Has anyone been to Naples?

[Rach-Muscat]

Hi everyone
We will be going on our second Orlando trip this August, but will also be doing our third week somewhere else in Florida. At the moment we are not too sure where to spend this week. I was thinking of Naples, but haven't actually had any recommendations. Could anyone recommend somewhere fairly relaxing, but with nice things to see and do? We will be booking a villa for 7 of us.
Thank you in advance for your help

Rachael

 

[Hilary]

We stayed in Naples for 5 nights last Easter, having stayed at a couple of places further north on the Gulf Coast on previous trips.

I can't pinpoint any particular reason but, for us, Naples didn't have us clamouring for more. It was a nice enough area, the hotel was great and there was plenty to do around and about but I'd prefer to return to some of the other places we've visited than head back to Naples. However, this is purely a personal opinion - there are others who post here who really like Naples - we're all looking for different things from our holiday destinations, aren't we?

We visited Everglades city a couple of times, took an airboat ride through the Everglades, spent an evening at the riverside shopping area (can't remember the name offhand) in Naples and DDs and I enjoyed a day at the huge shopping mall in Naples whilst DH went fishing for the day.

PM me if you'd like any further details about those places, I can certainly find out the names for you. You could also take a look at my trip report of the days we spent in Naples, you'll find them here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=582915

 

[vernon]

I went to visit a friend who lives in Naples, we were only there for a day so perhaps my feelings are a little unfair. Like Hilery, it left me just a little cold. It's a pretty place, nice little town with some nice ( a bit pricey) restaurants, beach is attractive (apart from a fair amount of seaweed). It just reminded me of the town in the movie the Stepford wives ( the original movie). It doesn't seem to have any soul to it.

Obviously much depends on what you like to do, IMHO there's not a lot more available than lying about around the pool/on the beach. If that's your bag then it may well be perfect for you. But in August it is going to be REALLY hot and sticky ( particularly on the Gulf coast side). At least on the Atlantic side the water is a little cooler and you do get a cooler breeze.

As an alternative you could look at going up to somewhere like St Augustine on the northern Atlantic side of Florida or even up to the Carolina's. I've stayed at Hilton Head Island a couple of times and think it's a great palce to stay. Other towns nearby are Savannah and Charleston, both have a long history and have interesting places to visit. St Augustine is about 3 hours from WDW, Hilton Head about 6 hours

 

[SeattleRedBear]

We were in Naples several years ago and had the same impression. If you're willing to do the drive, the Florida Keys (esp. Key West) would be much interesting IMO.

 

[Kevin Stringer]

Seems like I'm in the minority, but I really liked Naples. It's quite cosmopolitan with art galleries and nice restaurants.
It might get a bit boring to be there for a whole week, we only looked around for a few hours.

I now I keep on about it, but my tip would be to stay in Captiva or Sanibel.

Kev

 

[vernon]

Rachael, you don't break down the exact make up of your group, but I'm guessing there are more than one family/set of adults.

What could be a workable idea for your group, one that cuts down on having to pack up ALL your stuff to move it around, that would give all of you a break from each other as well as the parks would be to keep your villa in the WDW area for the whole 3 weeks and each family/set of adults take a short (2,3 or 4 nights) break at different times to different places. That way it gives you more coverage of areas (maybe ideas for a future trip), it allows you to just pack a bag for a few days, gives the group a break from each other just in case things are getting a little too claustrophobic. For example if you all arrived in Fl on day 1, stayed together for 5 days, then on day 6 family/group one went to Captiva/Naples for 3 days/nights. day 10-14 spend together in the parks, days 15-17 family/group two go to St Augustine/Miami/Vero beach and then join up for the last 3/4 days together. IMHO no matter how well families/friends/kids get on at home, being on vacation together in the same villa can become a little wearing after 3 weeks. Usually over the smallest things, building in enforced breaks allows any friction to cool and also gives you something different to talk about when the groups get back together again.

Even if it's mom,dad 3 kids and one set of grandparents, this can work well if mom and dad (maybe one smaller kid if necessary) go off alone to the beach for a couple of days and later the grand parents take a few days out on their own to recover from the demands of having grand kids around 24/7.

Doesn't work for everyone, but IMHO it's worth considering. The logistics of packing up EVERYONE then moving camp can be quite tiring and take up valuable vacation time, throwing a few clothes in a suitcase and heading off is a much less traumatic and time consuming experience. Letting mom and dad have a little time to themselves is a rare pleasure from most parents and even just a couple of days quality time together can make a family holiday a special experience for the (usually rushed/stressed) parents as well.