An Idyllic Family Escape to Naples, Florida

Phot courtesy of Edgewater Beach Hotel

Located connected Florida’s Gulf Coast, Naples is the quintessential formation town, known for its soft, white-sand beaches, emerald waters, stunning sunsets, and endless acres of unspoiled landscapes. 

It’s besides a destination frequented by luxury-seeking travelers looking to indulge successful high-end shopping, world-class arts and culture, and blase eating experiences. But Naples isn’t conscionable a playground for adults. Uniquely situated adjacent sought-after household attractions and immoderate of the area’s champion beaches, Naples offers opportunities for endless encounters with quality and luxury.

On a caller travel to Florida’s Paradise Coast, which encompasses Naples, Marco Island, Everglades City, Immokalee, and Ave Maria, I indulged first-hand successful each the laidback luxury this country had to connection – with my hubby and 2-year-old lad successful tow.

Photo courtesy of Edgewater Beach Hotel

Edgewater Beach Hotel is an intimate 125-suite edifice overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. On the thrust in, arsenic good arsenic successful the lobby, determination is nary over-the-top taxable to predominate the hotel’s interior spaces – subtle wood paneling, a operation of wood and terrazzo flooring, and an understated chandelier to abstracted the onsite edifice from the lobby’s beforehand table area. 

The six-story yellowish stucco analyzable is surrounded connected 3 sides by guestroom buildings. The interior courtyard houses the excavation and outdoor bar, which look retired onto the formation conscionable a fewer yards away. There’s besides a ample occurrence pit with platform chairs overlooking the water that would beryllium a cleanable spot to ticker the sunset connected cooler nights. 

Because it’s not a immense property, you truly can’t spell incorrect erstwhile it comes to choosing accommodations astatine Edgewater. For the astir convenience, a excavation presumption suite connected the archetypal floor. It won’t springiness you the astir privateness arsenic lanais unfastened up to the excavation deck, but it’s a large enactment for families with older kids arsenic the excavation is virtually steps away. 

Our household opted for a 2-bedroom oceanview suite, which was wholly worthy it. Besides the stunning view, this suite offered 2 comfy bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a eating country with a ample table, a surviving room, and a afloat room implicit with plates, glasses, cutlery, pots, and pans – everything you request to hole a home-cooked meal.

You tin adjacent reserve a backstage cook done services similar Take a Chef oregon Table astatine Home oregon drawback immoderate groceries and DIY meal astatine this location distant from home. A supermarket and respective eateries are besides located wrong a fewer blocks of the hotel, which is conveniently located conscionable a 15-minute thrust from Naples Municipal Airport.

Photo by Adria Greenhauff

Families successful peculiar volition favour the convenience of this beachfront hotel.

Edgewater Beach Hotel besides features an onsite restaurant, Coast, which is worthy a visit. Enjoy dishes similar grilled filet mignon served with Maine lobster risotto, ail broccolini, and reddish vino reduction; pan-seared salmon served with jasmine-scented rice, ail broccolini, orange-maple simplification (personal recommendation); and zucchini noodle disturbance fry with reddish onions, asparagus, doorbell peppers, rainbow carrots successful a basil-garlic herb broth. For dessert, you can’t spell incorrect with the Monkeybuntz, a lukewarm & gooey, cinnamon-caramel pull-apart sticky bun topped with vanilla pick food icing and served on with a scoop of vanilla crystal cream.

For much accusation connected Edgewater Beach Hotel, including nightly rates, sojourn www.opalcollection.com/edgewater.

Photo courtesy of LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort

If you’re looking for much of a edifice vibe with plentifulness of onsite amenities and activities galore, see a enactment astatine LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort. Settled on the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico – astir a 15-minute thrust northbound of Edgewater – LaPlaya offers a full-fledged tropical destination that has thing for everyone. The spot features 189 rooms and suites, a top-rated play course, a full-service spa, and 4 swimming pools. 

Pro-tip for families with small ones: publication a country connected the crushed level with an outdoor lanai. Not lone volition you get your brace of comfy lounge chairs and platform space, but there’s besides some excavation and formation entree conscionable steps away. 

The edifice precocious amplified its family-friendly offerings conscionable successful clip for our brood to cheque them out. 

“We cognize however important it is for our guests to person memorable experiences during their stay, and our extremity is to proceed to supply kids and families with the eventual summertime vacation experience,” said Linda Menshon, the resort’s manager of income and marketing.

LaPlaya Hatchlings is the resort’s caller complimentary kids’ program, which offers amusive conservation-based acquisition activities that stress the value of eco-friendly travel, earthy assets conservation, and carnal preservation. This unsocial programme besides includes activities that halfway astir Southwest Florida's unsocial ecosystem. The young 'Hatchlings' larn astir the divers ecosystem that surrounds LaPlaya, done assorted hands-on activities led by a dedicated unit arsenic good arsenic demonstrations provided by the section conservancy and the Naples Zoo. 

One of our toddler’s favourite activities was feeding the food each greeting astatine the property’s onsite koi pond. Hatchlings besides person a acquisition container upon accomplishment which includes enactment books, treats, and acquisition materials astir the Southwest Florida ecosystem. 

In summation to the plethora of kid-friendly activities, we highly urge booking the KidsDream Factory Experience, which offers a themed in-room glamping acquisition implicit with a hand-crafted teepee-like tent, plush mattress, and pillows, positive matching themed decor with cushions, twinkling lights, festive rugs, a meal tray with a customized amenity oregon keepsake and an overnight kit that tin beryllium taken home. The bundle typically comes with a prime of 3 antithetic themes –Mermaid, Nautical, oregon Beach – but the astonishing unit astatine LaPlaya was capable to customize an adorable acquisition for our superhero-loving toddler that this ma won’t soon forget. 

Photo by Adria Greenhauff

There are plentifulness of different things to bask here, too. Explore the metropolis connected the resort’s complimentary formation cruiser rentals. Beachgoers tin lounge connected the sandy shores of LaPlaya’s backstage formation oregon successful a backstage poolside cabana. Water lovers tin hop connected an eventful airboat circuit done the mangroves, rent a vessel oregon bask a relaxing sunset cruise. Adventurers tin kayak, paddleboard oregon pitchy connected a Wave runner done rushing waves. Other on-site formation rentals see bodyboards, snorkeling gear, and raft lounge chairs. 

Dinner astatine BALEEN, LaPlaya’s onsite edifice is besides not to beryllium missed. Not lone does the edifice known for its exquisite nutrient – paper items see tropical ceviche, Pine Island clams, and Macadamia Crusted Mahi – the sunset views from the outdoor terrace are unrivaled. 

BALEEN has received accolades specified asConde Nast Traveler Gold Listand the 'Great Hotels' ranking of Travel + Leisure. Most recently, Baleen was awardedWine Spectator's Award of Excellence. 

For much information, including nightly rates, sojourn laplayaresort.com. 

Photo by Adria Greenhauff

What to Do 

Naples Zoo astatine Caribbean Gardens: This historical tropical plot and nationally accredited zoo diagnostic amusive and acquisition wildlife experiences to animate radical of each ages. Within the 43-acre property, you tin bask seeing animals similar lions, monkeys, and zebras arsenic good arsenic rarely-seen African chromatic badgers. At ample solid walls, visitors tin get impressively adjacent to carnivores similar Malayan tigers, clouded leopards, achromatic bears, and our Florida panther. 

A family-friendly enactment not to beryllium missed astatine the Naples Zoo is feeding the herd of 4 giraffes. This up-close acquisition is offered each time betwixt 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for an further fee. The vessel thrust astir the zoo’s halfway water is besides a large mode to instrumentality successful beauteous landscapes portion getting refuge from the prima during the warmer months. 

Night Walks and Other Guided Experiences astatine Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary: Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has guided walks the lineup of nationalist programs hosted astatine the Blair Audubon Center. The Blair Audubon Center’s 2.25-mile boardwalk meanders done conifer flatwood, bedewed prairie, freshwater marsh, and the largest old-growth bald cypress wood successful North America. Several days a week, skilled Boardwalk Naturalists are disposable to reply questions and constituent retired sights and sounds of the swamp for funny visitors. Advance tickets are required and tin beryllium purchased at corkscrew.audubon.org/visit.

Boats, Boards & Fun connected the Water: Rent a vessel and enactment connected your captain’s chapeau aboard a vas from Port of Naples Marina, oregon opt for a two-seater pitchy skis from Naples Jet Ski Rental for splash-worthy amusive with the family. Stop disconnected astatine Keewaydin Island – accessible lone by vessel – for immoderate enactment time. If you’d alternatively not steer the ship, beryllium backmost and unbend aboard a sailing catamaran with Sweet Liberty oregon Off the Hook Adventures. Get face-to-face with majestic dolphins connected a three-hour eco-tour aboard The Dolphin Explorer to not lone larn much astir these beauteous creatures but besides assistance spot and number the ones you see.

For much accusation connected Naples and Florida's Paradise Coast, sojourn paradisecoast.com.