FLORIDA
FEATURES
Winter Golf:
Playing, Staying,
and Dining
the
Naples Way
By Derek Duncan,
Senior Writer
NAPLES, FL (October 29, 2002) -- Perhaps it's no coincidence that in a state that has given the word "snowbird" its own colloquial turn, one of the most desirable destinations is in many ways like a mountain ski town.
Naples has atleast as much in common with, say, Aspen as it does with its southwestern Florida surrounds. For one thing it's more seasonal than any other city in Florida with roughly half its "residents" living elsewhere six months of the year. And in the winter the city positively lights up, overflowing with energy and outdoor activity.
Naples and Aspen are also alike in their display of conspicuous affluence, but instead of fur coats and room-sized SUV's there are silk shirts, tiny designer dresses, and Jaguars. Beaches and sun worship replaces skiing during the light hours, and at night the restaurants and bars on Fifth Avenue South come alive with the same élan that draws the Hollywood set to the famous Rocky Mountain hamlet.
Of course if it's winter in Florida there must be golf involved somehow, and when it comes to such there couldn't be a better place than Naples to find it. Local literature claims there are more golf courses per capita in the Naples area than anywhere in the world, and coupled with the town's bent for luxurious living it means high class fun in the sun.
How
best to maximize
this type of
beautiful living?
A great option
would be a stay
at either the
Inn at Pelican
Bay or its sister
hotel, the Inn
on Fifth while
taking advantage
of their affiliation
with a number
of Naples best
layouts.
The Inn at Pelican Bay drips with South Florida flavor. Adorned by palms and dressed in dashingly appropriate hues of sunshine and flamingo, the 100-room hotel located on the north side of town is a posh, soft-spoken retreat only minutes from the Gulf shore and the nearby Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The 87-room Inn on Fifth is situated in the heart of the revitalized Old Naples and Fifth Avenue South and it the place to be for fine dining and shopping. It's decorated with more of a European motif and wears its elegance in a sophisticated manner. Both hotels offer something different (relaxation versus the surrounding bustle) while still typifying the Neapolitan (Florida) expression of casual luxury.
Specialized arrangements for golf at Naples area courses are available through either Inn. Rounds at Tiburon, Raptor Bay, and Lely Resort, forinstance, give the golfer a full tour of the region's differing styles of golf.
The
Greg
Norman-designed
Tiburon Golf
Club, located
at the Ritz-Carlton
Golf Resort
in northwest
Naples, is arguably
the region's
finest. Nine
new holes opened
in October 2002
giving the resort
36 holes cut
through a landscape
of wetlands,
dense pine forests,
and open marsh.
While on one
hand it exemplifies
the indigenous
flat quality
of southwest
Florida golf,
Tiburon is enhanced
beyond almost
all other with
its wall-to-wall
fairways and
sleek, savvy
green complexes.
Raptor Bay was designed by Ray Floyd and opened in September 2001. This course stretches its fairly limited terrain in a unique direction. While similar to Tiburon in its emphasis on conditioning and lack of rough, Raptor Bay attempts to pose strategic challenge without the aid of traditional greenside bunkering. Crushed coquina-shell waste areas flank many of the smooth fairways and greens, but aside from the lakes and wetlands that dot the course its greatest defense comes from visual deception and convex green contour.
The
Flamingo Island
Course at Lely
Resort opened
in 1990 and
helped to define
what is now
the blueprint
for Naples golf.
This Robert
Trent Jones,
Sr. course has
been widely
hailed as one
of the area's
best (and best
known) and is
certainly one
of the most
definitive.
The first nine
is quintessential
southern Florida
with holes punctuated
by large bunkers
that weave through
lakes and the
Lely development.
The second nine
possesses what
would now be
considered a
secluded Carolina
feel, a marketing
concept currently
popular among
Florida courses
and PR firms.
A second option
at Lely is the
Mustang course,
built in 1997
and accredited
to the team
of Lee
Trevino
and William
Graves. The
Mustang is more
of a wide-open,
rambling style
of course that
also features
plenty of water
hazards and
prodigious greens.
Other courses available to guests of both the Inn at Pelican Bay and the Inn on Fifth are the Mike Hill and Chip Powell-designed Pelican Sound, a prototypical "natural" Naples area course, and the Palmer Course Design Group's demonstrative Naples Lakes featuring bold bunkering, exaggerated hazards, and highly contoured greens.
Packages
for overnight
accommodations
at the Inn at
Pelican Bay
begin at $234
for two nights
and golf at
two of the following
courses: Tiburon,
Raptor Bay,
Pelican Sound,
or The Colony
Golf & Country
Club in Bonita
Springs. Packages
at the Inn on
Fifth start
at $116 for
one night and
one round at
Lely Resort.
Both hotels
have multiple-night
packages as
well.
Where To Stay
The Inn at Pelican Bay is ideally suited for those wanting a relaxed resort experience. Pelican Bay is convenient at the area's northern courses such as Tiburon (5-10 minute drive) and Raptor Bay (20 minutes), and just minutes from the beaches.
The Inn
at Pelican Bay
800 Vanderbilt
Beach Road
Naples, FL 34108
1-800-597-8770
941-597-8777
www.naplesinn.com
Room rates vary
seasonally from
$70 to $265.
The Inn on Fifth puts the guest in the middle of the lively downtown Naples scene and close to the southern courses such as Lely Resort and Naples Lakes.
The Inn
on Fifth
699 5th Avenue
South
Naples, FL 34102
1-888-403-8778
941-403-8777
Room rates vary
seasonally from
$119 to $399.
Where To Eat
The first option for those staying at the Inn on Fifth is McCabe's Irish Pub & Grill adjacent to the Inn. Always one of the liveliest rooms on the avenue, owner Philip McCabe traces his heritage to County Cork and modeled his restaurant after touring the great pubs of Ireland. McCabe's is a charming spot to down a pint and serves a full Irish-inspired menu along with live Irish music.
With a well-to-do and presumably well-traveled audience, Naples could make a case for the best dining on Florida's west coast. The number of high-end restaurants in Old Naples is impressive, highlighted by Annabelle's (239-261-4275) just two blocks from the Inn on Fifth. Downstairs at Annabelle's serves a casual menu in a setting that could easily pass for a San Francisco hot spot. Upstairs the cuisine turns more sophisticated with a star-studded wine list to match it.
Something rather different takes place at Mangrove Café (941-262-7076), located on the east end of Fifth Avenue. Mangrove's eccentricity is immediately evident in a menu that sometimes hits and sometimes misses in crossing contemporary American, southern, Cajun, and Caribbean fares. Example: a lobster mac & cheese appetizer. The interior is funky, the portions are large, and the wine list is as fairly priced as anything on the avenue.
For late-night action try Zoe's (239-261-1221), a hip restaurant until 10 pm when it morphs into Naples's version of a South Beach club. Spot here tanned singles and couples slurping martinis and looking their best as dance music thumps into the street. If you're interested in wine, Zoe's has all the toys, for a price.
Where To Shop
As if you couldn't guess, Fifth Avenue South is the place to be. The strip is teeming with art galleries and studios and is truly the center for artisan crafts. Upscale shopping is also found on Third Street South and two miles north of Old Naples on U.S. 41 in the Waterside Shops.
For those who
enjoy fine wine,
cigars, and
the accompanying
lifestyle, a
visit to Bacchus
of Naples (239-659-3232)
is a must. Located
on the west
end
of Fifth Avenue
South, Bacchus
of Naples is
one of the best
wine boutiques
in the South
offering a diverse
selection of
rare and elite
bottles of wine
and Champagne,
cigars, and
a lovely arrangement
of crystal and
luxurious wine
accessories.
Tiburon
2620 Tiburon
Dr.
Naples, FL 34109
239-594-2040
Raptor Bay
Golf Club
23001 Coconut
Point Resort
Drive
Bonita Springs,
FL 34134
941-390-4610
Lely Resort
8004 Lely Resort
Blvd.
Naples, FL 34113
941-793-2223
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