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OFF-SEASON ADVENTURES PERFECT FOR FAMILIES AND COUPLES IN
NAPLES, MARCO ISLAND & THE EVERGLADES
TRANSFORMED HOTELS & GREAT DINING HIGHLIGHT WHAT’S NEW IN
FLORIDA’S PARADISE COAST
Naples, Fla. (April 14, 2017) – Florida’s Paradise Coast – the Gulf Coast destination including Naples,
Marco Island, Everglades City and the Gulf Coast Everglades, is a great choice for an adventurous family
vacation or couple’s getaway, especially during the less busy season between May and December. Hotel
rates are lower than the during the peak winter season and there is a more relaxed pace around the
destination.
Returning guests familiar with Marco Island will be welcomed in style, as all three beachfront resort hotels
have undergone major renovations. The downtown Naples area has a new waterfront hotel and many
recently completed resort and hotel renovations. Attractions focus on nature and are not only fun, but
provide memorable and fun learning experiences for kids of all ages.
Hotel News
The Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort transformed to the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort on
January 1 after a $320 million renovation. When all work is complete in mid-summer on the new Lanai
Tower, the resort will have a total of 810 newly renovated and enhanced guestrooms. There are delicious
new dining options, a reimagined lobby and all of the amenities and service standards befitting a JW
Marriott. The resort is planning a Grand Opening celebration for November 2017.
Olshan Properties has completed a $40 million transformation of its Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort &
Spa. The AAA luxury 4-Diamond boutique style resort with 310 rooms is located on 10.5 acres directly on
Marco Island’s white sand crescent-shaped beach. Upgrades take full advantage of the location. New
dining options include The Deck at 560 Restaurant and Bar, a new indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant for
everything from casual drinks at the pool to indoor and deck seating for cocktails and dinner. The
completely reimagined 11th-floor penthouse level now offers 16 new one- and two-bedroom oversized
luxury family suites with connecting room options.
Marco Beach Ocean Resort has completed a comprehensive renovation of its one- and two-bedroom
suites – perfect for families or couples traveling together – and has updated the resort’s Gulf Ballroom
and pool furniture. Each of the resort’s 77 one-bedroom and 16 two-bedroom suites offers a kitchenette,
spacious living room and private balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico or lush garden terraces.
Meanwhile, signature restaurant Sale e Pepe has once again been awarded AAA Four Diamond status.
The Hyatt House Naples/Fifth Avenue on the picturesque Gordon River section of Naples Bay opened in
March 2016. Naples architect Matt Kragh designed the 183-room property with an Old Florida feel with
modern touches, featuring an off-white exterior plus parapets and cornices. The hotel has 3,160 sq. ft. of
meeting space and a large waterfront restaurant/bar, Latitude 26.
The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club has completed a total redesign of the AAA Four-Diamond
beachfront resort’s historic golf course. The redesign was done with input from golf icon and acclaimed
course designer Jack Nicklaus in collaboration with noted course architect John Sanford. The course is
open for public play as well as for resort guests. This major $9 million project follows $50 million in
impressive renovations and enhancements at the resort over the last few years. Set on 125 lush acres,
complemented by seven miles of pristine white sandy beach, The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club is
located directly on the beach with an on-site championship golf course, a world-class spa, and an awardwinning tennis center.
The Edgewater Beach Hotel recently completed a full property renovation and has also introduced a new
custom-designed Serenity Suite. The Serenity Suite is a supremely comfortable luxury accommodation
with custom amenities intended to create a tranquil, soothing and transformative experience. This all-suite
resort is a long-time favorite for summer family beach vacations.
Attraction News
Naples Botanical Garden recently added the new Eleanor and Nicholas Chabraja Visitor Center and three
new gardens: the LaGrippe Orchid Garden, Irma’s Garden and Kathryn’s Garden, all designed by famed
landscape architect Raymond Jungles. A new onsite food and beverage option, Fogg Café, is led by the
culinary team at Lurcat Catering and uses a variety of fruit, vegetables and herbs grown right at the
garden. An expansive Children’s Garden provides endless fun with a tree house for climbing, lots of
flowers and vegetables for kids to water, a butterfly house and more.
A family favorite in Naples, Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is an award-winning charitable
organization with its mission of conservation and education. The nationally accredited zoo – nestled in a
44-acre historic botanical garden founded in 1919 – offers families a full day of wild fun from apes to
zebras featuring wildlife shows and other entertaining educational programming. The latest residents to
join the zoo are a mated pair of extremely rare clouded leopards. Admission includes the family favorite
Primate Expedition Cruise. A boat takes passengers for a cruise on the zoo’s Lake Victoria to view the
islands where all of the zoo’s primate species live on cage-free islands. Lemurs, monkeys and a variety of
ape species all dwell in these island habitats. Naples Zoo offers a regular online discount ticket for those
that purchase in advance. For ticket information, visit www.napleszoo.org.
The Dolphin Explorer boat takes passengers out twice daily for a trip that is much more than a dolphin
sightseeing tour. Naturalists working on the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project allow passengers to
participate as “citizen scientists” and help identify, photograph and log photos and behavior data for all
the dolphins spotted. The trips depart twice daily from Marco Island. Because of the Dolphin Explorer
experience, Marco Island is featured in the National Geographic book 100 Places That Can Change
Your Child’s Life: From Your Backyard to the Ends of the Earth by Keith Bellows.
Everglades Area Tours If you enjoy eco explorations by kayak, but don’t relish the idea of really long
endurance paddles, this outfit has the perfect solution. Specially outfitted motorboats carry up to six
people and six kayaks into the Wilderness Waterway section of Everglades National Park and Ten
Thousand Islands waters south of Marco Island. You’ll paddle around beautiful islands with deserted
white sand beaches then back into lush creeks rich with bird life, fish and other sea creatures. They also
offer summer shelling trips to deserted islands filled with collectible shells
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a 13,000-acre preserve that is home to the largest stand of
old-growth bald cypress in North America. A 2.25-mile boardwalk weaves through this ancient bald
cypress forest and other habitats including pond cypress, wet prairie, and marsh. An extremely rare ghost
orchid, which typically blooms in the summer months, is visible from the boardwalk via viewing scopes.
Thirty-six artificial reef modules located from 10 to 28 miles offshore from Naples and Marco Island on
Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast make up what is now the largest artificial reef complex in the Western
Hemisphere. The 18,000 tons of materials used in the project included clean, surplus construction
concrete and utility poles donated by area utility companies. The pre-planned configuration of each of the
reefs was designed to attract a variety of sea life to sustain healthy populations of reef fish, creating
opportunities for offshore fishing, spearfishing and diving enthusiasts.
Distinctive Dining
Naples Restaurant Week
Naples Restaurant Week is a semiannual promotion that celebrates fine dining for an affordable price in
the greater Naples area. The Spring Edition kicks off June 1st and goes through June 14th with
participating restaurants offering three-course prix-fixe dinner menus with special upgrades and deals
starting at $25 and $35. The goal is to encourage increased traffic to the best local restaurants and to
celebrate the wide array of cuisine available in the Naples area. A percentage of Naples Restaurant
Week will directly benefit the Humane Society Naples. The Winter Edition takes place November 30
through December 13.
New Restaurants
The restaurant scene in Florida’s Paradise Coast continues to heat up with some exciting new
restaurants that have either recently opened, or that are scheduled to open soon in 2017.
The newest restaurant from Vincenzo Betulia, an award-winning and locally popular chef who is a leader
in the Southwest Florida culinary evolution, pays homage to turn of the century Parisian brasseries with
his third Fifth Avenue restaurant, The French. Diners enjoy classic country and coastal French dishes in a
bustling, vibrant atmosphere with a romantic, street-side setting.
Celebrity chef Art Smith brought a new restaurant concept to Naples in 2016. His 1500 South waterfront
restaurant is located at Naples Bay Resort and features something new and different. He pairs his special
take on Southern American food with a bit of an Italian flare. “For Naples’ sophisticated diners, this is
definitely a one of a kind menu with a lot of surprises,” Smith said. Art Smith is an acclaimed chef with
restaurants in Orlando, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Palo Alto and Atlanta. He was Oprah Winfrey’s
personal chef for more than a decade.
OCEAN PRIME is the new signature restaurant at Inn on Fifth, a luxury boutique hotel in downtown
Naples. Open since December 2016, OCEAN PRIME brings the finest and freshest seafood and steaks
along with a focus on exceptional customer service. OCEAN PRIME is the award-winning modern
American restaurant and lounge from renowned restaurateur Cameron Mitchell. Naples is the 12 th
location in the U.S.
Chef Asif Syed, former executive chef at Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa, opened his restaurant
21 Spices by Chef Asif in 2016 to much local acclaim. The menu explores diverse flavors of classical
Indian cuisine, featuring the freshest seasonal ingredients with a modern presentation and innovative
culinary techniques. 21 Spices by Chef Asif has been warmly welcomed by locals and visitors hungry for
quality Indian cuisine in the greater Naples area.
The family-owned Pinchers, which serves only the freshest fish, shellfish and crab from Southwest Florida
waters, just opened its second restaurant in Florida’s Paradise Coast. The new location is at the Marco
Walk Plaza on Marco Island. The other is at Tin City on the Old Naples Waterfront. Kids 12 and under eat
free at Pinchers (with a paying adult) and the restaurant offers a popular all-day-every-day Happy Hour
special of two-for-one house wine, beer and well brand cocktails.
True Food Kitchen, a partnership between Fox Restaurant Concepts founder Sam Fox and integrative
medicine expert Dr. Andrew Weil, has opened in Naples at Waterside Shops. Inspired by the principles of
Dr. Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet, True Food Kitchen merges nutrient-rich ingredients with a flavor-forward
menu that rotates regularly to let guests experience great-tasting ingredients at the peak of their freshness
and flavor. Behind the scratch bar are fresh-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, seasonal cocktails, wine
and a selection of local beers.
Local and Visitor Favorite Dining Spots
D’Amico and Partners continues to elevate the cuisine scene in Naples. The Continental American
Provisions and Craft Bar is a popular addition to Third Street South in the Old Naples section of
downtown. Hand cut steaks use only the finest prime, Wagyu and Piedmontese beef and a variety of
fresh seafood rounds out the menu. A 30-seat craft cocktail bar and live entertainment seven days a
week has made it popular with both locals and visitors.
Dining on the beach can be found at local favorite Turtle Club on Vanderbilt Beach. Be sure to reserve
one of the outside tables located directly on the beach for a sunset-view dinner. Also in Naples you’ll find
beach views at H.B.’s on the Gulf and Gumbo Limbo. On Marco Island, Quinn’s on the Beach and Kane
Tiki Bar & Grill offer casual, tropical settings on the beach.
Latin American cuisine is represented in fine fashion in the region. Masa brings an elevated level of Latin
American cuisine to the north Naples local-favorite nightspot Mercato. The popular Martin Fiero
Steakhouse has opened in a new location just east of downtown Naples, serving steaks and Argentinean
and Uruguayan favorites.
There is a rather remarkable Peruvian culinary boom in Naples. Inca’s Kitchen, El Gaucho Inca Bistro, La
Cuisine, Coastal Peruvian Seafood & Grill and Gustitos Bakery all offer tempting Peruvian cuisine.
Komoon Thai, Sushi & Ceviche has two Naples locations offering its own unique blend of international
cuisines including several Peruvian favorites such as pollo saltado and several ceviches along with sushi,
pad Thai and more.
The Local serves only the freshest farm and sea-to-table cuisine that is delicious, fresh, local and healthy.
Chef-owner Jeff Mitchell has direct relationships with area farms to supply the freshest beef, pork,
seafood and regional produce. Be sure to check their great list of summer dining specials.
Chef Fabrizio Aielli of the popular local favorite restaurants Sea Salt and Barbatella on Third Street South
in downtown Naples has a cookbook with a collection of 75-plus recipes. Included are such notable
dishes as Pan-Seared Black Grouper with Black Truffle Butter, Best Chicken Ever and many more as well
as a number of Sea Salt signature cocktails.
Yabba Island Grill on Naples’ Fifth Avenue South has a new menu with lots of flavorful and fresh dinner
options highlighting healthy cuisine that’s fit for the active Florida lifestyle. Diners can order from the
“Today’s Small Catch” section on the menu highlighting unique and local fresh fish, or more than 40 steak
and seafood combinations, plus an array of inspired healthy and low-calorie entrees.
Family dining favorites include Pinchers, with fresh-from-the-Gulf locally-sourced fish, shrimp and crab.
Kids eat free with paying adults at both the Naples and Marco Island locations.
Brooks Gourmet Burges & Dogs has made it onto TripAdvisor’s list of Top Ten Burger Joints in the USA
twice. This local favorite has two locations – one in downtown Naples and the other at the Pavilion shops
in North Naples.
About Florida’s Paradise Coast
Whether travelers are looking for a romantic escape or family getaway, Florida’s Paradise Coast —
Naples, Marco Island and the western portion of the Everglades — has an array of vacation options yearround. With more than 30 miles of soft, white sand beaches, a thriving arts and culture scene, distinctive
dining, family attractions and the best of outdoor adventure, the Paradise Coast is truly a destination with
it all. Located just two hours from Miami, four hours from Orlando and three hours from Tampa, the
Paradise Coast is easily accessible from some of Florida’s largest cities. Travelers outside of the
Sunshine State can fly into Southwest Florida International Airport, which provides nonstop service to 44
destinations on 14 different air carriers. For more information about the Paradise Coast, call 800-6883600 or visit www.ParadiseCoast.com. Follow the destination on Twitter and Instagram @ParadiseCoast
and #ParadiseCoast, and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheParadiseCoast.
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