A once-sleepy retirement town on Florida's Gulf Coast, Naples now has its second luxury resort.
Beyond its prestige name, The Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort offers 220 luxury rooms on Gulf frontage and an adjacent 18-hole golf course, the only property in Naples with that combination.
Seven years in the making, the hotel opened in November on the footprint of the former Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, a historical lodging just north of downtown that was the big name in Naples hospitality for years.
The Four Seasons will offer some competition to the Ritz-Carlton Naples, about nine miles to the north, which has had the luxury niche to itself since it opened here in 1985.
I was invited to spend a day checking out the Four Seasons' facilities and an evening in one of its suites. I can report that the old hotel is history and a new era has opened in this town that increasingly rivals Palm Beach as an enclave for the rich in Florida.
The resort does, however, tip its sun hat to Old Florida in its design themes, mixing them in with more contemporary ideas. The Florida touches are subtle: In the lobby, for instance, if you crane your neck up to the second level you'll see a bleached pecky cypress ceiling and white stone panels with bas relief palm fronds.
The bedroom design has both contemporary and Old Florida elements. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
In the nearby Merchant Room restaurant, a wall mural of Florida tropical scenery remains in the background behind a lengthy wood bar. The most obvious Floridiana are the brass doorknockers on guestroom doors -- alternately scallop shells, turtles, crabs or one of four other icons.
The two-story lobby of the Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort features stone panels of palm fronds and a bleached, pecky cypress ceiling. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
My room was mostly white and beige, with seafoam green accents. The hint of rusticity in the vertical wall boards and rattan lampshades did not detract from the overall modernity of the design. The expansive bath was nearly all white, with a separate tub and shower, a vanity and dual sinks and mirrors.
My king bed was exceptionally comfortable, and a bar offers fancy glassware, snacks and in-room beverages.
Sliding glass doors led to a deep balcony with substantial furniture and a view of the resort's main pool, the beach and the sea. If not lounging waterside, I could easily see myself losing an afternoon on this airy perch.
Seven stories of rooms are arranged in a U shape around the main pool. Across Gulfshore Boulevard to the east are ballrooms and meetings rooms, golf, a kids' club, a gourmet grocery, a sports bar, the bowling alley and the health/fitness complex.
The two-story, 30,000-square-foot spa is said to be one of the largest among the approximately 130 Four Seasons worldwide.
Salads and steaks
The Sunset Bar provides a prime view for hotel guests and locals alike of the sun sinking into the ocean each evening. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Skipping breakfast, I dined twice, including a light lunch at HB's, which is as close to the shoreline as public dining gets in Naples. The restaurant (named for resort founder Henry B. Watkins) is casual and comfortable. A big green salad and tuna tartar were nicely fresh and tasty.
Dinner at the Merchant Room, where dry-aged steak is the specialty, was only a little more formal. Four Seasons prides itself on service: I was dining solo, but my waiter was as good a dining companion as anyone who would have sat across the table from me. It exemplified a spirit I found in all my interactions with the staff.
After a generous appetizer of cacio e pepe bucatini, followed by a 14-ounce strip steak and a side of creamy spinach with fried cheese curds, I was stuffed.
I'm happy to report that a venerable Naples tradition lives on at the resort's Sunset Bar, where locals and guests by the hundreds gather at dusk to catch a glimpse of the green flash as the sun disappears into the ocean.
The Four Seasons has a four-lane bowling alley, a first for the brand. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Some unusual amenities
Although the main facilities are done, some parts of the resort have yet to open, among them the Tom Fazio redo of the existing 18-hole golf course, which is expected to be finished by year's end.
Also in the works is The Wager, a roomy "sports-centric gastropub" under the same roof as a four-lane bowling alley (a Four Seasons first!) and a game arcade. Outside is a large, shaded dining patio and a putting green.
Another coming attraction is The Picture House, a 22-seat first-run movie theater with a concession booth and fresh popcorn.
Need more things to keep you busy? There are three pools, a large exercise room and six clay tennis courts.
The Naples Beach Club becomes the sixth Four Seasons property in Florida and the first on the Gulf Coast.
Once home to frugal Midwestern retirees, Naples is evolving into a wealth magnet. The day of my departure, vice president J.D. Vance arrived by jet for a fundraiser at the Naples Yacht Club. A nine-acre property on the Gulf sold last year for $225 million.
Resort rates reflect the change. Four Seasons rooms start at $1,200 a night. A 7,000-square-foot duplex presidential suite, suitable for five guests, is priced in the $40,000 to $45,000 range. Valet parking is $60 a night. A resort fee, not yet set, is expected to be charged after the first year of operation.
For this market niche, it may be worth noting that The Four Seasons is minutes from Naples Airport, which caters to private planes, while the Ritz-Carlton is closer to Southwest Florida Airport in Fort Myers.