B Ocean in Fort Lauderdale

B Ocean in Fort Lauderdale

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The new B Ocean on North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard was my home base for a weekend on the Atlantic shore. Besides being a boutique property with a hip, neon-lit lobby and wavy wall designs, it’s cornered by a stretch of the ocean and acres of greenery that compose Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. Being located on the north end of the boulevard has its advantages: It’s close enough to the hub of beach bars and shops, yet far enough away for privacy. After walking the famous Fort Lauderdale strip at sunrise, I took a bicycle ride through the state park, which connects to the beach via a tunnel. Instead of exploring by car, I opted to tour the city by boat. A Water Taxi stop is just a few blocks from B Ocean. Also around the corner from the hotel is the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, a 1920 historic home, where a docent-led tour provided me with the area’s history (In 1896, Hugh Birch, a Chicago attorney, bought three miles of what is now beachfront Fort Lauderdale; the Bonnet House land was given to his daughter as a wedding gift.).

But staying on property — all rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows that face the Atlantic — meant indulging in mixologist Kaine Owens’ Oh My Cosmo (Hangar One Mandarin Blossom vodka with a flaming caramelized orange peel) and chef Subin Chenkosorn's tempura-fried Ocean Blue Roll with eel and Boursin cheese at SAIA, the on-premise Asian restaurant. 

Tags: B Ocean | Bonnet House | fort lauderdale | SAIA | Water Taxi