Naples, Florida is a tourist destination on the Paradise Coast of western Florida. With a 10-mile white sand beach along the Gulf of Mexico, Naples is the jumping-off point for many national parks and preserves, including Everglades National Park, the Florida Panther National Wildlife Reserve, and the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. With many world-class golf courses, Naples also features many luxury golf resorts.
LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort is located between the Gulf of Mexico and Vanderbilt Bay. Bob Cupp designed the par 72, 6907-yard golf course, which features 14 lakes, a 10-minute tee-off schedule and the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. LaPlaya also features a full spa and fine dining at the Baleen restaurant. Location attractions include the Naples Zoo, the Caribbean Gardens and a 2.5-mile boardwalk through the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. At the LaPlaya Resort beach, kayaking, sailing, parasailing, fishing and waverunners are available. From May to October, sea turtles nest along the beaches of LaPlaya, providing another more attraction for guests.
Condé Nast Traveler magazine voted the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort as the number one golf resort in Florida in 2010. It features the 36-hole Tiburón Golf Course, which was designed by Greg Norman and offers two separate courses. The Tiburón Golf Course is home to Greg Norman's Shark Shootout, a PGA tour event held every December that features golfers playing a scramble tournament in two-man teams. The Ritz-Carlton hotel offers four restaurants, notably Lemonía, as well as tennis courts, an outdoor pool, a full spa, fitness center, and 16,500 square feet of meeting space. Nearby Naples is the spring training home for the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins, and also features a water park.
The Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club offers over 300 rooms and suites, all overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Golf Club, which offers a par 72, 6,488-yard course, is the oldest golf club in Florida and was redesigned by Mark Mahanna in 1948, with later redesigns by Ron Garl. The club includes a putting green, a warm-up range, a pro shop and a short-game area. Golf and tennis lessons are available. The hotel's two pools were recently redesigned. The Naples Beach Hotel also features seven restaurants and bars, some with entertainment. Also at the hotel are a full spa, many shops and 22,000 square feet of meeting space, with several outdoor lawn and beach venues available for events and weddings.
The Naples Grande Beach Resort is home to the Golden Door Spa and the Naples Grande Golf Club. The 6,955-yard, par 72 golf course was designed by Rees Jones, with PGA teacher of the year Mark Durland in residence as golf pro and 15 tennis courts available. The Golden Door Spa features massage and beauty treatments and a meditation labyrinth in a zen setting of waterfalls and gardens. Five restaurants are available at the hotel, including the cosmopolitan Aura. Water amenities include three miles of white sand beaches, two pools and Mangrove Mountain, a 100-foot water slide. At the beach, aqua biking, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing and snorkeling are all available to guests. The hotel is also home to a private mangrove estuary, accessible to the hotel guests via a boardwalk along the shore.
