Park Shore Resort in Naples, FL
 

My wife and I will be visiting Naples, FL for the first time. We are considering staying at the Park Shore Resort. Can anyone give me input about the hotel? Thanks.

Stuart - I have never heard of the resort, but I am sure anything in Naples is upscale and very elegant. About eight years ago we looked a places there and now we are kicking ourselves in the butt for not buying. Everything has tripled there. The Gulf side is very quiet and I'm sure its beautiful. Do they have a web site? Usually the nicer places have one and you can tell from that. Enjoy

It is a rather family oriented place that was built maybe 15 years ago or so. It was sold as individual condos, but most are put into the rental pool like a hotel. Depending on the unit, which were all individually "decorated", you can get a real gem or a real dud. Some are actually getting a little threadbare I would suppose. But it is a rather fun place of one and two bedroom units with kitchens at a lesser price and fewer restrictions than most condominium rentals would be. There is a very nice pool and waterfall area, although it tends to be very crowded, often with a lot of children. It is right next to a public casual sort of restaurant, so you may also feel that you are "on display" while sunbathing or swimming. Over all, however, I'd say it is good value -- although I really don't know what the current rates are. It is also not near the beach; you need to drive there or to the restaurants and shops of either downtown Naples or other outlying spots. <BR>What are your interests, budget, and requirements? Also when are you coming? February and March are really difficult here. Maybe I can be of more help in suggesting another place if the Park Shore Resort doesn't thrill you.

Carol, while your vote of confidence on Naples may seem reassuring, you are really off base there. There are quite a number of true "flea bag" hotels in Naples in addition to the Ritz, Registry, and all the others. We even have a couple of $29 a night places (that's probably the equivalent of $3.50 a night in many other towns) that would make a sailor wince just a block or two from our famous 5th Avenue South. But the Park Shore Resort is certainly not in that league. By the way, I do believe they have website.

Agree with Patrick. I've seen the "resort" and upscale it ain't. It is decent, but definitely not even in the league with the Ritz Carlton.

Thanks to all of you for your comments. It sounds like the Park Shore might not be the best choice for us. Any other ideas would be appreciated. From what I can tell, the Ritz Carlton would be outside of our budget!

Stuart, a couple of major questions. Is it just the two of you or are there kids involved? Do you want or need a kitchen/apt. or just a hotel? Is the beach more important, or shopping and restaurants? How important is a nice pool area?

Stuart, I received your email at my aol address, forwarded it to my new earthlink.net address and immediately lost it. If you want, email me again at the above earthlink address.<BR>Meanwhile, here are some things for you to look at. January is a rough month cost wise, although a few places don't raise their prices till the middle of January, so not sure what your dates are.<BR>Check out: The Trianon: www.trianon.com<BR>You'd probably want the one in Naples, rather than far off Bonita Bay. It is 9 blocks from the beach, but near the shops and restaurants of 5th Avenue (and less than two blocks from my house). This elegant small hotel was built and established about three years ago, in part by the original manager of the Ritz Carlton in Naples. Lots of upscale business people stay there and I see very few families or kids. What I've seen there are generous sized nicely furnished hotel rooms, but they do have some suites or larger accomodations.<BR>The Inn at Pelican Bay: www.naplesinn.com This website will show you their sister hotel the Inn on Fifth as well, which is right in the middle of 5th Avenue, but a little above your budget possibly. Their Inn at Pelican Bay is very nice, quiet, and quite close to the Ritz, a very short drive to the beach, but like the Ritz it is about 8 miles or so north of "downtown" Naples.<BR>Clarion Hotel and Suites: www.innsbythegulf.com<BR>This hotel was originally called the Inn of Naples and is similar in concept to the above two inns built by the same people. Nice place, but its major drawback is perhaps that it is right on busy US 41, although the rooms face the sides, so I don't think the noise is a problem, just nothing to walk to.<BR>The Vanderbilt Beach Resort: www.vanderbiltbeachresort.com This is right on the beach, almost next to the Ritz Carlton. It's an older property, but pretty well maintained. I've been to the small restaurant there right on the beach and to Buzz's Lighthouse, my favorite little casual place across the street (great Grouper Ruebens), and the property seems to be very well maintained. I've also seen surprisingly few kids there except at holidays. Although it is little more than a beach motel type property, it does offer some larger rooms or efficiencies which might fit the budget.<BR>And now after all that, I'm not so sure that I wouldn't back off my original statement and say that perhaps the Park Shore Resort actually offers you a little more for your money than most of the other places. It is not as upscale as the Inn at Pelican Bay, Inn on Fifth, or Trianon, but it really does have more to offer in size of accomodations and facilities -- especially if their prices are similar to these other places.<BR>

Hi Stuart,<BR><BR>I travel to Naples quite frequently and I love the town. My biggest surprise when first visiting, however, was that most of the motels are not "on" the beach. Naples is not your typical Florida beach town - which is good. As a matter of fact, it is a Florida city that seems quite livable. The beach is very beautiful, don't get me wrong. It is just with traveling to Florida year after year - as most Michiganders do, it was different than what I was accustomed to.<BR><BR>I am in agreement with Patrick: stay at the Vanderbilt Inn. It is located on a great section of the beach. There are plenty of restaurants and things to do nearby (Wiggins Pass is nice - just down the street). It is an older motel, but extremely well maintained, and has a decent restaurant with outdoor patio dining. You can walk the beach to the neighboring Ritz or to LaPlaya in the other direction.<BR><BR>Speaking of LaPlaya, I am very excited to see that hotel once it is renovated. It might be worth your while to check that place out too. I think their lobby is one of the prettiest in Naples. It is very "graciously southern." I have also had dinner and drinks at their fine facility. I believe that they were scheduled to reopen the first of this month upon a multi-million dollar restoration to their rooms. Perhaps Patrick can fill you in on the progress that is being made there.<BR><BR>Enjoy Naples! I usually travel there in February, but this year I won't be heading south until March. I will be seeing the Scottsdale area this February for a change. I know I will miss the beautiful waters of Florida. Oh, and btw, the restaurants are fantastic in Naples! You can eat at a different restaurant every day of the year and still not have eaten at them all: they boast more than 365 eateries. Be sure to check out Annabelle's on 5th Ave. Esquire magazine named it one of the country's top 25. While my guests and I enjoyed quite a lavish evening there one night, I did feel a little short-changed when the bill was totaled. If I were to eat there again, I would order only the filet Mignon ($32.00). Their salads ($15.00) are extremely small, as were their appetizers ($20.00). I noticed most diners in the restaurant were having the fillet. They offer a fantastic wine list as well. Be sure to check out their atmosphere - truly unique. Reservations a must.<BR><BR>Oh, and make sure to also eat at The Mangrove downtown. Might I suggest lunch there? A great establishment that also has a martini bar alongside the dining room. Food is excellent and the prices quite reasonable.<BR><BR>Okay… end of post. Can you tell I love the area? hehehehe<BR><BR>Happy Trails!<BR>Paul<BR>

Thanks to Paul and Patrick for some great advice. It sounds like we will enjoy Naples!

Just a bit of clarification. The Vanderbilt Beach Resort and the Vanderbilt Inn are two different places. The "resort" is at the south end of Vanderbilt Beach near the Ritz. The Vanderbilt Inn is at the north end of the beach near Wiggins Pass. I would rate them pretty similar. Incidentally, yesterday as I passed by the Inn at Pelican Bay heading home to "downtown" or "olde" Naples, I noted the time. Due to traffic it was 35 minutes before reaching 5th Avenue South. If you are really into the shops and restaurants of Naples itself, think twice about the distance of all the north places. On the other hand if you are happy staying put and enjoying the beach or the resort atmosphere of the places at Vanderbilt, Pelican Bay, and the Ritz-- then fine. Just something else to think about.

Stay at the Best Western Inn and Suites on US41. It is very quiet, has great rooms, 2 large pools and jacuzzis and a coupon rate of only $50 most of the year. We've stopped there twice (just last week) and will go back again.

Hey, Bez, tell us how the rooms were. I used to recommend that place, but got a report back that the rooms were in bad need of redecorating. Does it appear that has happened?? Although the Best Western is right along busy US41 and not walking distance to much of anything (well, maybe the large local mall), it really is a nice, well, landscaped, and seemingly quiet property.

I am attending a meeting at Naples Beach Hotel and was searching for a cheaper hotel room. I was surprised that this Park Shore Resort was only $62 per night in April (Clarion $55, Hampton Inn on US 41 $56). Are the snowbirds and spring break visitors all gone so rates go down in April or is it the slump in hotel stays this winter? <BR><BR>As I will spend most of my time over at the Naples Hotel in meetings, which place would you choose just for a clean place to sleep?

The rooms have been newly decorated. We were so ipmressed we took a picture to show the folks at home! The suites have a computer with free internet access.

I ended up staying with a friend, but I wanted to let people know that I easily booked a suite at the Park Shore online at a great internet rate with a one-night deposit. When the confirmation contained different cancellation deadline than the website, I sent and e-mail and got a nice reply. My confirmation and supporting materials were promptly mailed. About a week before my trip I cancelled online. I received a confirmation e-mail and my credit card was refunded the deposit within a couple of days. Prompt and efficient.