On a recent sunny April morning, I
woke up at the new Hyatt House Naples/Fifth Avenue, looked out my window over
the Gordon River and asked myself how I wanted to spend the next several
hours.
I had a lot of choices.
Open since March, the 183-room
hotel sits almost directly across Highway 41 from Naples’ popular dining and
shopping complex, Tin City. It’s a short five- to 10-minute walk from the ritzy
shops and restaurants of Fifth Avenue, which is Naples’ central downtown
street. And the drive to the Naples Pier and the city’s beautiful beaches takes
just five minutes or so.
But I decided to concentrate on
what the hotel had to offer. I walked down to the dock, rented a kayak from the
hotel’s concessionaire, Extreme Family Fun Spot, and contented myself with
exploring the river. Over the following two hours I paddled past waterfront
homes, tried my luck in a narrow mangrove creek and then headed under the
highway toward Tin City and Naples Bay, where tour boats were setting out.
The swimming pool at Hyatt House Naples/Fifth Avenue. Photo Credit: Robert Silk
When I returned to the hotel, I
took a dip in the hotel’s infinity pool, which overlooks the river, then jumped
in the hot tub to massage the back and shoulder muscles I had worked during the
paddle. Realizing that it was already past 1 p.m., I silently cursed; the time
to go had come way too soon.
The Hyatt House brand is marketed
primarily for extended stays. And indeed, Hyatt House Naples is an
extended-stay hotel. Its 183 rooms include 120 suites with full kitchens. My
room, for example, had a bedroom, with its balcony over the river; a kitchen
complete with dishwasher, cooking facilities and full-size refrigerator; and a
comfortable living room.
Among the hotel’s amenities are
other extended-stay touches, such as a small 24-hour market, complimentary
grocery shopping service and same-day dry cleaning.
Naples being Naples, hotel manager
Jay Slaboch told me they expect winter visitors, rather than business people,
to be their primary extended stay customers.
But unlike some Hyatt Houses, the
new Naples offerings will appeal strongly to families and couples in search of
a weekend getaway or a weeklong vacation.
A suite in the Hyatt House Naples/Fifth Avenue. Photo Credit: Robert Silk
During my one-night stay at the
hotel, I met a Central Florida couple visiting for several days with their new
baby. I also worked my way into a conversation with a local couple who shared
my love for the 1980s Chevy Chase movie “Fletch” and who had made a day out of
bicycling to Hyatt House’s comfortable outdoor bar for cocktails overlooking
the river.
Food and drinks can also be ordered
poolside from the hotel’s Latitude 26 restaurant or taken indoors. I enjoyed an
outdoor dinner of scallop risotto with sundried tomatoes from Latitude 26
during my night at the Hyatt House, then took the short walk off-property for
the nightlife of downtown Naples.
For more information and to book a
stay, visit the Hyatt House/Naples Fifth Avenue website.