High Noon Beach Resort

Sixty Years at the Same Front Desk

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has stayed deliberately low-rise while Fort Lauderdale built up around it, and High Noon Beach Resort is part of the reason why: a family-run property on 300 feet of direct Atlantic frontage, its four buildings kept to a few storeys so palms and shade sit between the rooms and the sand rather than a parking structure. The same family has staffed the front desk for sixty years, a tenure that shows in small, hard-to-fake ways — returning guests greeted by name, a resort that has never felt the need to rebrand into a chain.

Why It Works

We loved that High Noon Beach Resort treats direct beachfront as the baseline rather than the upsell: every room sits within steps of 300 feet of private Atlantic frontage, with towels, sand chairs and umbrellas provided rather than rented. The room mix runs from simple hotel rooms to full kitchens in the apartments and suites, and up to The Beach House, a private oceanfront cottage with its own courtyard — a genuinely rare offering for a property this size. Complimentary tennis and a walkable village out front round out a stay that needs no car once guests arrive.

Why This Location

The resort sits on El Mar Drive in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a village that has resisted the high-rise sprawl of its neighbours, with a historic fishing pier and a near-shore coral reef for snorkeling both within walking distance. Because the town faces east, oceanfront balconies catch the sunrise directly. Fort Lauderdale's airport and nightlife are about twenty minutes south, close enough for an evening out, far enough that the village keeps its own quiet character. A short strip of restaurants and cafés sits a few blocks from the resort's door.

Fast Facts

• Prix: €€€ (Premium)

• Vibe: family-run, low-rise, barefoot oceanfront

• Chambres: hotel rooms, efficiency apartments, one- and two-bedroom apartments, Sea Foam suites, and The Beach House, a private oceanfront cottage

• Best For: couples and longer-stay guests wanting direct beach access without a resort-scale property; adult-leaning October through May

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The Beach House, a private oceanfront cottage with its own courtyard

• Dining: no on-site restaurant; a walkable village of restaurants and cafés sits a few blocks away

• Amenities: heated pools, 300 feet of direct beach frontage, complimentary tennis, guest laundry, kitchens in apartments and suites

• Attractions: Anglin's fishing pier and a near-shore coral reef on foot; the village's restaurant strip nearby; Fort Lauderdale about 20 minutes south

A Room for Every Length of Stay

The spread of unit types is wider than the resort's intimate scale suggests: a king-bed hotel room for a short beach weekend, an efficiency apartment with a kitchen for a week, full one- or two-bedroom apartments for a family, and Sea Foam suites with two bathrooms for guests who want more separation. The Beach House sits apart from all of them — a standalone oceanfront cottage with a private courtyard, booked by returning guests well ahead of season.

Beach Access Without a Resort Attached

Three hundred feet of direct Atlantic frontage, with towels, sand chairs and umbrellas supplied rather than rented by the hour, removes the usual friction of a beach day. Heated pools cover the days the ocean runs rough, and complimentary tennis gives the property a genuine activity beyond the water, unusual at this scale. None of it comes wrapped in a resort fee schedule or a mandatory amenity charge.

Before You Book

From October through May the resort leans adult-friendly, with a minimum age of twelve; families with younger children should plan a summer visit, when all ages are welcome. There is no on-site restaurant, so guests should budget a short walk to the village for meals. The Beach House and the Sea Foam suites book out early for snowbird season, so travellers set on either should reserve well ahead.