Naples, Fl. Hotel Info
 

Need some suggestions on Naples, Fl hotels. Any info appreciated.

As a long time Naples resident I have posted a lot of rather lengthy and detailed descriptions and comments about hotels here in the past. I don't care to repeat them all, but if you do a search you will find most of those posts. If you have any specific questions within a certain price, time of year, beach requirements, or whatever, I will be happy to help you as much as I can.<BR>Hotels range here from $39 a night to well over $500 (not counting the much more expensive suites).

Dear Patrick, I did a search and you were right there is a lot of info on some of the hotels. I was wondering specifically about La Playa. Have you've eithier seen it since the renovations or have you or a loved one stayed there? Did you eat at any of their restaurants? Thank you so much for your time.

Actually I haven't seen it since the renovations. La Playa is in Vanderbilt Beach -- about 20 to 30 minutes north of Naples. It is a very nice resort hotel. There are too many good restaurants in Naples for me to be eating at the hotel ones -- and that includes the "great ones" at the Ritz. Although I do enjoy eating at the Ritz at their outdoor beachside bar and casual eatery. By the way, La Playa is just a short hop north of The Ritz Carlton, certainly Naples' finest.

Thanks Patrick your info is appreciated. Can you give me some names of restaurants that you like to frequent? I would like some that have great food and a great view. Thanks

Uh-oh, cancel the "great view" idea. Everybody always wants seafood with a water view and frankly it isn't a very good option. Charlie's Crab offered that, but it was so bad it has closed for lack of business.<BR>The best restaurants?<BR>On Fifth Avenue South -- downtown Naples: Chops, Pazzo, Mangrove Cafe, Buon Gustaio. On Third Street South -- Campiello and the very casual but popular Tommy Bahamas.<BR>Also in the area: Roy's at Bonita Bay, Syrah at Harbortown, and Aqua Grill at Waterside.<BR>Super casual and fun: Buzz's Lighthouse on Vanderbilt for lunch --- sit on the deck, have a beer and a grouper rueben. Or the Ritz beach bar -- the best chicken wings ever.

Thanks Patrick. Can you tell me the weather at Christmastime in Naples? Is it warm enought to swim or participate in water activities? Thanks for all of your time and suggestions.

Patrick I also read your post on where to fly into to get to Naples. I am flying into Ft. Lauderdale because of the reasons you stated. Can you tell me how long of a drive it is from Ft. Lauderdale airport to Naples? Your time is greatly appreciated. And again thank you in advance.

ttt

Patrick,<BR>did you notice a lot of asian tourists with cameras pointed at you at the ritz in florida too?

Hey, Patrick! It's not often that I agree w/ you especially when you are in your "Marco Bashing Mood" but I just had to send this quick note this evening to say that I agree w/ you 100% on Charlie's Crab in Naples!! Awful. Totally awful from beginning to end. The one in FLL on the intracoastal is so much better. Happy to hear that Charlie's Crab in Naples has closed! ( Now... about Marco...just kidding!)

Patrick I don't know who these other people are. I just sincerely wanted some info on Ft Lauderdale to Naples and the weather at Christmastime. I hope you will read down to this post.

I normally drive from center of Naples to Ft. Lauderdale airport in just over an hour and a half.<BR><BR>Since I live only a block from Charley's Crab, I'm holding my breath hoping that at last something decent can go into that spot. Meanwhile they're pounding pilings every morning starting at 7:30 building a few $2 million dollar townhouses. A restaurant at the end of that project is still expected.<BR><BR>Weather at Christmas? That's a hard one. We've had dinner by the pool in shorts one year, and lost most of our plants to the frost on Christmas morning the next year, so it's anyone's guess. The gulf is too cold for me to swim, but if you choose to, you won't be alone. The nicer weather is more likely to be the norm.<BR><BR>By the way, I wasn't aware that I was in a Marco Island bashing mood. I just call a spade a spade, and Marco, which is fine for family vacations and popular with older people as well thanks to their wonderful beaches simply doesn't have "great" restaurants and activities. Sorry if that fact offends.

Thanks Patrick I am glad I decided to fly into FLL. I can't deal with stopovers. Your responses have been very helpful to me. Thanks again.

Patrick, why would you suggest flying into Fort Lauderdale instead of Fort Meyers? We go to Naples often and always fly into Fort Meyers which is only a 45 minute drive to Naples.

I believe the reference above was in regard to flying from Europe. I suggested that Fort Lauderdale might be a better alternative than Miami or Tampa as it is easier to negotiate, rent a car, and find your way to Naples. Unfortunately, Ft. Myers still has few (well almost none) international flights. <BR>Of course if you can get a domestic flight non stop to Ft. Myers it might be a much more logical destination. On the other hand, I'm an American Airlines frequent flyer and I'm finding I can go nonstop from Ft. Lauderdale to LaGuardia or Los Angeles on American. I can't do that from Ft. Myers on American, so I will be flying out of Lauderdale more and more. I'd rather drive the extra 45 minutes than to do a stopover flight and worry about connections.

I agree with Patrick. Stopovers are a pain in the neck. A little extra driving time and less hassle is worth it. One should also consider the cost of the flight. If I have to pay $50.00 extra per ticket and for a family of 4 thats $200.00 I would travel 45 min. extra anyday.

"a spade a spade"???? what a racist remark to make,Patrick!!!!!!

Not racist at all. Obviously you are not familiar with Oscar Wilde and The Importance of Being Earnest.<BR><BR>Cecily (the country girl): When I see a spade I call it a spade.<BR>Gwendolyn (the city girl): I am glad to say I have never seen a spade.

Thanks for the info, Patrick. I figured there was a logical answer. I live in Chicago and for a long time United and ATA were the only nonstop flights into Fort Meyers - now American also flys there nonstop. One thing I have noticed about Fort Meyers is that a lot of times it is more expensive than flying into Tampa/St. Pete or Fort Lauderdale.

Carmella, you got me all excited. I was unaware that American now had nonstops to Chicago. Thought that would be good news, but I couldn't find any on their website currently. Then I plugged in a date for next Feb. and did find one. I guess this is a seasonal thing they are now doing, just like the seasonal service to Dallas Ft. Worth from Ft. Myers. Unfortunately during the bulk of the year American only offers Eagle flights to Miami out of Ft. Myers. Not worth doing for me.

It was in January that I flew on American. I didn't realize it was seasonal.

Mel, I visited La Playa in April because we were thinking of staying there and I wanted to see it for myself. The resort itself is beautiful. It has a style that is a combination of tropical and cosmopolitan elegance, and there's an open feeling when you walk around the public areas. There are 2 types of rooms I saw: the largest are the suites on the upper floors of the main tower. These are the best rooms as far as spaciousness and elegance - they are full suites with small libraries and amenities on the level of Ritz Carltons and other top resorts. We were interested in the lanai rooms because they are in a low-rise building directly on the beach, and though the rooms are also lovely and furnished similar to the suites, they are rather small. The lanai building itself is nothing special and the patios and the outside of it reminded me of a motel. But it is right on the sand. The rooms are immaculate and the lobbies and patios and restaurant are all top-drawer, elegant but with a relaxing feel. It reminded me of the Ocean Club in Paradise Island, though it's much smaller. The beach area is also very pretty with the hotel's blue & white striped umbrellas and whitewashed fences at the entrance. Drawbacks are that there are 3 pools but they are quite small and really for wading and relaxing not for swimming, and the hotel itself is right in a residential high-rise area, so it lacks the resort feel of a more spacious place. Oh, there is also a wonderful spa with the most up-to-date treatments, and a nice sized gym with LOTS of treadmills and new equipment. I took photos of the resort and if you'd like to see them (I haven't scanned them but will upon request), please email me at my real address, [email protected]. Reasonably priced for such nice rooms, too.

Dear Keely, Thank you for all of that info. When you say La Playa is in a residential high rise area what do you mean, Condos? Can you walk to the Ritz Carlton? I would love to see some pictures if you put them up on your site. Let me know if you do. Which building would you recommend staying in? I understand there is a building across a small street, did this look nice? Thanks for any info you can give me. I was wondering if you would (after seeing the place) recommend staying there.

I am also interested in the pictures of La Playa. If you can please post them.

just posted a huge reply to the last 2 questions & it totally disappeared into the infamous black hole of fodors. Aaarrgh!

OK, I will try again. According to someone at the resort, there's pretty much nothing within walking distance. You can rent a car pretty easily right at La Playa, but if you want to take a walk at night after dinner, you'll be basically taking a walk on a residential street full of high-rise condos. It's not what we're looking for in our one beach vacation a year.<BR><BR>If you don't care about that, then I would definitely recommend La Playa. The rooms are just great looking. If you want to roll out of bed and open your door and walk right onto the sand, stay in a lanai room. It's a separate two-story building. The patios are basic & uninteresting & look like a very basic motel. But the rooms are beautiful. However, they are small. If you don't spend much time in your room, no problem. <BR><BR>All the rooms are decorated the same - tasteful, elegant, modern. Marble floors, brass mirrors, featherbeds, top line bathroom amenities. Definitely not the typical Florida hotel room with white wicker furniture, pastel rugs, & floral bedspreads.

(continued from last post) I think the best rooms are the suites in the main building. If you don't mind having to put on a beach coverup to go down to the beach, and if you can afford a suite (rates at La Playa are very reasonable), they have the best views and are spacious & gorgeous.<BR><BR>I'm not sure if any of the rooms at La Playa face the street instead of the beach, but if they did, of course that would be less desirable. There are no corner rooms (too bad). There are only a few full suites and they are in the higher floors of the main building, which is I think about 10 stories high.<BR><BR>As far as the surrounding buildings, they're very nice. They're upscale. They're clean. They're condos. There's nothing wrong with them - it's just not what we want to be surrounded with on our vacation. We live in one.<BR><BR>By the way, I have to apologize about the pictures. I'm having some problems with my scanner's software & have not been able to get it working properly for a couple of weeks, so I'm very sorry for offering and then not giving. I will try to do this ASAP & will post an alert when I do.<BR><BR>Also -- I was given a $200 gift certificate to be used at La Playa. It's not in anyone's name & seems to be usable by anyone whose hands it's in, but it's only good toward a 3-day or more stay before Sept. 30 of this year, and since we've decided to go out of the country, we won't be able to use it. If anyone reading this thinks they could use it, I would be open to a trade of some sort or sell it at a substantial discount. You can e-mail me at my real address, [email protected].<BR><BR>Again, I'm sorry about the pix & will try to get them up soon.