Hello Fodor-ites,
My fiance is auditing a company in Naples, Florida so I have the opportunity to fly out (for free...yay!) and visit her for one weekend in February. We both have never been to South Florida before, so we are seeking advice on whether to spend the weekend in Naples, in Miami, or somewhere else down there.

What destination in S. Florida would you recommend for us?

We are an engaged couple, both in our mid/late 20's, born and bred in Southern California. We LOVE good food...thats often the highlight of a vacation for us. But we dont like the whole "nightclub" scene - we find it too fake and pretentious. But we do like a good bar. Any suggestions?

Naples sounds great for you guys. Great restaurants, nice sunsets, nice areas to walk and shop. Miami Beach is a lot more nightcluby.

Miami is a lot more vast and hard to get around, lots of funky people begging to be seen!
Naples is more lad-back suburban with an upscale edge...kinda like a casual Palm Beach.The best restaurants are mostly on Fifth Ave. or 3rd. st. south (Olde Naples area). There are a few good ones in the Bayside area too, which is a couple of miles north of the other two.

If you are in town the middle of the month, drive over to Miami for the Miami International Boat Show.

The South Beach Food & Wine Festival is also in February I believe and it brings in culinary talent from all over the world.

Thanks for your advice everyone! We are picking Naples for our little weekend away. However, that brings up another question - how long should we stay there for?

From what I understand, Naples is mostly about nice beaches, great shopping, and overall relaxing. Relaxing is great for 2 days or so, but after that, I want some activities to do, you know? Anyway, do you think we'll get bored in Naples after 2 days?

Thanks!

A nice half day trip from Naples is to go to (I think) Everglades City and take a boat ride through the thousand islands. It'll give you a slice of the Everglades. Or to Sanibel Island to the north, which is a little like being in the Caribbean. A really fun place in Old Naples is Tommy Bahama's on 3rd St. South in Old Naples. Good Florida-Caribbean food/bar and attached store.

Everglades city sounds cool! Thanks xkenx!

The Naples zoo is very cool. It is small, but they have interactive exhibits where they feed animals right in front of you including the lions, tigers, and alligators. Check their website for times.

There is also a Conservancy (sp?) that has a nice boat ride through a river.

There is a casino boat that leaves Ft. Myers Beach as well as a zillion other boats that leave the same area for fishing, sunset cruises, dolphin cruises, etc.

Have fun!

Naples is great, and if you have the chance to stay for more than two days, there's quite alot to see. If you're up for a sea adventure, there's a great deal in your backyard at Fort Meyers, where a day trip by boat to Key West can be had.
http://www.seakeywestexpress.com/

Getting a chance to get some fresh air, maybe see some dolphin in the water along the way, visiting Key West for the day (with all the great shopping, restaurants, and entertainment)and a nice cruise home sounds like a great day to me.

If you're the "outdoors type", a "don't miss" shopping experience is off I-75 at "Bass Pro Shops/Outdoor World" megastore in Fort Myers.

Just a coupla nuggets to consider, theres so much more out ther too. Enjoy your stay!

There are a lot of places to rent kayaks, if you're into that.

While I go to the zoo almost every week with my 2-year-old, I wouldn't really recommend it for people without kids. It's small and expensive if you're not members.

I really like having drinks at Cafe Lucrat on Fifth Avenue. It's a nice atmosphere with being nightclubby.

BTW, the boat trip to Key West is 3.5 hours each way, I think, plus the travel time to get to the boat. Not really a day trip.