Naples, Fla. (April 20, 2012) ? Travel experts, online travel site users and magazine editors and readers have consistently given high rankings and praise to Florida's Paradise Coast, which includesNaples, Marco Island and the Everglades. Here is a list of some of these prestigious rankings.
Southern Living
April 2010 Top Ten Secret Beaches of the South
April 2010 Top Ten Secret Beaches of the South
#3 Keewaydin Island
Eight glorious miles of nearly footprint-free sands lie hidden on this tiny tropical island between Marco Island and Naples. The bay side grows lush with the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. It's hard to imagine you're just a few miles west of the traffic on I-75.
There's no bridge, so you'll need a boat to anchor at the calmer bay side. Keewaydin's few visitors gravitate to its southern tip, where a quarter-mile path through sea oats, palms, and pines leads to the beach. Pack a picnic or find the Burger Barge, which pulls up on the sand to serve hot sandwiches with ice-cold sodas and beer.Join locals for day trips or to dance in the sand at the annual boat party, held the second Saturday in May. http://www.southernliving.com/travel/secluded-beach-vacations-00400000067039/page3.html
Smithsonian magazine 2012
The 20 Best Small Towns in America
From the Berkshires to the Cascades, we've crunched the numbers and pulled a list some of the most interesting spots around the country
There are lists of the best places to get a job, retire, ski, golf and fall in love, best places lists for almost everything. We think any best place worth traveling to should have one quality above others: culture.To help create our list, we asked the geographic information systems company Esri to search its data bases for high concentrations of museums, historic sites, botanic gardens, resident orchestras, art galleries and other cultural assets common to big cities. But we focused on towns with populations less than 25,000, so travelers could experience what might be called enlightened good times in an unhurried, charming setting. We also tried to select towns ranging across the lower 48.
There is, we think, something encouraging about finding culture in small-town America. Fabled overseas locales, world-class metropolises?you expect to be inspired when you go there. But to have your horizon shifted in a town of 6,000 by an unheralded gem of a painting or a song belted out from a band shell on a starry summer night, that's special. It reinforces the truth that big cities and grand institutions per se don't produce creative works; individuals do. And being reminded of that is fun.
9. Naples, FL
World-class music, design to die for and palm trees: What's not to like?
Even when it's snowing somewhere up north, around the historic Naples pier they're catching mackerel, opening beach umbrellas and looking for treasure in the surf. Grandkids are building sand castles, pelicans are squawking and the Gulf of Mexico is smooth as far as the eye can see.
Travelers have been coming to this small town on the edge of the Everglades ever since the late 19th century, when you could reach it only by boat and there was just one place to stay, the steeple-topped Naples Hotel, connected to the pier by a track with a cart for moving steamer trunks. Back then the visitors were chiefly sportsmen drawn to the abundant fish and game of southwest Florida's cypress swamps.
Once the Orange Blossom Express train reached Naples in 1927, followed a year later by the opening of the cross-peninsula highway system the Tamiami Trail, sun-seekers arrived in boaters and bloomers, many of them Methodists from the Midwest who thought the drinking started too soon after Sunday church service in West Palm Beach. So when the snow flew, say, in Cincinnati, they decamped to winter retreats in Naples with wide sleeping porches, pine plank floors and whirring ceiling fans. Palm Cottage near the pier is a sterling example of classic Florida vacation cottage architecture. Built in 1895 for the publisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal, it is now headquarters of the busy Naples Historical Society, which sponsors walking tours through the town's winsome historic district and bougainvillea-lined back alleyways.
Sure, Naples (pop. 19,500) has malls and high-rise condos. Touristy development has taken over bayside docks where fishermen used to haul in giant grouper and tarpon. Traffic clogs the ritzy Fifth Avenue South shopping and restaurant district.
If most of the folks you meet are over 65, in Naples old age looks pretty golden. Ask a duffer with a fishing pole how he likes his martinis and he'll tell you the third one's always beautiful (Methodists notwithstanding).
A fair percentage of the snowbirds are retired executives with cultural expectations and the means to pursue them. So the town has an astonishing concentration of deeply rooted cultural institutions like the Naples Zoo, located in a tropical garden founded in 1919 by botanist Henry Nehrling; the Naples Players, a community theater now in its 59th season; and the almost-as-venerable Naples Art Association, at the Von Liebig Art Center in Cambier Park.
"A group of people wanted this little winter paradise to have the same cultural features as Northern cities do," says Kathleen van Bergen, CEO of the Naples Philharmonic.
The Phil, born 30 years ago of an amateur group on nearby Marco Island, is a renowned orchestra with a state-of-the-art concert hall visited by the likes of Kathleen Battle and Itzhak Perlman. From September to May, it holds 400 events: classical and chamber music performances; concerts by pop stars; galas; Broadway musicals; and lifelong learning programs, along with appearances by the Sarasota Opera and Miami Ballet. Bronze sculpture by the Spanish artist Manolo Valdés and massive art glass by Dale Chihuly spill over into the lobby from galleries in the adjoining Naples Museum of Art. Its chiefly modernist collection got a new star in 2010: Dawn's Forest, Louise Nevelson's last and largest work of environmental art.
Dozens of art galleries line Third Street South, just a few blocks from the designated Design District. Meanwhile, at the Naples pier, there's bound to be someone at an easel, with a palette provided by the Gulf of Mexico?all sky blue, sand white and aquamarine. -- SS
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/The-20-Best-Small-Towns-in-America.html#ixzz27bSvgSFd
Market Watch
Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal
10 best places to retire in the U.S.
Cities in Florida and Texas top editors' list
Where are the best places to retire in the U.S.? According to John Brady, founder of TopRetirements.com, the absolute best cities and towns for older Americans have good weather, access to health care, low property taxes, and a certain "wow" factor. Throw in access to adult education, cultural activities, job opportunities for older Americans, low housing costs and income-tax rates, low crime rate, and good walkability and livability ? and you get a list of both well-known and lesser-known cities and towns that retirees might fancy. Take a look at 10 remarkable retirement spots.
3. Naples, Fla.
Naples has plenty to offer retirees, especially the more well-to-do. This city of just 21,000 is a place for people who want to live in a more affluent and sophisticated community. "There is a wealthy aura to it, with a downtown featuring high-end shops, luxury hotels, great restaurants and a vibrant arts scene," Brady said. Among the positives: It's an extremely walkable place to live; you can easily walk from downtown to the beach through lovely neighborhoods. Plus, the crime rate is well below the national average. And Naples claims it has more golf holes per capita than any other town in the country. Plus, there's access to world-class health-care facilities. On the downside, home prices, at about $250,000, are higher than the national average, though, as Brady noted, that's half what homes cost in Naples five years ago. Also, there's no college nearby, and those who lean left politically might be in the minority. Lastly, summers here are oppressively hot and humid, traffic is intense and only going to get worse, and everyone seems rich (the median income is $65,010, which is $20,274 more than the median for Florida).
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-best-places-to-retire-in-the-us-2012-02-29
Florida Travel Life magazine
2011 Top 15 Secret Islands in Florida
We'll share our secret spots if you promise not to tell. Traveling under the radar, we find these unexpected gems ? surprising even the most avid island hopper ? that are perfect for a weekend getaway!
On the edge of the Florida Everglades ? perfect for resort lovers with a wild side.
by Patricia Letakis
http://www.floridatravellife.com/articles/secret-island-getaway-marco-island
THE ISLAND: The first hint you're on the edge of the Everglades is the yellow road sign with a silhouette of the Florida panther. Most Marco Island residents admit they've never seen Florida's endangered cats that roam the swamp covering the southwest tip of the state. So the idea of an encounter with a cousin of the cougar quickly fades once you've driven over the bridge onto the six-mile-long tropical island. Here, sea-grape trees pruned into boxy hedges pair up with deep-purple bougainvillea to adorn entrances to high-rise resorts and condominiums. Side streets are lined with canals, and the homes here sport mailboxes resembling manatees and seahorses. Kitschy faux pink flamingos on someone's lawn are a throwback to Old Florida.
PLAY: Head into the Ten Thousand Islands with tour guide Brian Scuderi, who leads a small caravan of WaveRunners through the Everglades' mangrove maze. (Book at the beach shack in front of the resort, marcoislandwatersports.com.) Keep an eye out for dolphin fins breaching the surface. As you pass Kice Island, search the tall snags for the American bald eagle that proudly guards its nest. Ospreys, ibis, snowy egrets, blue herons, great white herons and an occasional roseate spoonbill are among the bird sightings. Don't be surprised if brown pelicans in a V formation fly above the open water. As you weave into narrow passageways, the personal watercraft turns the dark-green waters into a rushing, foamy, riverlike waterscape. Stand-up paddle boarding is another way to play ? and it's quite the rage. Jill Massura, down from Michigan, couldn't get enough. "It's great for your arms, shoulders ? in fact the whole body," she says as her husband books the boards for yet another day of fun on the Gulf's placid water. The island's surf shop, Jetset Surf Shop (jetsetsurfshop.com), delivers boards directly to you.
SUNDAY: Visit Goodland, a spit of land connected to Marco Island. Funky restaurants like the Little Bar (littlebarrestaurant.com) with its 1924 Mohler pipe organ on display and Old Marco Lodge Crab House (oldmarcolodge.com) where boaters dock and dine under umbrellas for a view of Goodland Bay compete with Stan's Idle Hour (stansidlehour.net). Eighty-something Stan Gober entertains a motley crowd, ranging from bandana bikers to Gucci socialites, at this irresistible dive that bears his name. Toe-tap to live music as you down a glass or two of Stan's buzzard punch and dine on fried soft-shell crabs with sweet-potato fries.
BEST TIME TO GO: Marco Island throws a rousing music festival on Oct. 29: Marco Island 2nd Annual Beach Music Festival (marcoislandbeachmusicfestival.com). The sands in front of the Marriott serve as battleground for local eateries participating in the "Best Burger in Paradise" competition. Aromas of fresh-off-the-grill burgers include those from the Crazy Flamingo (thecrazyflamingo.com) with patties tucked between slices of garlic bread to CJ's on the Bay's (cjsonthebay.com) Angus beef stuffed with foie-gras butter. After dark, Jimmy Buffett fans wave their arms and sing "fins to the left, fins to the right" as bands like the Land Sharks get the party started. (With petitions to recruit Buffett, the singer just may make a surprise appearance.) Fireworks over the Gulf wrap the night. paradisecoast.com, marcoislandmarriott.com
# 3 Naples
Why Go: Swelling with golf courses, gourmet eateries, and boutique shops, Naples is Florida's upscale Gulf-side destination. The luxury resorts and costly extracurricular activities make a Naples vacation quite expensive. But luckily, the gorgeous sandy beaches that first attracted visitors to the area are free.
http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Florida_Beaches/
Visit Island Escapes for all of your vacation rental needs! www.iEscapeAway.com 239-642-0000
Florida Travel Life magazine
2011 Top 15 Secret Islands in Florida
We'll share our secret spots if you promise not to tell. Traveling under the radar, we find these unexpected gems ? surprising even the most avid island hopper ? that are perfect for a weekend getaway!
Marco Island
On the edge of the Florida Everglades ? perfect for resort lovers with a wild side.
by Patricia Letakis
http://www.floridatravellife.com/articles/secret-island-getaway-marco-island
THE ISLAND: The first hint you're on the edge of the Everglades is the yellow road sign with a silhouette of the Florida panther. Most Marco Island residents admit they've never seen Florida's endangered cats that roam the swamp covering the southwest tip of the state. So the idea of an encounter with a cousin of the cougar quickly fades once you've driven over the bridge onto the six-mile-long tropical island. Here, sea-grape trees pruned into boxy hedges pair up with deep-purple bougainvillea to adorn entrances to high-rise resorts and condominiums. Side streets are lined with canals, and the homes here sport mailboxes resembling manatees and seahorses. Kitschy faux pink flamingos on someone's lawn are a throwback to Old Florida.
PLAY: Head into the Ten Thousand Islands with tour guide Brian Scuderi, who leads a small caravan of WaveRunners through the Everglades' mangrove maze. (Book at the beach shack in front of the resort, marcoislandwatersports.com.) Keep an eye out for dolphin fins breaching the surface. As you pass Kice Island, search the tall snags for the American bald eagle that proudly guards its nest. Ospreys, ibis, snowy egrets, blue herons, great white herons and an occasional roseate spoonbill are among the bird sightings. Don't be surprised if brown pelicans in a V formation fly above the open water. As you weave into narrow passageways, the personal watercraft turns the dark-green waters into a rushing, foamy, riverlike waterscape. Stand-up paddle boarding is another way to play ? and it's quite the rage. Jill Massura, down from Michigan, couldn't get enough. "It's great for your arms, shoulders ? in fact the whole body," she says as her husband books the boards for yet another day of fun on the Gulf's placid water. The island's surf shop, Jetset Surf Shop (jetsetsurfshop.com), delivers boards directly to you.
SUNDAY: Visit Goodland, a spit of land connected to Marco Island. Funky restaurants like the Little Bar (littlebarrestaurant.com) with its 1924 Mohler pipe organ on display and Old Marco Lodge Crab House (oldmarcolodge.com) where boaters dock and dine under umbrellas for a view of Goodland Bay compete with Stan's Idle Hour (stansidlehour.net). Eighty-something Stan Gober entertains a motley crowd, ranging from bandana bikers to Gucci socialites, at this irresistible dive that bears his name. Toe-tap to live music as you down a glass or two of Stan's buzzard punch and dine on fried soft-shell crabs with sweet-potato fries.
BEST TIME TO GO: Marco Island throws a rousing music festival on Oct. 29: Marco Island 2nd Annual Beach Music Festival (marcoislandbeachmusicfestival.com). The sands in front of the Marriott serve as battleground for local eateries participating in the "Best Burger in Paradise" competition. Aromas of fresh-off-the-grill burgers include those from the Crazy Flamingo (thecrazyflamingo.com) with patties tucked between slices of garlic bread to CJ's on the Bay's (cjsonthebay.com) Angus beef stuffed with foie-gras butter. After dark, Jimmy Buffett fans wave their arms and sing "fins to the left, fins to the right" as bands like the Land Sharks get the party started. (With petitions to recruit Buffett, the singer just may make a surprise appearance.) Fireworks over the Gulf wrap the night. paradisecoast.com, marcoislandmarriott.com
8 Best Florida Beaches
With about 1,200 miles of coastline, Florida is a year-round escape for many on the East Coast. Plus, the diversity of the shores?from family-friendly to party hardy?helps draw a variety of travelers. When making your decision about where to go, you should consider two general rules of Floridian geography: One, the farther south you head, the warmer, more tropical weather you'll encounter. And two, Gulf Coast water is usually calmer and warmer than the Atlantic Ocean. With those two tips (and our descriptions), you're ready to pick your next Florida beach vacation.# 3 Naples
Why Go: Swelling with golf courses, gourmet eateries, and boutique shops, Naples is Florida's upscale Gulf-side destination. The luxury resorts and costly extracurricular activities make a Naples vacation quite expensive. But luckily, the gorgeous sandy beaches that first attracted visitors to the area are free.
Naples Travel Tips
Named after the coastal Italian city, Naples is known for its laid-back ambience, quiet luxury and world-class golf. Though Florida's version doesn't have the history, the sights, or the artwork of its namesake, its extravagance mimics that of European waterholes along the Mediterranean. With gently lapping waves on the white sand beaches of southern Florida's Gulf Coast, America's Napoli qualifies as one of the most relaxing and romantic beach destinations in the States. High-end restaurants and first-class hotels await those who retreat from the shore. Party animals and young families will probably want to seek another beach because Naples doesn't have the distractions (Oops, we mean, attractions) you are looking for. Relaxation is the name of the game here, so leave the tots with your parents or the keg at the frat house, pick up your special someone and venture down to Florida's city of love.How To Save Money in Naples
- Choose a hotel Naples' hotels are normally cheaper than its resorts and, with so many public beaches, it should be easy to find a hotel that's near the shoreline.
- Or a rental If your stay is more than a weekend getaway and you brought the kids, think about renting a house (maid service not included). Note that most homes, however, are set away from the beach.
- Go natural Although most visitors spend their time cloistered at resorts or on the greens, Naples has many natural sights to experience, which are free to explore.
Naples Dining
Some say that Naples has the best cuisine of Florida's western shore. And quality doesn't come cheap. It should come as no surprise that this city by the water has a hankering for seafood; menus are filled with shrimp dishes and large stone crab claws. Those looking for something a little less damaging to the wallet will find a handful of chains dotting the area, as well. You'll find the largest selection of restaurants in Old Naples.http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Florida_Beaches/
Visit Island Escapes for all of your vacation rental needs! www.iEscapeAway.com 239-642-0000
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