When it comes to luxury, The Pillars at New River Sound in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is a stunning 22-room gem located on the prestigious Intracoastal Waterway, where I felt like I was a guest at a secret beach oasis of a dear friend where pampering is second nature to the attentive staff.

The minute that I entered the hotel and saw the leopard print carpet on the curved stairway, the inviting table in the foyer with multi-tier silver candy basket laden with sweets, and the warm and welcoming greeting at the reception desk, I knew that this was going to be a wonderful experience.

The Pillars at New River Sound View From The Intracoastal

It was late March 2009, sunny and a pleasant 76 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius), a soft breeze caressed the palm trees creating that unique musical sound unlike any other - perfection. The gardens of the hotel were laden with lush plantings of richly vibrant tropical flowers, hibiscus, bougainvillea, and orchids, inviting rattan chaise lounges with creamy cushions and blue and celadon pillows, and fluffy white and celadon towels created intimate and welcoming spots to relax, as did the ivory tent, however it was the chaise lounges on the dock that beckoned to Edward and I like sirens calling sailors, to come and relax. Reclining, sipping a glass of ice-cold lemon water, and idly watching the yachts cruising by, tension ebbed away with each breath that I took, replaced by a most pleasant lethargy.

Debra Relaxing

Revitalized from my dockside nap, I was ready to explore the rest of the hotel, namely the attractive heated kidney shaped swimming pool. Slipping into my bathing suit I eased my way into the water and enjoyed a brisk swim and emerged feeling refreshed.

The Pool

We stayed in the Intracoastal Suite, a gorgeous corner suite where we had views of the water, the gardens, and the pool. White plantation shutters graced the three walls of windows dressed with cream and burgundy striped valances, in the sitting area there was a large mirror, sensual beige crushed velvet sofa with decorative pillows and a matching chair flanked by a rattan coffee table with a gorgeous orchid plant and a selection of magazines, a round table placed in the corner with a tall table lamp flanked by two chairs, and a large plant in a basket was placed next to the HD flat screen television with DVD/CD/MP3 set on a wood table in the opposite corner.

The bedroom area featured a king plantation bed dressed with luxurious Frette linens, feather bed and duvet, multiple pillows, a yellow coverlet with colorful palm tree print placed at the end of the bed, and decorative celadon and terra cotta silk pillows. Botanical prints graced the yellow walls accented with wide white crown molding, and large nightstands with tall lamps held an alarm clock with built-in CD player.

Intracoastal Suite

The spacious marble bathroom featured a whirlpool tub with two types of showerheads, large mirror over the pedestal sink, amenities included an assortment of Moulton Brown, Frette towels, hairdryer, and adjustable vanity mirror.

A large desk and chair provided a perfect working area with in-room complimentary high speed Internet, and other room amenities included a wet bar with sink, refrigerator, microwave, TEAC radio/cassette/5-CD changer, and the closet featured a safe, mini-bar, iron and ironing board, and comfortable robes.

The comfortable library and drawing room featured a vast selection of books and DVDs to borrow, an inviting terrace cotta sofa flanked by two gold chairs and a round table in the corner lined with a selection of newspapers was a cozy place to read, an attractive orchid plant graced a table set with a chess board where Edward and I enjoyed a game or two during our stay, and there was even a harp, which we could not resist from playing. If you have never played a harp, it is really very interesting as it takes more effort to play than we had thought. Although we were finally able to create sounds, rest assured, we will not be playing on the concert circuit anytime in the future.

The Secret Garden

We had an excellent dinner at their restaurant, The Secret Garden, where we ate on the dock at an ivory linen draped table accessorized with a vase of pink and white striped lilies, with a dramatic sunset providing the perfect complement to Chef G's exciting menu. The chef changes many items on the menu daily depending on the freshest ingredients he finds at the fish and produce market, and during our stay we dined on Prosciutto Wrapped Sea Scallops, Smoked Baby Clam Chowder, Duck Breast au Poivre, Mediterranean Style Swordfish, Pavlova with Lemon Sabayon and Fresh Berries, and Chocolate Flourless Cake.

Dramatic Fort Lauderdale Sunset

The Pillars at New River Sound has its own Water Taxi stop and we found it so convenient to board dockside and explore the many miles of the Intracoastal Waterway where we had the opportunity to see the Fort Lauderdale skyline, historic homes as well as new multi-million dollar homes that dot the water, and many mega-yachts.

Water Taxi

We walked to the Fort Lauderdale Beach, which took us less than 2 minutes, and idly strolled the long stretch of palm tree lined sandy beach, and also found that the hotel's location to be very convenient to many of the attractions that we wanted to visit.

Fort Lauderdale Beach

When it comes to service, privacy, and luxury, The Pillars at New River Sound really stands out. The hotel is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) whose slogan is Experience Another World, and indeed we felt as if we had.

Read other articles on The Pillars at New River Sound in the Destinations and Restaurants sections, as well as Chef Recipes, where Chef G shares his delicious recipe for Butternut Squash with Star Anise, Ginger, and Lump Crabmeat Soup.

The Pillars at New River Sound
111 North Birch Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Telephone:    +1 954-467-9639
Email:             This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.PillarsHotel.com 

Read other articles on Fort Lauderdale in the Destinations, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, and Adventures sections.

For more information on Fort Lauderdale and upcoming events, please visit The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau website: www.Sunny.org or call 1-800-22-SUNNY.

© April 2009. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.