NAPLES, Fla. -- Florida's Southwest coast has always been a favorite with the natives, who see it as a mangrove-laden paradise that is still somewhat off the beaten tourist paths of Central Florida and South Florida.
Despite the big-money mansions of Naples, southwest Florida has never has been as busy or self-absorbed as the Miami Beach-Palm Beach corridor or as plastic as the restaurants and souvenir shops of Orlando.
Here along the southwest coast, where the sun sets in a magnificent orange hue on the Sunshine State, the Gulf of Mexico beaches are tranquil and turquoise. The area's history spiced with personalities from Thomas Edison and Henry Ford to Charles and Anne Lindbergh.
And golf along the gulf? It's every bit as good as you'll find anywhere in Florida.
The Southwest Florida experience should begin in Fort Myers, once the winter home of friends Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Their homes area cross the street from each other in a beautiful, palm-lined section of McGregor Blvd. near downtown. Edison himself is said to have planted many of the trees along the boulevard. And, according to legend, Ford designed the V-8 engine in his home, which he called Mangoes.
Southwest Florida is served by two main highways: Interstate75, which runs the length of the west coast and becomes "Alligator Alley" as it crosses the Everglades to Fort Lauderdale; and U.S. 41, which runs just west of I-75 through the main business districts of the cities and towns along the Southwest coast.
Both U.S. 41 (also known as the Tamiami Trail) and I-75 run north and south in this area -- a good thing for visitors to remember if they are ever in need of help with directions.
A few miles southwest of Fort Myers are the islands of Sanibel and Captiva, the latter renowned for its shelling and the former known for its beaches and fishing. Sanibel and Captiva are two of the more than 100 coastal islands in the region. Each has some fine accommodations, ranging from quaint, no-frills bed and breakfasts, such as Seahorse Cottages on Sanibel, to resorts such as Sundial (Sanibel) and South Seas (Captiva).
One of the more endearing hotels is the 'Tween Waters Inn on Captiva, where Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote her much-acclaimed book "A Gift From The Sea." The 'Tween Waters Inn has changed little since the book was published more than 40 years ago. The rustic-looking inn holds a prime location directly across the road from the beach and calm gulf waters.
Captiva Island has no mailboxes, stoplights, billboards, high-rises or fast-food restaurants. The eclectic Bubble Room, just a couple blocks from the beach, is the island?s most famous restaurant. No building on Captiva Island is higher than the tallest palm tree, which explains why the tallest accommodations at South Seas Resort -- on the tip of the island -- are only four stories.
South Seas Resort -- a 330-acre plantation style property on Captiva Island -- is currently undergoing a $140 million renovation. The resort, which features a fine executive golf course called Redfish Point, is scheduled to fully re-open in February 2006.
The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club on Sanibel Island is an 18-hole, par 70 layout designed by Mark McCumber that features more than 70 acres of lakes. The back nine of the Dunes is sanctioned by the Audubon Cooperative Society as a wildlife preserve.
Back on the mainland, the posh Ritz-Carlton, Naples is perhaps the area's most famous address. Guests of the 463-room beachfront resort have playing privileges at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Tiburon, which features a pair of Greg Norman-designed courses as well as a resort and a Rick Smith Golf Academy.
A few miles south of the Ritz-Carlton resorts is the Registry, a 23-acre, 474-room resort features eight restaurants and lounges, a spa and health club, and has beach access through a mangrove estuary called Clam Cove.
The Registry's sister resort, Edgewater Beach Hotel & Club, sits on the beach near the center of Old Naples and features 126 suites, four restaurants and a fitness center. Guests of each resort can play Naples Grande Golf Club, a fine 7,078-yard, par-72 Rees Jones-designed parkland-style course that is home to some beautiful cypress and oak trees.
The La Playa Beach and Golf Resort in Naples is one of the area's newest playgrounds, with 189 rooms that overlook the Gulf and Vanderbilt Bay. Bob Cupp's 6,907-yard, par-72 course, home to a David Leadbetter Golf Academy, is open to resort guests and club members. La Playa's 4,500-square-foot SpaTerre and fitness center features treatments based on the traditions of Indonesia -- promoting health (body), peace (soul), and relaxation (spirit).
The Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club is the grand dame of Naples area resorts, so to speak. The original hotel was built as the Naples Hotel in the 1880s. Today the 318-room property includes a 6,488-yard, par-72 course originally built in the late 1920. The course -- the oldest in the Naples area -- was redesigned in 1948 by Mark Mahanna and again by Ron Garl in 1998.
South of Naples, Marriott's Marco Island Resort & Spa last year completed a renovation to the 727-room beachfront property with the addition of a 24,000-square-foot spa. Robert Cupp, Jr., also completely renovated the resort's golf course, now called the Rookery at Marco. The Rookery, whose new clubhouse is scheduled to open this fall, is a 7,100-yard, par-72 course inside the Fiddler's Creek residential development, just a few minutes from the resort.
Looking to do something to do after golf? Marriott's Marco Island Resort is an excellent place to explore the mangroves of Southwest Florida via Wave Runners or boat. The resort even offers guided excursions through the mangroves, an excellent way to experience the lifelines of the area's ecosystem without the danger of getting lost.
Next door to Marriott's Marco Island Resort is the Marco Beach Ocean Resort, a 100-room all-suite boutique property that features Sale e Pepe, one of Southwest Florida's top restaurants. Guests at Marco Beach Ocean Resort privileges at the Creek Course at Fiddler's Creek. The 7,150-yard,par-72 Creek Course was designed by Arthur Hills, "the Prince of Naples, " whose layouts stretch from Marco Island to Fort Myers.
Hills, based in Toledo, Ohio, has designed no less than 20 courses in Naples and Southwest Florida -- by far the most of any architect. And that number doesn't include his designs in Sarasota and Tampa.
Hills' layouts at Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Collier's Reserve in Naples and The Sanctuary on Sanibel Island are testaments to his mastery of working with environmentally sensitive land. There is no better architect at preserving and using wetlands to help mold a course's look and design.
In Bonita Springs, just north of Naples, is the 454-room Hyatt Coconut Point resort, which features the Raymond Floyd-designed Raptor Bay course (6,702 yards, par 71), the first resort course in the United States to receive Audubon International's Gold Signature Sanctuary Certification. At Raptor Bay, Floyd has designed an immensely playable Florida resort-style course devoid of sand bunkers and featuring 22 acres of lakes and more than 200 acres of native vegetation and nature preserve.
Also in Bonita Springs, Pelican's Nest is home to two Tom Fazio-designed courses. The 36 holes were built during the state's golf/real estate land rush of the mid-1980s, meaning there are plenty of houses that serve as targets for hooks and slices. There's plenty of water on any combination, but the Hurricane/Gator combo (7,116 yards, par 72) is generally considered the best.
The legendary Donald Ross designed the Fort Myers Country Club, not far from the Ford and Edison homes, The course is not particularly long (6,414 yards, par 71), but it's a local favorite because of the Ross mystique.
Lakeland, Fla.-based architect Ron Garl's contributions to public golf in the area are Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club and Olde Hickory Golf & Country Club. Each is a favorite among Fort Myers residents, with Olde Hickory (6,601 yards, par 72) generally considered the tougher of the two.
Back in Naples, Lely Resort Golf & Country Club features a pair of fine resort courses, as well as condominiums that can rented. The Lely Course (7,171 yards, par 72) and Mustang Course (7,217 yards, par 72) each give players a good sense of the terrain and wildlife of Southwest Florida. The Lely Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, is best known for its rugged bunkering and water hazards. Many locals and visitors in the know consider the course a must-play.
That can be said of all Southwest Florida.
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