Day 1: De-stress in a luxury hotel with a seaside massage.
Day 2: Go horizontal on a cushy sand beach.
Day 3: Be lulled into utter complacency aboard a sea cruise.
Day 4: Find your inner-peace in nature’s decompression tank.
Are you relaxed yet? Naples is where Floridians in the know go to kick back – away from the pressures of big-city traffic and vacationing complexities. Seems that more than Floridians are in the know these days: U.S. News & World Report, in fact, recently included Naples on its Most Relaxing Beaches in the U.S. and the Caribbean list, ranking it at No. 5.
Check In to Check Out: The Hotel and Spa Scene
You do it for your computer from time to time as regular maintenance – defragment it to get rid of the kinks and quirks. Don’t you think it’s time you did the same for your poor overloaded memory banks and mental processor?
Paradise Coast’s vast inventory of gulf-front resorts, spa getaways and Everglades retreats work their magic. If pure pampering is the answer to your stress problem, you have plenty to choose from in Naples and Marco Island. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples; Naples Grande Beach Resort, The Waldorf Astoria Collection; Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club; Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club & Spa; Marco Beach Ocean Resort and Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa all boast the enviable combination of beach and spa. Where the soothing effect of waves leaves off, luxury spa treatments take up. Most offer kids programs that keep the little ones happy, so you can let go of all your worries.
If ditching work translates to dropping out of mainstream tempos, however, a waterfront cottage at historic Rod & Gun Club or a kayaking-Bed & Breakfast package at Ivey House, both in Everglades City, is just the thing.
The Nature-Deficit Cure: Exploring the Great Outdoors
Don’t deny your body and soul the nature-plug-in it needs to recharge. Blow off steam playing a round of golf in the midst of a bird sanctuary. Drift with the tides on a boating or fishing charter. Paddle into the maze of islands and mangrove estuary of Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge at the edge of wild Everglades National Park.
Reconnecting with nature can be as adventurous as a bike ride into the world of wild orchids and wet wilderness at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, or as easy as a walk on a beach.
Stranded on a Sandbar: Paradise Coast Beaches
Go ahead, live a Jimmy Buffett song. Beach yourself, order margaritas and boat drinks, and tune into the coconut telegraph. This is the Paradise Coast, where 30 miles of the softest, whitest, widest sands you can imagine carpet your fantasy.
Whether you prefer total seclusion or a city beach with lots of water sports, smart restaurants and bars within beach-shuffle distance, the region’s variety hits the mark.
The municipal beaches around the Naples Pier keep lively with everything from fishermen bringing in their daily catch to couples dancing under the moon to the percussion of waves breaking on the sand. To find shells and solitude, hop a boat shuttle to Keewaydin, Coconut or one of the other Ten Thousand barrier islands untethered to the mainland. Marco Island beaches teem with parasailing, jet-skiing, stand-up paddleboarding, sailing and all manner of aquatic fun for the family.
You can simply throw down a blanket, sink into the sand and snooze to the song of seabirds and surf.
Are you relaxed now?
This article was brought to you by Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Paradise Coast. To plan your trip to the Paradise Coast, visit www.paradisecoast.com.
