Sawgrass Mills hacks: Here’s how to holiday shop at the mall that ate west Broward

Everybody loves Sawgrass Mills. Unless they hate Sawgrass Mills.

The giant outlet mall is either a bargain hunter’s dream or a nightmare from hell, and your opinion of it may depend on just how badly you need to purchase some discount luggage.

But everybody needs to save money during the holidays, so outlet malls are always an attraction.

If you’re brave enough to take on this behemoth, which is getting a massive facelift next year, here are some tips that might help.

Where to park

Parking at Sawgrass Mills is everybody’s least favorite thing in the world, right up there with using your turn signal and restaurants that sneak the gratuity onto the bill without telling you. But here are some ways to ease the pain:

Use the valet service: Valet parking is available at The Colonnade Outlets between P.F. Changs and Grand Lux Cafe, Seasons 52 and The Orange Garage on weekends. Also available at The Oasis between Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen, between Yard House & Johnny Rockets (Fridays,Saturdays and Sundays) and by Regal Cinemas (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).

Take a bus: GoToSawgrass offers daily round trips from major hotels and local landmarks. Tickets are $15 and include a coupon book with special offers and coupons worth hundreds of dollars. You can also get picked up or dropped off to and from Port Everglades, Port Miami or Miami International Airport. 305-988-6113 or GoToSawgrass.com

Know your way around

Study this map - which you can zoom in and out of - like your life depends on it. (It may.)

Go early or late

Sawgrass can still be crowded early, but trust us, it only gets worse as the day goes on - unless you show up at 10 p.m. on one of the days it’s open until 11 p.m. Check holiday mall hours online before you leave home.

Bargain shop before you get there

Go to the Deals section of the mall’s website in case there is something fabulous on sale.

Don’t forget to eat

It will prevent a descent into hanger, plus it will help you kill time if you get lost. You can grab a beer at one of the mall’s many restaurants while the search party seeks you out.

This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 4:30 PM.