During the cold, gray days of a February winter in New Jersey, I was lucky enough to escape for a few days to the sunny, warm, & beautiful west coast of Florida. The last time I visited Florida’s gulf coast was in February, 2022, when a good friend and I rented a home on Marco Island. This year, I stayed at the Naples Grande, a lovely hotel in Naples. Read on for my review of the resort and area restaurants.
I know there are “hotel” people and “house rental” people. There is a time and place for both venues, but for this most recent trip I definitely needed a hotel. And not just any hotel, but a resort with a lobby bar, restaurants, room service (‘cause you never know when you might need/want it), spa, pool bar, etc - you get my drift, I’m sure. The Naples Grande delivered on all accounts.
After an uneventful, pleasant flight from EWR - RSW on United, and landing in rainy Fort Myers, the first order of business after picking up the rental car, was lunch at the Lake Park Diner. I had been there in 2022 and loved it, so this was the perfect stop. This is such a cool diner with great food that I always find myself wishing there was something like this in NJ. I had the Grilled Mahi Sandwich with pickled cucumber, arugula, cilantro-line slaw, tartar sauce on a brioche bun - absolutely fabulous! My traveling companion couldn’t resist the Miami-style Cuban Sandwich - mojo-marinated roast pork, sweet ham, raclette cheese, dill pickles, and yellow mustard, pressed perfectly on Cuban bread - he loved it, & of course, I had to taste it - delish! Even though we were “officially” on vacation, we declined a cocktail since we were still en route to the hotel, but thoroughly enjoyed their specialty lemonades. If you find yourself in the Naples area, visit this very unique, mostly outdoors, diner.
 |
| Grilled Mahi Sandwich |
 |
| Miami-style Cuban sandwich |
Whenever I am in a location near water (ocean, bay, lake, etc), I do everything possible to reserve a room with a water view. When I am in vacation mode, there is nothing as relaxing as sitting on the balcony gazing at the water and our gulf view room did not disappoint. Furnished with a loveseat, club chair, and small table, the balcony was the perfect setting for morning coffee, reading, or a nap when the afternoon sun was in just the right spot.
We decided to stay at the hotel for dinner the first night as we just wanted to relax after traveling. We had a terrific light dinner (shrimp tempura and chicken dumplings) with cocktails at Mantra, the hotel’s lobby bar with an Asian flair.
 |
| Cocktails and Dumplings at Mantra |
The hotel’s private beach is a 3/4 mile walk away along a lovely boardwalk through a mangrove forest. On a day that was overcast and too windy to sit at the pool or beach, we walked the boardwalk and discovered the hotel’s beach bar/restaurant, Rhodes End, where we enjoyed their hummus platter.
Thankfully, the weather gods were on our side for the last two days of vacation, and we slugged at the adults-only pool in beautiful, bright sunshine. Of course, for me, a resort hotel with a pool bar is a bonus, and besides a great poolside bar to sit at, the Gulf Coast Oasis Pool Bar has roving wait staff to tend to your every food and drink needs from your lounge chair (chips and frozen concoctions, please!).
On our last morning, we took advantage of the available room service and ordered breakfast al fresco - coffee, juice, delicious muffins and croissants, enjoyed from the balcony.
I definitely wanted to explore the area restaurants, and with limited nights, we went with a recommendation from two different friends to check out Seed to Table Market, the most unique grocery store I’ve ever seen. On my return home, I described it to friends as a “Wegman’s on steroids!” From beautifully displayed produce, to fresh pasta, full service butcher and seafood departments, ice cream, tacos, sandwiches, bakery, and a liquor/wine store, it’s a foodie delight. But the kicker here are the restaurants, bars, and live entertainment all going on within the store! You can sidle up to the craft beer bar, or the wine bar, get a glass of whatever you like, and walk around drinking while you shop. We loved the ability to order a gorgeous steak from the butcher shop (or fresh fish from the seafood department), along with a variety of sides (we got sautéed mushrooms, green beans, and roasted potatoes), to be delivered to your table anywhere in the store. After ordering, we scouted out a table, got a glass of very good house Pinot Noir for me, and a great local beer for my dining partner. The steak was grilled perfectly and the veggies were fresh, crisp, and seasoned just right. This place was definitely sensory overload, but we loved it.
 |
| Seed-to-Table Grilled Steak |
The next night we sought the recommendation of the hotel concierge to guide us. I told him I did not want anything touristy and asked him where he goes for dinner. He recommended The Hampton Social, a restaurant within the Mercato, a high-end all day/night dining, drinking, shopping, entertainment complex. All the restaurants and bars have indoor/outdoor space, and there is upbeat music playing from discreet speakers throughout the streets. This place has a great vibe. Again, I found myself wondering why there is no place like this in NJ.
I have found, throughout my years of traveling, that a good hotel concierge will not steer you wrong, and David at Naples Grande certainly did not in steering us toward Hampton Social. We started with the Bang Bang Chicken served over a delicious seafood salad, with house BBQ and bang bang chili sauce - definitely a spicy winner! I loved the Ahi Tuna Bowl, grilled rare, served alongside quinoa, sweet potato, edamame, avocado, kale, with cilantro cream; complimented by a terrific new find - Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc from NZ.
You know you’ve had a great vacation when you don’t want to go home, and that’s how I felt as we packed to leave. The only drawback was the lack of pickle ball courts at the hotel. We were surprised that in Naples, the pickle ball capital of Florida, this hotel had fallen way short. We voiced our disappointment to management and they told us they’ve had countless requests for PB courts and they are in the works, so hopefully next time we visit we can bring our paddles.
It was a gorgeous 64°F yesterday here in NJ and I have seen crocus starting to sprout, so I am optimistic that Puxatawney Phil was right in his prediction that spring is close at hand! I hope you are enjoying a bit of warmth and sunshine wherever you are.
I’ll be back at the end of March with a recap of my upcoming visit to Club Med in Turks & Caicos! In the meantime, stay warm, eat well, be happy.
