Florida Beach-hopping: Siesta Key, Sanibel, Ft. Myers, Naples, Marco Island
 

I've waited till last minute to book a trip in less than two weeks which leaves Florida as the most affordable flights. I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore some of the beaches that I've considered visiting through the years...

Siesta Key/Longboat Key
Gasparilla Island
Sanibel
Ft Myers
Naples
Marco Island

The flight is into Punta Gorda. I've never been there... Is it small? Easy to get around?
I thought we'd fly in and get to Siesta Key that afternoon and stay there 4 nights and then on down to Naples for the other 3 nights with day trips to the other beaches.

Any suggestions on places to stay (great last minute deal ideas) or if there may be a better plan? :)

Maybe somewhere neat to eat in each of those places or something worth seeing to get a real vibe of that particular area?

What about heat? Is the beach tolerable even though it's August?

We did a Pompano down to Key West roadtrip a few summers ago and survived.

I welcome any advice. I'd like to book tonight and tomorrow.
Fodors forums have always given my vacations an extra 50% of fun and savings. :)

Punts Gorda is so small I didn't even know it had an airport! That doesn't mean that it is small or quaint. It is just small to have an airport.

I will be extremely interested to hear your reports on these places. I have a lot of opinions on all of them.

SW Florida is blessed with a good breeze in the summer. The thunderclouds build up all afternoon and bring a tropical rain sometime between 4 and 7. These two things make it bearable.

Again, write a trip report when you get back, please!

We have enjoyed the River City Grill in Punta Gorda

I have a cousin who lives at Englewood Beach and they fly into Punta Gorda from Ohio. The airport is tiny! But that's great in my book.

Beaches are best in August in the morning in my book. The earlier the better. Use the afternoons to hit air conditioned shopping.

What's your budget? I'm from Naples, but hesitate to suggest anything without knowing what you're looking for. Weekends in summer are more expensive at hotels as quite a lot of East coast people come over for the weekend now to experience "Fifth Avenue Naples dining".

Most popular Naples eating spots for super casual is The Dock or River Walk, or Tommy Bahamas on Third Street South. Fifth Avenue is filled with great dining spots and in summer you can pretty much walk along, look at menus and just choose.

Be aware that Naples area itself has 4 o 5 different beaches, all with a very different feel.

My favorites are Clam Pass (especially when the tide is coming in and you can float through the pass, Vanderbilt (accessible/easy parking), and Delnor Wiggins. Plus Barefoot, which is right next to Delnor Wiggins, but you enter from Bonita Beach.

Well, that's true about all those Naples AREA beaches, but in my book the best ones are the ones in Naples itself. Miles of beach that tend to be more "deserted" even though they're in the city, since they are mostly fronted by private homes (but have public access and parking at every street). So much quieter than the ones at Vanderbilt with all the hotels and high rises, and less crowded than the ones at Delnor Wiggins.

Although admittedly "crowded" is a relative term. Last weekend I was at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and was shocked at the wall to wall people and beach umbrellas. I've just never seen anything even remotely like that anywhere in Naples!

Oh great, tiny airport works for me as well. Thanks!

In Naples I've looked at the LaPlaya Beach resort (I've actually seen some of my NYC friends on FB end up down there recently).
In Siesta Key, it will just be the best/and best priced oceanfront available condo I can find for those dates... I know someone who liked Palm Bay's tower but from what I see, the patios aren't great.

We always indulge in expensive dinners a few times each vacation so I welcome those suggestions and then love a good sandwich or popular local dive as well.

If you had to knock out Marco Island, Ft Myers, Sanibel or Gasparilla for time, which would you eliminate?

Budget: We're not particularly restricted but I'd prefer to keep it as low as possible to open up another trip before the year is out. I've had a lot of luck calling hotels within days and negotiating great rates and fodors forums have hooked me up with friends and family connections that have given remarkable discounts. Is August still off-season?
$200ish for something that usually goes $300ish would be ideal.

Thanks for the help!

I'd probably knock out Gasparilla as it's just so darn far to go up and around to get there. Although it would be possible to do that on the day you "transfer" from Siesta Key to Naples.
And while others may disagree, I'd knock out Marco. It might be an OK place to stay -- nice beach at a resort, but there really isn't much there except general residential and a number of mediocre strip shopping centers.

LaPlaya is fine, but I think it may not be greatly reduced for the summer -- it's quite popular with families all summer. And frankly I like Naples better than Vanderbilt, especially if you want lots of really good restaurants near by -- all of Fifth Avenue and Third Street South, for example. On the other hand if you want a beach front hotel, there are really only two options within Naples -- the Beach Club and Edgewater, probably both over the budget.

If you do stay at LaPlaya, have a Grouper Ruben at nearby Buzz's Lighthouse on the bay side. It's a real local "dive", but simply great out on the deck. Yes you can get the Ruben with other fish, but the Grouper version is worth the splurge.

I too would knock out Marco.

I too have enjoyed River City Cafe in Punta Gorda.

I have never been to a bad beach in Naples, from Pelican Bay to the southern end. Vanderbilt Beach is perhaps the most crowded of the ones mentioned but NeoPatrick is correct about it being empty by comparison to the Mid Atlatic and Northeast.

The perfect place in Naples for me today would be a condo in Old Naples within a quick bike ride of the beaches on either side of the pier.

The pier is amazing on a weekend. I have seen everyone from possibly illegal immigrants to actor Chris Cooper, all at the same time,all having a good time.

I like Gasparilla and Boca Grnde, but it is a bit out of your way. Similarly Pine Island, Bokeelia, Matlacha, all of which remind me of Florida in the 1950's.

Flights purchased and car booked... condo hunting next. Thank you for the notes on Marco and Gasparilla and the restaurants. Any condo recommendations at Siesta Key?

Bookmarking.

I love the beach on Marco Island. I also love the beach at Siesta Key. Both lovely white sand and clear water. Food sucks in Marco. We will go there for staycations, but I usually cook the fish we catch. We stay at a spectacular spot: Marriott's Crystal shores.

I love LaPlaya but it is away from a lot. It is beautiful and I love the restaurant and bar.

Punta Gorda has no beach but it is becoming quite the restaurant town with some places getting mention in the New York Times, etc. After getting anhililated by hurricane Charlie 9 years ago it has come into its own.

I live in Fort Myers and I would skip Fort Myers Beach. Kind of tacky, but making improvements. The beaches are bad this year because of run off from Lake Okeechobee. Water is dark.

Gasparilla is a ghost town this time of year. Everyone who lives there is up in Cape Cod, Nantucket and Maine this time of year. Very old preppy money.

In Siesta Key I recommend the condos at Siesta Dunes. I have stayed at several properties on Siesta Key and this was the nicest. In Naples we have stayed at Fifth Avenue Beach Club and had a nice unit that couldn't have been better located between Old Naples and the beach. I'm not sure if you can rent at either of these places for less than a week. Perhaps because it's summer you will be able to. I have been all over Florida and these are my two favorite spots.

Thanks everyone! We are on Vanderbilt beach and thinking of walking for that Grouper Ruben for lunch today. :) Maybe drive to see the 5th ave stuff tonight and do a nicer dinner tomorrow night. I'm not sure if we just just stay around here and do the Turtle Club or Baleen or do something in Naples?

I'd love to do a sunset cruise or something somewhere since the water looks relatively calm (not as much chance of seasickness I hope.) Does anyone know of good options for this? I'm sure any company will be pricey but suspect this hotels recommendation would be even more.

Oh, geanster, let me know if the Grouper Rueben is as good as it has been. I haven't been there for TOO long.

As to the sunset cruise, one that goes from Tin City and out past the pier would be my choice. The Double Sunshine is more open air and casual. The Naples Princess is more "upscale" but mostly inside rather than inside.

But if you like sailing, check out Sweet Liberty which is by the Dock at Crayton Cove. I'm unclear if these days they're only doing charters or if they are doing a nightly sunset cruise.

By the way, yes, I think all those are pricey, but pick up one of the freebie tourist brochures all around town and clip a coupon for a little savings at least.

Regarding the Turtle Club tomorrow night, my experience has been that if you don't have a reservation weeks ahead, you'll be nowhere near the beach unless you go really late -- like after sunset. Frankly I'd go do the sunset cruise downtown and then do something like Campiello or Tommy Bahamas, or SeaSalt, or Barbatella (all outside). All this is assuming the weather is nice and the threat of storms is not imminent!

Hmmm. And another thought. I've heard from people who loved the more "nature" oriented sunset cruise on pontoon boats (as opposed to the "look at the big houses" ones from Tin City) that departs from the place right across from the Pewter Mug. And afterwards there is the delightful Bay House for dinner which is practically next door.

So we loved the beach in Naples. Stayed at Laplaya and really enjoyed it. Buzz Lighthouse was closed for vacation through like September 4th so no grouper reuben for us. lol

We ate lunch at Baleens and dinner The Turtle Club one night...you were right NeoPatrick but this time of year let us make a last-minute reservation for the patio for sunset which I felt really lucky about. A valet guy said they usually have 300-400 reservations a night and that particular night, they only had 100-200.

We watched the sunset from Naples Pier and walked 5th Avenue. Drove towards Tin City but it was getting dark on us. Ended up at the Mercato for a light late appetizer dinner at Bravo - generic but tasty Italian.

Adventure day transferring to Siesta Key had a short stop at Lovers Key where we lucked out with manatees frolicking in the water! Did an hour of shopping at an outlet mall and then Sanibel Island where we walked some beaches, collected a handful of shells and ate at Island Cow. It was okay but wouldn't recommend. Drove on to Captiva Island where I think I'd enjoy returning for a few days. Checked out the beach and ate dessert (delicious coconut cake) at the Bubble Room.

Now we're at Siesta Key and I have to admit, not really charmed by the beach at all. I believe we're on Crescent Beach and wondering if we should spend the day on another beach here? I was hoping someone could suggest... A problem is chairs... wondering if any resort would let us pay for beach access. :)

I'm also interested in spending some time today or tomorrow on Longboat Key and wondering if they have a better beach and the best place to access.

Crescent Beach is so large, flat, lots of run-off areas... eh.

We ate in the Village last night at The Hub (okay food, weak drinks but really fun live steel drum atmosphere) and had ice cream from Big Olaf.

I guess this is sort of a Trip Report but since it will be such a great resource for anyone else planning this trip, I thought I'd include it with my query for Siesta Key/Longboat key beach advice.

Thanks for everything!!

It all sounds great (except for vacation at Buzz's Lighthouse!) Drat!