Can anyone recommend a good 2 bedroom condo in either Naples or Marco Island in October? I have a budget of around $1,000 per week

You shouldn't have any problems because October is slow season in South Florida. I usually wait until the last minute for the best deals.

Try vrbo.com.

I hesitate to do this, but will anyway. You might want to call a woman named Debbie Hunt who heads the rental dept. of Premier Properties in Naples. She can direct you and/or help you and there will be NO pressure. Her number is 1-800-749-7368. Tell her Paul Graffy said to call (which will separate you from the usual just answering ads type calls she might get).

I really think you would be smart to have a professional help you, and you will have access to far more and better places than you will find on your own. Trying to deal with an individual owner is extremely difficult. I say this first hand as I have a couple rentals in Naples myself.
I'd think you should be able to find some very nice places in that price range for October. You'd have to at least double it for similar places in Feb to April.

Hi,

I just bought a condo in Naples, biggest pool In SW Florida, 2 bedrooms, &den. Falling Waters overlooking lake, waterfall, outdoor kitchen. If interested e-mail me at [email protected]

"Trying to deal with an individual owner is extremely difficult. I say this first hand as I have a couple rentals in Naples myself"
And I have a couple of rentals in Indian Shores on the beach, and give very good one on one service to those that stay with me. In fact, since I just have a few to rent out, I go the extra mile to really prepare my guests, spending lots of time sending them information about the area, or tending to their special needs. I hestitate to think a rental company has the time to do this. It just depends on the individual you are dealing with, just like everything else.
I also recommend www.VRBO.com, as well as, www.gulfcoastrentals.com
Loads of listings and photos to view.

I have looked at condos in Falling Waters and they were very nice. They are fairly new and the pool is beautiful.

Falling Waters would be a nice place to "live", but I suspect the person coming to Naples or Marco for a vacation probably wants to be on or near the beach, not in a residential community. Am I rightr, ronadam? Or will we ever hear from him again since this post was over two months ago?

and hibiscushouse, I didn't mean so much the problem of getting good service from an individual owner. What I meant was trying to find a place to rent to begin with, especially when the renter is out of state. Have you ever heard an owner giving a negative view of his place? A realtor who had lots of listings is able to say "yes, that place is a long way from the beach" or "that particular complex is primarily old people" or "yes, it's a good bargain place if you're comfortable with inexpensive and older furnishings". A realtor with access to hundreds of apartments is far more likely to be able to steer a customer in the direction they need to go.

Patrick, no doubt some owners are probably willing to stretch the truth to get a booking. But having an insiders look into a local real estate company on the beach that does vacation rentals, I also know, for a fact, that "some" of them consistently rent out the properties that are easy to rent out. In other words, the ones that have a relaxed minimum day rule, or one that is within walking distance to the rental office so it's convenient to show. Or, for instance, a building that has a pool over one that may have much more ambiance but doesn't have a pool. And so on.
IMHO experience has shown that the more the individual owner is willing to answer questions, the more reliable he tends to be. Also, IMHO it's much easier for me to answer questions about my location, property as honestly as I can, and paint a mental picture of it. It saves me loads of problems down the road with an unhappy, or disappointed guest. But this takes time and lots of back and forth emails and/or phone calls. I tend to wonder if a rental agent has the time for something like that.
But certainly, rental agents do have much more inventory to choose from. It really is a matter of how much time you want to devote to finding your ideal vacation rental yourself. Researching the area, and asking loads of questions. It's what I do when I research a place for our vacations as well.
Of course, none of this is on topic.
Sorry about getting side-tracked.
I stayed in a three bedroom house, with a small pool that is just a few blocks north of Old town, and about two blocks from the beach that I can recommend. That is if you enjoy and can appreciate "old Florida". A bit of a cracker house with lots of charm. A lot less expensive than being right on the beach, but in a beautiful, and convenient area.

If you want to stay on the beach then I would recommend Somerset on Marco. A 2 bedroom in the off season is about $1,000 per week. We have stayed there and plan to again. Not many of the beachfront condos rent weekly and we really liked this one because it is only one unit deep so all units have balcony directly on the ocean and windows on the island side.

We have booked through an agent as we find it easier to compare units without talking to lots of different people. We worked with someone at Prudential and she was able to email photos of the units that fit our schedule and budget.

I agree with hibiscushouse , and not because I have the condo, we don't even own it yet ( april ). I'm furnishing it to the hilt, because when I'm there I want it to be as nice for us as our renters. I'm going on the premise that, once rented they'll love it, they'll be back, repeat renters are we it's at. If you don't love something, you can't sell, rent it. I Learned that on Trump last night.

In 1981, I bought a condo in Naples and decorated and furnished it (I owned my own design firm at the time) and leased it as the model to the builder/developer for a year. One of his sales agents loved it so much, she and her husband rented it from me when the units were all sold, and they moved in. The husband has since died, but she is still with me. She's been my tenant full time since 1982 -- 22 years!! Now, that's what I call a successful rental.

I can only hope to be half as sucessful,but I'm giving it my best shot. Adverising in Germany, websites, posting on bulletin Boards. We've been going to Naples for 8 years now, only about time we owned.