We are having a late Sat night dinner at Campiello. Is the area of the restaurant nice to walk around at 10:30 when we expect to finish dinner? If not, what would you recommend? How far is fifth avenue by foot? Thanks.

Tommy Bahama will still be open at that hour and Blu Sushi is open late and is a fun place. Season is over, but there still should be some activity.

Fifth Avenue is about 9 blocks away and it is residential in between. ( Third St. South area is around 13th Avenue South.) Avenues run east and west, Streets north and south. Classic grid layout in this part of Naples.

It's a pretty good walk to Fifth, but doable. Or you might find the horse carriage still operating on Third and get them to take you one way to Fifth. There are also some taxis (oddly mostly old rather beat up cars -- so incongrous for Naples) which for just a couple bucks will take you up to Fifth. They hang our for the alcohol impaired looking for a safe ride home.

You can just stroll the Third Street area and "window shop". Quite a number of high end clothing stores and a lot of art galleries to "peek" into.

When is this? Nothing would be nicer after dinner than the short three block stroll to the Naples Pier and out onto it in the moonlight. Not much moonlight this week, however.

Will you have a car? Park underneath the big raised "Plaza" shopping area, enter from Broad Avenue just west of Third Street. It's free and always lots of parking. If you have a car, just drive up to Fifth. After 10:30 there is plenty of free parking in the multi-story garage at the corner of Fourth Avenue South and 8th Street South.

The pier sounds nice. Are there shops there? We won't have a car. We will be there first week in May. We are eating at Balleen the first night to catch the sunset. I guess we could also go into town after dinner that night. We could be there by 9:30. Is fifth Avenue more alive at 9:30 on a weeknight or at 10:30 on Sat. night. Put another way, if we go into town both nights, would you suggest the pier at 10:30 on sat night and 5th ave on Thursday night at 9:30 or the other way around? Thanks again.

The pier is removed from the shops by two blocks. You walk to the beach due West from Campiello to reach it, through a "residential" area. It's a little dark, but safe. You'll be rubbing elbows with fisherman on the pier at night. Again, it's nicest if the moon is out. But a stroll on the moonlit beach after dinner at Balleen's might overshadow the entire pier by moonlight thing anyway, to be honest.

When are you coming? Thursdays on Fifth, which is the second Thursday of each month is the busiest night for Fifth, with musicians on the sidewalks, etc. Otherwise Thursdays are still pretty busy, other weekdays much less so. I'd say Sat at 10:30 isn't really much busier than Thurs. or Fri. at 9:30, although the 20's set starts coming out around 11. I probably wouldn't make a trip downtown just to stroll Fifth on another week night, if in fact at all after dinner at Balleen's.

Just so you know. Taxis aren't cheap or plentiful here. Have you considered a car? They are cheap to rent, and parking is free in downtown Naples. If you end up going anywhere once a day, you will spend a lot more on taxis than you will just renting a car. I'm not sure what parking costs at your hotel. Are you staying at LaPlaya? I personally can't imagine coming to Naples without a car.

oops. Now I'm getting confused. I see I responded to a post of yours about walking from the ritz to Baleen. Now I see another where you say you're staying at the Ritz Golfing Resort. That's NOT walking distance from anything.

I really think you need to work on this car idea. My guess is a taxi from the Ritz Golfing Resort to Baleen and back will equal the cost of two days car rental!

We are only coming for three nights staying at ritz golf resort the first weekend in May. We will only be going out two nights and if one is at Baleen, we can take ritz shuttle to the ritz on the beach for free and walk to Baleen. With that plan we will only need taxi for airport transfers and our Sat. night dinner. I prefer not to bother with the rental car at the airport anyway. Will we be able to pick up a taxi after our dinner at Campiellos or on 5th avenue? The other option is to go to Campiellos on Thursday night (and stroll starting at 9 or 9:30 and have dinner at Balleens on Sat night after the sunset (still get moonlit beach but miss teh sunset) but I gather you like my original plan better. Thanks again for your advice.

OK, that clarifies a lot, particularly the walk from the Gulf Ritz.

Yes, you will be able to pick up a taxi. More are on Fifth, but if none is outside at Campiello when you want one, they'll be happy to call one for you.

All things considered, this would be my plan. Thursday night, take a taxi to the pier for sunset arriving about 7:30 (senset is around 8:00) and then stroll over to Campiello for a dinner at 8:15 or 8:30.
After dinner, walk the 9 blocks up to Fifth and stroll it, maybe having a drink or stopping in some place for some music. Get a taxi there when done for your trip back to the Ritz.

Saturday night, go have sunset dinner on the beach at LaPlaya. Walk back to the Ritz in the moonlight (half moon) for your shuttle back to the Golfing Ritz.

There should be no problem changing your reservation for Campiello if you do it now.

I'm guessing you're doing dinner at Lemonia on Friday?

Please report back on everything!

Only issue is that Sat night we can not get to la playa till 9 so we will miss the sunset if we go there Sat. night. Still seems like your idea makes sense. I would still be having dinner at the same two restaurants. If I switch nights as you suggest, I will be at La playa on Sat. night when I will still be eating on the beach but will miss the sunset. However, your plan provides for sunset at the pier anyway on thusday and more time to walk around Naples. Thanks again.