I've been to Marco Island a few times but not Naples. Looks like our clan is spending some time in Naples at this property this coming spring.

Anyone been the Naples Beach Hotel?

http://www.naplesbeachhotel.com

I believe, you like Naples more than Marco ...
The hotel is direct on the beach, nice location.

I had dinner at HB's on the beach ... the food was not great.
The hotel belongs to the Watson family, who have done a lot for Naples .... I was in some committees with Mr. Watson Jr., very nice guy.
The "reviews" are mixed .. to say the least.
My friends liked those hotels better: Ritz Carlton, Registry Resort, La Playa, Edgewater. But you may be lucky and get a recently renovated room at Naples Beach Hotel ... as said before, the location is very good.

Just got back from the family outing down in Naples.

The positives about the Naples Beach Hotel:

Dinner at HB's had some great hits (gumbo and jerk/BBQ shrimp to name two) and some so-so's(not bad but not great). It was nice and easy as it is in the Naples Beach Hotel complex but I wouldn't dine here regularly.

The location of the Naples Beach Hotel is great, right on the beach, very close to old Naples. The beach bar is right on the beach, as is HB's for dining.

There is an ice cream/snack shop for to-go sweets, drinks (including wine/beer), sandwiches, pizza that is just off the lobby. My niece and nephew liked this quite a bit. Don't expect quick service if there is any type of line, sometimes ice cream took 15 minutes to get as they usually only have one person working here.

Valet parking is free. Most of the staff and valet were excellent and friendly. There was this one surly valet we kept getting that bugged me. It probably bugged him as well when I stopped tipping him yet continued to tip the others.

Now the negatives.

We were in the main complex in ocean view rooms for $369 per night (pre-tax). Nice enough view to be sure but the crappy rooftops (AC units, pipes, ripped insulation off of the pipes) of the restaurant and other meeting rooms was less than desirable. I expect it at a Holiday Inn on the beach not a place like the Naples Beach Hotel where I'm spending some major $$. Rooms were good enough sized w/ample storage space. Balcony is not wide (4') but does come with a couple chairs and a small table.

Breakfast buffet was expensive at $19 for continental which is outrageous IMO.

Pool area is very small for the size of the hotel, I'm guessing the pool (kind of a triangle shape) is 25' per side and there were never enough chairs. Good news is you could always get chairs for the beach, it is a nice beach about 25' wide at it's narrowest point infront of the beach bar.

The grounds are not in the best of shape, normally something I don't really care about but if I'm spending the $$ on this type of property I want the grounds to be pretty.

Now for the wierd noise. Apparently, due to some mechanical issue the hotel guys can't figure out, there is a very loud low pitch whistle sound that eminates from the equipment on top of the main building, this sound was so loud and frequent (about every 5-10 minutes) that we could not sleep with the balcony door open listening to the ocean waves.

Our room was $369, seeing as a room at the Ritz can be had for $429 I'd recommend the Ritz long before the Naples Beach Hotel.

Overheard some people talking at the pool that the owners were mulling an offer to sell the property.

It's a shame, $369 and than this ....

...the grounds are not in the best shape ... we didn't have much rain since Jan., that could be a reason.

...sell the property...?!? It's possible. The property also includes the golf course. The land is worth more without the hotel A hotel is not the best use for this property ....
Other than this, I hope you enjoyed Naples.

Just finished picking up and driving my parents home after they landed at ORD. They heard it confirmed by the hotel staff that the hotel is being renovated.

Naples was fun but PRICEY!! We very much enjoyed it. I'll write up our restaurants at some point.

--

The renovation is ongoing since a couple of years.
Pricey - I don't think so. People from "up-North" tell me that the restaurants are cheaper in Naples.

We like

Cafe Lurcat * * * *

Campiello * * * *

Gumbo Limbo at Ritz * * * *

they are all not really expensive.


http://web.naplesnews.com/sections/diningarchive/

http://www.naplesnews.com/restaurants/search/