If, like me, you've been put off visiting Fort Lauderdale because of its reputation for hosting the drunken American student bacchanal known as Spring Break, then think again. The Florida beach resort, which is 45 minutes north of Miami and about four hours south of Orlando, is well on the way to transforming itself from a traditional motel-based sunshine strip into something more glamorous and sophisticated.

The party town's old reputation as Fort Liquordale was well deserved. The resort was actually the birthplace of Spring Break, and shot to prominence in the 1960s, when it was featured in the film Where The Boys Are, starring Connie Francis and George Hamilton. But what began as a light-hearted party burgeoned and the marauding students eventually began to put off holidaymakers.

So, how do you get rid of Spring Break? Simply demolish most of the family-owned, low-cost motels that jostled for position along the cluttered seafront and replace them with sleek four- and five-star resorts. And that is exactly what's going on.

The first phase of the bulldozing is complete, and in place of the mom and pop-owned establishments three new hotels have shot up and are open for business. There's the boutique-ish Atlantic, the stark (but not Starke, sadly) Hilton Resort and the luxe St Regis. Between the three towers lie two vast building sites that will next year become a W Hotel and a resort by Donald Trump. The city has capped all new buildings at 26 storeys, which might sound small in America, but to me they all looked huge.

As if to ram home the point that bigger must equal better, the chain hotels are falling over themselves to lure customers with additional flourishes and touches. The Hilton, in which I stayed, had a sheaf of concierge extras – including a menu of bath-running butler services, complete with essential oils, flowers and candles. Which sounded great in theory, but I wasn't tempted to fritter my shopping budget before I'd even hit the mall, despite the strong pound.

The face-lift isn't quite over yet, either. There is more high-rise construction on the way. Just last week, the mayor changed his mind about a previously-rejected application – tweaking the plans down from 20 to 18 storeys and added his rubber-stamp to The Orion Resort. Which means yet more flashy accommodation is on its way.

Room rates at the new hotels start at £90, which is a significant increase from the £30-per-night motel prices. But for that you get sprawling rooms with sea views, feather-topped mattresses and palm-fringed pool decks with waiters cruising for your drink order and your tips. The comfort and luxury of it all is a giddy treat on arrival, but as the novelty faded I found myself off in search of character and charm.

A walk south along the seafront from the new hotels reveals glimpses of old-style atmosphere (and by old I mean from the 1960s onwards). The throbbing Elbow Room has been packing in drinkers and tourists for decades and the questionable appeal of this overflowing concrete box of a bar appears undiminished.

Avoiding the cacophony of Hooters and Fat Tuesdays, I dined at the Casablanca Café. Large portions of barbecued seafood are delivered by perky young staff in a Moroccan-themed environment. I was told you can usually watch the moon rise over the sea from the outside terrace – but rampant forest fires in southern Florida filled the air with smog for most of my stay and put paid to any moon watching, or even sunbathing.

Referred to as the Venice of America because of its intricate canal system, Fort Lauderdale has more waterways than roads. A cheap water taxi ride takes you downtown from the beach and lets you spy on the sprawling millionaires' yachts and mansions en route. And when you step off the boat, there's shopping, eating and drinking all the way to the horizon in each direction on Las Olas Boulevard.

The food at Johnny V lived up to the promise made by the restaurant's stylish décor, but the menu item I remember best from my trip was the 13 eggs and chips on offer over the road at The Floridian diner. The waitress cackled when she spotted me eyeing it on the menu and assured me that nobody has ordered it in recent times. Worries about cholesterol perhaps? How do you even get 13 eggs on a plate, I wondered – but decided ordering it for fun might be a bad idea and had a classic cheeseburger instead.

At the far end of Las Olas, the touring company of Disney's The Lion King was playing to packed houses at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. I hadn't expected to find a full-scale Broadway production lighting up this laid-back city by the sea, but I discovered that Fort Lauderdale is a fixture on most national theatre tours.

The smoke from the forest fires lingered in the air for days, so excursions and shopping became the focus for the remainder of my trip. The offshore coral reef made for busy snorkelling (Pro Dive International), and with a rental car, you can be in the thick of the Everglades within half an hour. An airboat ride is an exhilarating way to explore the marshlands - you skim across the surface of the water while trying to understand the muffled commentary through earplugs – which you have to wear to combat the racket made by the engine (think Cessna at take off).

On the way back to Fort Lauderdale, I stopped at the gargantuan Sawgrass Mills. America loves its claim-to-fame labels, and this one is a goody – the world's largest outlet mall. Which sounds impressive, but it goes hand in hand with the world's sorest feet after a few hours of bargain hunting. There are big names here like Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, Gap and Nike. So, arm yourself with a mall map, plan your route over the obligatory caffeine fix, and don't let yourself get distracted.

The changing face of Fort Lauderdale is a work in progress – but from what I saw of it, it's a leap in the right direction. The upscale resorts offer luxury at a fraction of what it costs in Europe – with the added benefit of Florida's can-do attitude and service culture.

NEED TO KNOW

Dave Coombs travelled with Virgin Holidays (0871 222 1232). Seven nights at the 4V Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort with transfers from Miami costs from £799 per adult, £319 for under 12s (for departures between June 1 and December 31, 2007)

For information on Greater Fort Lauderdale, visit www.sunny.org or call 0870 770 0710 to request a visitor pack

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