Destination: Florida : Naples : American-Style

NAPLES, Fla. —  There was perplexity on the faces of those who came to comment on my suntan last spring when I told them where I had been. Naples, I said, but not the one in Italy. Naples, the one in Florida.

Seems most people don’t know much about Naples, the one in Florida, although the two cities have certain things in common: a Mediterranean climate and good grilled fish. But unlike Naples, Italy, which has some of the worst slums in Europe, Naples on the southwest coast of Florida is strictly well-heeled, along the lines of Palm Beach on the east coast, or Palm Springs in California, or Southampton in New York in the summer.

The beachfront homes along Gordon Drive and the mansions in the Port Royal area of Old Naples are so lavish they could easily be mistaken for small grand hotels. And the high-rises that front on the Gulf of Mexico, while irksome to environmentalists, are cleverly designed to emphasize views of the beach and gulf beyond. Along the canals that run through the city, especially around Venetian Bay, low-rise condos with neo-Mediterranean facades are visible from the street; the yachts out front are docked in Disney-clean marinas.

In fact, the whole feel of this city is moneyed and manicured. With sugar on top: a 10-mile stretch of white-powder beach lined with palm trees. That’s what first attracted a couple of journalists from the Louisville Courier-Journal back in 1885 who formed a winter colony here. Publisher Walter N. Haldeman is said to have sailed down the coast of Florida that year and proclaimed this wilderness area on the fringes of the Everglades as prime real estate. He and some partners soon formed the Naples Town Improvement Co. A hotel, some cottages and a road to Fort Myers, Fla., followed. Not long after, a winter society took root.

Today, that society has taken on a profile of its own. Unlike the snowbirds on the east coast of Florida, who mostly arrive from the Northeast, the retired and affluent who escape to Naples during the cold months come mainly from the Midwest and Canada. Their entertainment of choice is golf. One of Naples’ claims to fame is that it has more golf courses per capita than any other U.S. metropolitan area.

Shopping is also big sport, in ingratiating shopping areas with names like Waterside Shops, The Village on Venetian Bay and Third Street South. The stores here are not for the Loehmann’s shopper. Or for those with a preference for black: Periwinkle blue, plum and cobalt dinner jackets are common sights in windows of men’s haberdasheries.

People also spend time managing their money, or so it seems. Along the main road, U.S. 41, also known as the Tamiami Trail, an elegant-looking bank anchors just about every corner, with investment firms in equally dignified buildings close by. Rolls-Royces, Lincolns and Mercedes in these parking lots are as bountiful as shells on the beach.

Perhaps the only curiosity in Naples is the overabundance of strip malls along a seven-mile stretch between the north and south ends of the city. But many of the stores are painted turquoise or pink, so it’s hard to feel that visually offended.

So what’s a tourist to do in Naples . . . the one in Florida?

My husband and I checked into the Ritz-Carlton, where he was attending a think tank. This Ritz (just voted the No. 1 mainland U.S. resort in Conde Nast Traveler 1994 Readers Choice Awards; up from the No. 2 spot the previous year) is part of the international chain that devotes its energies to pampering guests and billing heftily for it. Its commanding beachfront presence in opulent Naples seems as natural as the mangrove swamps in nearby Everglades National Park. (Most of the area hotels, while not quite as ritzy as the Ritz or its competitor, the Registry Hotel, range from expensive to very expensive in the December-to-May season. In summer, package deals and lower rates exist.)

We spent the first day flopped on the beach, lazily watching pelicans diving for fish and dolphins leaping offshore. This alone made us glad we came. When we felt our energies pick up, we took a walk down by the water, burying our feet in ground-up shells, occasionally stopping to chat with some of the well-toned and well-tanned seniors who walk the shore each day.

The full Ritz treatment soon kicked in. “Did you find the hamburger to your satisfaction?” asked the attendant at the hotel pool where we had parked for lunch. At the Ritz, the help talks like this. There’s no “Hi.” No “How ya’ doin’?” Only “Good morning, ma’am.” And “May I be of service?” By late afternoon, we were warming up to the weather and the attention and were learning fast to flip dollar-bill tips off a roll in our beach bag. “May I bring you another towel, ma’am?” Flip. “May I hold the door for you, ma’am?” And again. “May I guide you to the concierge?” Another do, another dollar.

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Food is another thing that Naples does well. One time, we ate dinner at the Mangrove Cafe, a tiny restaurant on Fifth Avenue with a fish-and-fruit Caribbean bent. Other evenings, we ordered grilled grouper and pompano at the Chef’s Garden on Third Street and Florida stone crabs at the Ritz’s five-star restaurant, The Grill. We also ate alligator, but that happened a little farther south, in Everglades City.

One cloudy day, after the think tank had thought, we drove 45 minutes along the Tamiami to see live reptiles at Wooten’s Everglade Air Boat Tours and Swamp Buggy Rides in Ochopee, right past the turnoff for Everglades City. For $12 each, we got to hold a 2-year-old reptile and throw marshmallows into pens and ponds where hundreds of the big and old ones laze away the days looking catatonic.

Heading back to U.S. 29, we stopped at Jungle Erv’s for an airboat ride into the Everglades. The hour tour only lasted 35 minutes, and we didn’t see any manatees or wild alligators as pictured in the brochure, but we did spot nesting ospreys and snowy white egrets and felt the spray in our faces as the captain did thrilling spin turns in the water.

For other attractions, Naples has the Teddy Bear Museum on Pine Ridge Road and Palm Cottage, which was built by publisher Haldeman as a guest house for his editor, Henry Watterson, so that they could winter together in Naples. It is now maintained by the Collier County Historical Society. There is also train memorabilia to see at the Naples Depot on 10th Street and T-shirts and souvenirs to buy at Tin City, a group of former boathouses turned shops on Fifth Avenue. For music and dance, there is the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, and for those with spare time, there are side trips to Marco Island, Captiva and Sanibel Island.

But if it’s cultural diversity you want in a vacation, don’t come here. And if you’re looking for bargains or traveling on a budget, head elsewhere. While this Naples may not have the recognition of its namesake in Italy, it seems fat and happy just the way it is.

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GUIDEBOOK

The Other Naples

Getting there: From LAX, American, Continental, Delta and U.S. Air have connecting flights to Naples, Fla., airport. Round-trip fares start at $378.

Where to stay: The Ritz-Carlton, 280 Vanderbilt Beach Road; telephone (800) 241-3333. Mobile five-star, AAA five-diamond beachfront resort with 463 rooms, tennis courts, fitness center, pool with hot tub, nearby golf and four restaurants. Rates are from $305 to $595 per night, double occupancy, (not including suite rates).

The Registry Resort, 475 Seagate Drive; tel. (813) 597-3232. The 474 rooms have balconies overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Fine restaurants and a tennis center. Rates are from $285 to $365 per night, double.

Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, 851 Gulfshore Blvd.; tel. (800) 237-7600. 315-room beachfront resort with par-72 PGA golf course, tennis facilities, restaurants and pool. Rates are from $185 to $260 per night, double.

Inn of Naples, 4055 N. Tamiami Trail; tel. (800) 237-8858. With 64 rooms, pool and spa, and cafe. Rates are $126 to $152 per night, double.

Where to eat: Mangrove Cafe, 878 5th Ave. South. Fish and meat specialties with a Caribbean influence; $40 to $60 for two; tel. (813) 262-7076.

The Grill at the Ritz-Carlton is designed to look like a English gentlemen’s club. Dinner for two runs at least $120 without wine or drinks; tel. (813) 598-3300.

Chef’s Garden, 1300 3rd St. South. Best to go with the grilled fish specialties of the day. Interesting wine list. Dinner for two, about $75; tel. (813) 262-5500.

What to do: Wooten’s Everglade Air Boat Tours and Swamp Buggy Rides, U.S. 41, Ochopee; tel. (813) 695-2781.

Teddy Bear Museum, 2511 Pine Ridge Road; tel. (813) 598-2711.

Palm Cottage, 137 12th Ave. South; (813) 261-8164.

Naples Depot, 1051 5th Ave.South; tel. (813) 262-1776.

Tin City Shops, 1200 5th Ave. South; tel. (813) 262-4200.

Philharmonic Center for the Arts, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., tel. (813) 597-1111.

For further information: Florida Division of Tourism, 126 W. Van Buren St., Tallahassee 32301, (904) 487-1462.