Hours after sinking my toes into the sugar-sand beaches of Naples, I'm sitting in a posh restaurant on Fifth Avenue South, sipping a glass of wine and indulging in the fine life.

In this southwest Florida beach town, elements of big city life mix with miles of beautiful coastline to create a rich, tropical air. Here, it's just as natural to go strolling through high-end boutiques and art galleries in Naples' fashionable downtown as it is to go barefoot, collecting seashells on a pristine island.

Though I'm a Florida native, this trip to Naples was my first - but it certainly won't be my last. This cosmopolitan beach paradise offers more than a weekend jaunt can satisfy.

My retreat began at a luxurious ResortQuest rental house overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. As soon as my friend and I pulled into the pebble driveway, past the colorful mermaid mailbox, we knew it would be the ultimate beach getaway.

Inside the two-story house, we found flat-screen TVs, hardwood floors, marble countertops and stained-glass windows. There was even a complimentary bottle of 2003 Clos de Bois Chardonnay - in a beach pail, of course.

We opened the double sliding glass doors in the spacious living room, which was painted in warm, golden hues, and let the Gulf breeze wash over us. Now this, I thought, could quickly feel like home. Downstairs, a covered patio with lounge chairs and a table created the perfect refuge from the sun, and the garage was stocked with all the beach essentials: bicycles, floats, coolers and chairs. Best of all, the house was in a quiet, residential neighborhood, so we had the kind of privacy you just can't find in a hotel.
As Jimmy Buffett tunes played in the background, we cruised along Naples Bay and peeked into the backyards of the ultra-wealthy, where palatial estates resembled hotels more than homes.

After settling in, we took a short drive to Naples Pier, where hundreds of people gathered to watch the sunset as children in bathing suits danced along the shoreline.

When the stars came out, so did the fancy clothes. So we traded flip-flops for high heels and headed to Blu Sushi, an ultra-sleek restaurant off Third Street South with cream leather couches, house music and hip martinis, like the Ginger Cosmo. The fish was fresh, and we especially enjoyed the eel, avocado and cream cheese roll (called "Sunny"). Not wanting to call it a night, we walked across the street to Handsome Harry's, where we sipped cocktails on the spacious terrace while listening to classic Motown grooves.

Soon Saturday dawned bright and clear, so we grabbed a beach bag and towels from the rental house and boarded Sweet Liberty, a 53-foot catamaran that offers three-hour shelling trips to Key Island. As Jimmy Buffett tunes played in the background, we cruised along Naples Bay and peeked into the backyards of the ultra-wealthy, where palatial estates resembled hotels more than homes.

Finding seashells was a breeze on Key Island. Every step turned up a must-have shell. There were Florida fighting conchs and lightning whelk. An hour later, the captain blew a conch shell, our signal that it was time to go.

That evening, we dressed in our finest for dinner at Café Lurcat, an upscale restaurant with outdoor seating and a main dining room featuring a spectacular mural on the cathedral ceiling. After browsing the extensive wine list, we settled on a bottle of 2005 Villa Rosa Gavi, a crisp white wine from Italy. We dined on soft shell crabs and succulent glazed sea bass marinated in miso. For dessert, it was Brioche French toast caramelized with bananas, served à la mode. Truly divine!

Then we walked to the Sugden Community Theatre and watched Nunsense, a musical put on by the Naples Players that left us laughing long after the play ended. We capped the night with a drink on our beachfront patio, the waves providing a soothing soundtrack.

Our final morning, we savored a seaside breakfast, easily prepared in our rental home's full kitchen. By lunchtime, we were off to an art show on palm tree-lined Fifth Avenue South, where we munched on crab cakes dipped in homemade tartar sauce from the local restaurant Truluck's, and browsed art galleries and boutiques. Still in the shopping spirit, we checked out the Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay, an outdoor mall with valet and stores including Brooks Brothers and Saks Fifth Avenue.

But we weren't ready to say goodbye to Naples just yet. After a quick stroll along Vanderbilt Beach, we returned to the beach house, settled into lounge chairs and shared a cool and creamy key lime tart we had picked up from Tony's Off Third, a smart little bistro with a fantastic wine selection.

As the sun slipped below the horizon, leaving pastel streaks of pink and blue in the sky, I couldn't help but think ahead to my next trip to this sophisticated stretch of beach paradise.