Named after the storied city in Italy, with its own Bay of Naples and a long curve of Gulf Coast sand, Naples has always felt more Mediterranean-minded than Miami-bright. Forbes Travel Guide notes that the city has 10 miles of beach, a 1,000-foot fishing pier, major resorts, full-service spas, and more than 60 golf courses, but the appeal is not just what’s there, it’s how quietly it all unfolds.
This is the Florida beach trip for people who want the polish without the pulse check. Miami is dinner at 10, a dress code you didn’t know about, and a lobby that feels like a casting call. Naples is a long beach morning, a very good lunch, a sunset walk, and the rare vacation rhythm that doesn’t ask you to keep proving you’re having fun.
Angela Rohaidy, a pro travel advisor with FORA, says, “Normally, people think of Naples as a retirement community, which gives it a relaxed, low-key vibe. Compared to Miami or Palm Beach/Boca Raton, it's more family-oriented, laid-back, and the wealth is silent, a true ‘quiet luxury’ destination.”
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Why Now
Four seasons hotels
With new hotels like Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort, restaurants celebrating a more modern side of Gulf Coast dining, fresh national attention for its beaches, and expanded air service into Southwest Florida, Naples is finally earning its spot in the limelight. The city’s biggest opening is the Four Seasons, which debuted in November 2025 on 1,000 feet of white-sand beach, while chef Kayla Pfeiffer’s Bicyclette Cookshop and Heyday Cookshop are helping push the dining scene past its old reputation for predictable resort-town fare.
Liz Valdez, owner of Paradise Food Tours, is happy to see her town having a renaissance. “Naples feels more compelling than ever because people go home feeling refreshed. That is an uncommon experience for most vacationers, in a world trying to constantly market them into doing/having/seeing more. The idea of unplugging from the world is most desirable in a place where everyone else is doing it—and in Naples, people really know how to enjoy the luxury of simple: fresh air and food, exercise, rest, and connection.”
Aerial Views of Delnor-wiggins State Park Beach in Naples, FloridaGetty
The timing is also ever so practical, thanks to Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park landing at No. 4 on Dr. Beach’s 2025 list of the best beaches in the U.S.. Additionally, Southwest Florida International Airport now connects nonstop to 69 destinations on 15 airlines, with new Allegiant routes adding direct access from Allentown, Appleton and Des Moines. Naples is still quieter than Miami, but it no longer feels sleepy.
Where to Stay
Ritz Carlton
You'd be remiss not to book a few nights at the new Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort. This brand new property has rooms and suites with furnished terraces, including ocean-view studio suites and larger one-bedroom options like the Magnolia Suite. In addition to the breathtaking beach, the hotel has a renowned spa, three pools (including one on the rooftop), water sports, e-bike rentals through Old Naples, and oceanfront dining at revived local favorites HB’s and Sunset Bar. Book well ahead in winter and spring, especially for ocean-view rooms.
For classic beachfront luxury, The Ritz-Carlton Naples is still a fan-favorite, with stunning views of the Gulf, 474 recently renovated guest rooms and suites, and a staggering 51,000-square foot spa. Its sister property, The Ritz-Carlton Naples Tiburón, has 295 rooms and is better suited for those craving golf and family-suited amenities like waterslides and kids clubs. Guests can access amenities at both Ritz-Carlton properties, which gives the trip more flexibility than a single-resort stay.
For families who want space without giving up the beach, Edgewater Beach Hotel is the ultimate all-in-one. One-bedroom suites are 700 square feet with kitchens and private balconies, while two-bedroom suites run 950 to 1,100 square feet, also with kitchens and balconies, which makes it easier than ever to relax your schedule even more. The best part? It's right on the beach, so you can wake up and run to the water (something I do often with my busy and bustling 7-year-old).
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Where to Play
The sun sets over the pristine Gulf Coast waters in Naples, Florida—the ultimate destination for quiet luxury.Getty
Start with the beaches, because that’s one of Naples’ biggest draws. Lowdermilk Park is a local and tourist favorite alike, with parking, volleyball courts, a playground, picnic tables, restrooms, showers, gazebos, ADA beach mats, and a concession stand for casual food and rentals. It is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.; you don’t need to book ahead, but parking is pay-by-space for visitors and fills quickly in season.
For a more local-feeling beach, go to Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in North Naples, a quieter favorite for shell-searching, uncrowded swimming, and a little more breathing room than some of the busier stretches of sand. It's open 8 a.m. to sundown and costs less than $10 to visit. Arrive early, because the park temporarily closes to new vehicles when parking is full.
Beyond the beach, there's still plenty to do in town. As Rohaidy says, “The best days in Naples are spent outside, playing golf or tennis or hanging out by the pool, all without a phone.” For a beach with a little arrival ritual, Clam Pass Park has a three-quarter-mile boardwalk through 35 acres of coastal habitat, plus a free tram to the sand and a $10 parking fee for visitors without a Collier County beach permit.
To get on the water, book Pure Florida’s 90-minute Naples Sightseeing Day Cruise from Tin City. For a break from the beach, Naples Botanical Garden is worth the detour for its palms, water lilies, orchids, and quiet walking paths that feel worlds away from the resort strip. If you want something more social, head to the USOP National Pickleball Center, where Naples’ pickleball obsession is on full display and visitors can jump into the scene without making a whole day of it.
The best shopping in Naples is in Old Naples, especially Third Street South and Fifth Avenue South, where you can duck into local boutiques, galleries, jewelry shops, and home stores between lunch and the beach. Start with Marissa Collections on Third Street South for designer clothing and fine jewelry, then wander Fifth Avenue South for smaller boutiques and art galleries that feel very Palm Beach-esque.
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Where to Eat
Getty Images
For a casual breakfast, EJ’s Bayfront Cafe is both delicious and budget-friendly. You have to start with the seafood, so the smoked salmon Benedict, Bayfront scramble, or crab and shrimp omelet is the way to go. For a more aesthetic Old Naples brunch, go to Jane’s Cafe on 3rd for the smashed avocado toast, seafood crabby patty Benedict, Mexican hash or Queen of Croissants. They also have gourmet coffees and juices, including oat milk lattees and fresh-pressed strawberry orange.
Can’t-Miss Lunch
Naples does relaxed seafood lunch especially well. Rohaidy says the restaurant scene is “thriving locally” and “not like Miami, Palm Beach or Boca, full of instagram restaurants and transplants from bigger cities.” Her pick is La Pescheria on Fifth Avenue South, a family-run Italian seafood spot she calls “one of my favorites, like walking home.” Order the branzino meatballs, gnocchetti with Sicilian red prawns, caserecce with branzino and lemon, or a whole fish grilled, baked or salt-crusted.
For something more casual, go to The Dock at Crayton Cove for waterfront drinks, grouper, and blackened fish tacos. It’s old-school Naples in the best way: unfussy, on the water, and better when you are still a little salty from the beach.
“Naples’ food scene is under-reviewed and a hidden gem for well traveled guests of discerning taste. Many renowned chefs retire to Naples to launch their own concepts. Kayla Pfeiffer is an excellent example of this—she's a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist who won Food Network’s show Chopped before launching her own restaurant called Bicyclette Cookshop in north Naples," Valdez says.
Book Bicyclette Cookshop for the dinner that makes Naples feel more current. Order the caviar with Bugles, snapper ceviche, roasted branzino, wagyu smashburger, or whatever fish looks best that night. For a bigger splurge, go to Sails for seafood towers, fresh fish, and a polished Fifth Avenue dinner; for something warmer and less formal, Mediterrano brings coastal Mediterranean dishes like branzino, seafood pasta, lamb, and Moroccan salmon just off Fifth Avenue.
Food Tour
For a first night, book Paradise Food Tours on Fifth Avenue South. Valdez says the perfect Naples day might include “a leisurely food tour of 5th Ave S to enjoy 5 tastings, then a boat tour of the bay to see the homes and backyards of the uber-rich from the water.” It’s a good way to taste Old Naples without turning every meal into a separate reservation.
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