this over into a sexual thing — those types of people would probably be called a sneaky link, and there is nothing significant or substantial about ‘em. In fact, if anything pretty much automatically comes with an expiration date, sneaky links would have to be it.
And that’s kind of the point that I’m trying to make about a casual friend — so long as you know that the word “casual” is being used to describe them, while you may enjoy the people who fit that bill, they aren’t really anything that you can or even should fully rely on. Instead, take them for what they are and don’t really expect much more than that. Otherwise, you could be in for some profound levels of disappointment. And who wants that?
Final point.
How a Casual Friend Can Become a Huge Red Flag
GiphyI’m telling you, y’all gonna quit clowning Tubi. LOL. To me, the best way to describe it is it’s the Cricket of current streaming apps. What I mean by that is, back when Cricket (the cell phone service) first came out, people, like me, who used it service got incessantly clowned because it was seen as a bootleg provider. Now it’s owned by AT&T, and as someone who has rocked with them since I was in my 20s, I don’t have one regret for doing so. Cricket has always been good to me, chile.
And Tubi? Well, when you get a chance, check out CNBC’s article, “CEO at 33, Tubi’s Anjali Sud on success hacks she learned at Amazon, IAC on way to top of Fox streaming” — take note of the moves the streaming app is making and the quality of programming that is transpiring in real time.
Anyway, I find myself bringing up Tubi more and more in my content because it helps to amplify some of the points that I like to make. This time, it’s a movie that’s (currently) on there calledRight Man, Wrong Woman. If you haven’t seen it before, I don’t want to give too much of the film away. What I will say is that the main female character, she had a casual friend and then she had a close friend.
That casual friend—the one who liked to kick it all of the time—was a lot of fun; however, dealing with her came with a ton of semi-unforeseen consequences. Meanwhile, the close friend? She’s what the Aristotle article (that I mentioned earlier) would call the “good friend” because she tried her best to hold her friend accountable.
And really, it shouldn’t be a shock that the casual friend turned out to be a plum trip because if someone is loads of entertainment and pleasure and yet they are indifferent towards you, they make careless decisions around you and/or they don’t really make known the purpose for you being in their life other than to pass some time — where really do you and that person have to go past drinks after work or dinner on a rooftop restaurant from time to time? And if that is all that the two of you are doing, again, why are they deserving of the word “friend”?
Hmph and don’t get me started on the lack of reciprocity that typically transpires when it comes to dealing with people like this because, while they won’t mind you spending your coins on them, taking their calls in the middle of the night or listening to all of their issues — when it comes time for them to show up for you, they very well may gaslight you into thinking that you are being dramatic, clingy or “doing the most.” Why? Well, it’s mostly because the two of you never really established what the hell the both of you are to one another.
And so, while you’re somewhere taking them seriously, they are out here seeing you casually, and as much as it might hurt to hear, that doesn’t automatically or necessarily make them a bad person. You shouldn’t expect much where no clarity is involved. After all, casual is just that: CASUAL.
____
I’m hoping that you can now see why I entitled this piece in the way that I did. It’s because a red flag is pretty much a warning, and to me, a casual friend is about as big of an oxymoron (again, to me) as casual sex is. Friends and sex are both too intimate to be seen or treated casually. Oh, but if you step out and take that risk, you could find yourself getting far more involved than the other individual ever wanted to go, because casual is how things have always been. “Friend” was simply to get you more mentally and emotionally invested. SMDH.
American columnist Walter Winchell once said, “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” A wise person once said, “One good friendship will outlive forty average loves." Former President Ulysses S. Grant once said, “The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity.” Does any of this sound casual to you? Yeah, me neither.
Again, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have people in your life who aren’t on deep levels. I’m just saying that you might want to consider putting them into another category than friend, because what friends do for people? There ain’t nothin’ even remotely casual about it, sis. Not even a lil’ bit.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Shutterstock