5 Things I Love About Naples, Florida

I’ve lived in Florida for more than 30 years and one of my favorite weekend getaways is Naples in southwest Florida. It’s often described as the west coast Florida’s answer to Palm Beach. Although it’s peppered with financial services offices and numerous luxury homes, I find Naples to be much less pretentious than Palm Beach.
Oh sure, you’ll see lots of Maseratis, Jaguars and Porsches cruising the streets, but Naples also has a comfortable Old Florida feel. It’s very upscale, but in a more welcoming way, I believe, than Palm Beach.
Here are five things I love about Naples:
1. Fifth Avenue South–A Euro-style, pedestrian friendly street, it’s one of Florida’s best walkable avenues. Stretching from Tamiami Trail to the Gulf of Mexico, it’s lined with upscale restaurants, boutique hotels, jewelry and art boutiques and bistros. One of my favorite things to do enjoy a cup of coffee in an al fresco setting at 5th Avenue Coffee Company & 6th Street Diner. There are lots of tables with umbrellas where you can sit, sip and watch the passing parade.
2. Happy Hours Galore–Naples has to be some sort of “Happy Hour Capital of Florida”. Everytime I visit, I find a couple of new great ones. Some of my all-time favorites are located on Fifth Avenue such as Aqua, Bar Tulia and Ocean Prime. For those who like the familiar upscale chain happy hours, head to the Mercato shopping complex on Strada Place where you’ll find McCormick & Schmick’s, The Capital Grille, Blue Martini and Bravo.

3. Inn on Fifth Boutique Hotel–If you’re looking for an upscale European-style boutique hotel where you can park your car and never have to use it till you leave, I highly recommend this exceptional property. It has a beautiful lobby and the 119 guest rooms are appointed with stylish furnishings and artwork and plush bedding. There are also 32 club level suites in a separate private building. Inn on Fifth’s location is phenomenal. An Ocean Prime restaurant is situated at street level and there are numerous restaurants, bistros (Can you say Happy Hour?) and shops just a few steps from the front door. On our two night stay, my wife and I never got back in our car till we left. Oh yeah, the beach is only a 5 to 10 minute walk, too.
4. Third Street South–Walkable and upscale, it sits two blocks from the Gulf of Mexico and Naples Pier. It’s enveloped with beautiful landscaping and lots of classy shops, bistros and restaurants.  Two excellent Italian restaurants are located on Third Street South–Campiello Ristorante and Bar and Barbatella.
5. Beach and Golf–There are lots of great beaches in Naples and the downtown area affords easy access to twinkle the toes in the sand at Naples Beach. Other excellent beaches in the area include Vanderbilt Beach, Tigertail Beach Park and Marco Island to name a few.