May 21: W...OW!

That was my major reaction when I left Fort Lauderdale's brand new W Fort Lauderdale hotel this weekend. "Wow." I really was impressed. So I'm going to do two blogs about this important new addition to our area's growing list of high-end lodging options. I don't use that word lightly when it comes to hotels, by the way. "Impressed." I'm often not. For those who may be new to my blogs, just a bit of background: I'm a national travel writer and I've stayed in some of the finest hotels in the world. Perhaps as a result, I sometimes find that even the best known places leave something to be desired from my perspective. Well, I haven't had the chance to stay at a W yet. And this was my first time inside one of the chain's properties. But I can honestly say that, yes, so far I felt distinctly impressed.

The W joins such hotels as The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, the Atlantic Hotel and the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort for upscale accommodation choices in Fort Lauderdale. But the W brings something new to our town - an ultra-hip ambience. There's nothing else like it. And I must say that, for all my previous hotel experience, I've never been inside another property that resembles this one.

And that includes some famous South Beach hotels where I've been a visitor or guest over the years. When my girlfriend, Gwendolyn, and I arrived at Fort Lauderdale's W on Sunday afternoon, we were immediately taken with the entrance. A tranquil fountain in the Asian style was set among arrangements of orchids in tall, striking modern vases. We wandered over to the new restaurant, Steak 954, operated by Stephen Starr of New York's Buddakan. We checked out the pleasant restaurant bar, then glanced into the dining room. That was when we had our first wow moment. Because there's a 2,000 gallon jellyfish aquarium illuminated by black lights. "Those must be holograms," I said to Gwendolyn. "Look at the way they're all moving in a circle and spread out perfectly. It's like a design." But I was wrong. They're real jellyfish, given an otherworldly glow by the black lights. Don't ask me why they swim in circles. It's really amazing and all by itself worth a stop at the W. But there's a lot more inside this very cool, very chic hotel. Including a lobby bar that stocks authentic French absinthe. I tried that for the first time on Sunday too and I'll tell you more about it and the W later this week. Let's just say that both of them left me with a very nice buzz.