Edit, May 7, 2026 - After responding to a text from the resort for a review of our stay, and having…read morevoiced my concerns as I stated below, I was contacted once again by the resort and advised they would be refunding me for the beach gear charges I had complained about below. Not every resort, in fact few if any, would do this. This, to me, speaks volumes of the resort's management, and their willingness to address concerns. I had moved on, but I was surprised, and very pleased and grateful that they followed through on this.
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Sorry for the long review post, but if you're planning on staying here, I urge you to read until the end. My wife and I are local to the Ft Lauderdale area, and wanting to spend a couple of days at a resort by the beach, we were drawn to Lago Mar. The prices seemed reasonable, having free parking and no resort fee, so on the surface, it was already a cut above any worthwhile resort you'll find along the Southeast Fl coast. It's not until you check in that you discover that they do not allow personal beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, drinks, nor food in the common areas, pool, and beach. Naturally, if you want protection from the sun, you'll need to opt to rent the umbrella and chairs, which will run you $32, and $10-15 each for the chairs. You will also be socked with a 20% "service charge". Total $66. So much for no resort fee!
Now, our stay was marred by poor weather. On the full day we were going to be there, the weather appeared to be clearing, and even the weather service said as much. So, forgetting about the food/drinks/cooler part, which didn't matter much to me, I opted to rent the umbrella and chairs, despite having brought our own. But after one hour of use, we had to abandon the beach due to the relentless rain!
Now, I know and understand that the resort cannot, and should not, be responsible for the weather turning bad, but I decided to call the front desk to see if they could make an accommodation in this case. I was told that the beach equipment is handled by a 3rd party, and I could try and talk to them. So down I went, only to discover they had left early for the day. So, I contacted the front desk again, only to be, what felt like, chided for trying to see if the resort could make another accommodation, like a food credit for breakfast credit, or something. Nothing of the sort. It seemed like I got my hand slapped!!!
Now, to be fair, the resort as a whole, including our room, was clean, spotless, and comfortable. The staff is more than friendly. Based on these elements alone, their high rating is warranted. But there are other things, that unfortunately, are not discoverable until you actually stay there. For this reason, I'm rating them a 3/5, and will likely not be staying there again.