On a recent visit to Naples, I stayed at the Inn on Fifth, a perfect jewel box of a hotel on Fifth Avenue, right in the heart of all the nightlife, which is what I was in town to check out. My second floor room had sliding doors that led directly to the rooftop pool and Jacuzzi, so after checking those out, I visited the spa for a facial. Hey, a girl’s gotta look her best when she’s going out for the evening.

Anna, my aesthetician at The Spa on Fifth, gave me an age-defying facial that incorporates a mineral mask, which she removed with tissue-covered magnets. Sounds crazy, but I left the treatment with glowing skin. I then headed for the spa’s steam room, which was heavenly. No insipid mist here; this was a full-out Turkish steam and both the steam room and sauna are available to guests of the Inn at no extra charge.

We had dinner at Maxwell’s on the Bay, at the Village on Venetian Bay. Maxwell’s is a Naples institution that serves the best lobster in town. They have an extensive menu that offers New England specialties including clam chowder and lobster bisque, steaks and fish but, as I’ve been telling Peter, the owner, for over 20 years, I can’t go to Maxwell’s without ordering the steamed lobster. No one else does a steamed lobster like Maxwell’s. Try it and let me know what you think.

Naples may be the only Florida beach town with no public entertainment on the beach. A few of the beach resorts have bars on or near the beach. Naples Beach Club is legendary for its sunset happy hours, where singles go to meet and drink. But there aren’t any independently owned restaurants or bars that offer entertainment on the beach in Naples.

For the most part, Naples nightlife takes place on Fifth Avenue and Third Street South, so after dinner we headed first to Third Street South and Handsome Harry’s. Basically a restaurant, Harry’s has live music nightly, usually a one- or two-piece band. Everyone crowds around the small bar and smaller outside courtyard area where there are one or two benches you might be lucky enough to find open if you arrive early enough. If you haven’t dined there and kept your table far into the night, you’re pretty much relegated to the sidelines. Still, the place packs them in.

Right next door is Campiellos, an Italian restaurant which is even more of a nightlife anomaly since it has no live music, just an outdoor bar where, again, you’re lucky to find a seat. And the singles crowd keeps coming. Go figure.

Back on Fifth Avenue, right next to the Inn on Fifth, is a three-sided courtyard bordered by three Naples staples: McCabe’s Irish Pub, Trulucks and Yabbas Island Grill. Again, they’re all restaurants by day that turn into gathering places as the night progresses. We stopped at McCabe’s first, which is modeled on a traditional Irish pub. The food, drink and entertainment all follow suit. A balladeer was on hand on Saturday, playing Irish favorites and taking requests from the crowd.

Next we moved across the courtyard to the always-packed Yabbas, which serves Caribbean-inspired food, boasts an extensive rum list and draws a typically younger bunch who come to listen to a DJ spin an eclectic mix of music.