<p>We want to visit some family in the Naples, Florida area in March …five or so nights. Love to be near, or better yet, on the beach.</p>
<p>Any ideas? House, condo, hotel? </p>
<p>Love to have money left to pay for college :)</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I love Naples but haven’t been there in a couple of years. We stay at the Ritz Carlton on the beach. It is expensive but top notch. Maybe someone else can add more budget friendly hotels. When we had young kids we used to stay at the Vanderbilt Inn, a cheap two story motel right on the beach with a pool, outside bar and small restaurant. It was kinda skeevy then (18 or so years ago) but so convenient and affordable with kids (the beach was about 20 feet from the motel room!). Do a google search if you don’t get much of a response here.</p>
<p>I’d second the above recommendation. We go to see Red Sox spring training every other year. They play in Fort Myers, but we stay in Naples, which is about an hour away. We’ve stayed at the Ritz on the beach and also the Ritz golf resort in Naples. We preferred being on the beach. One year we went at the last minute and couldn’t get a room at the Ritz and stayed at the Naples Grand Resort. It’s on the beach as well and turned out to be very nice and not nearly as pricey as the Ritz. I believe the Naples Grand is part of the Waldorf Astoria hotel group.</p>
<p>When I was in college in Miami, we went to Corkscrew Swamp for a field trip. I remember it as one of my favorite trips. It actually had a boardwalk and was a fairly easy trip compared to the swamp tromping our professor like to take us on. If you have the time, I’d highly recommend you take the kids there. Not just birds, but gators, and amazing variety of plants, trees, flowers. Beautiful!</p>
<p>The Ritz on the beach would be my default reccommendation to someone wanting to be on the beach in Naples, however it will be big bucks in March. I agree that the Naples Waldorf is also very nice and the Vanderbilt is a dump. One hotel not mentioned here is the Naples Beach Hotel, it is family friendly and not nearly as pricey as the Ritz or the Waldorf.</p>
<p>[Florida</a> Beach Hotels | Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club](<a href=“http://www.naplesbeachhotel.com/hotel]Florida”>http://www.naplesbeachhotel.com/hotel)</p>
<p>There is the Vanderbilt Beach & Harbour Club a time share resort with 1 building on the beach and the other on the bay, stayed there once a few yrs ago, it was nice not sure how much it is as we were using someone’s timeshare.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>Look at Marco Island, a few minutes from Naples. Lots of condos and hotels on the beach. Great shelling! Take an airboat ride around the Thousand Islands from Goodland, Marco Island. I second Corkscrew Swamp. Micosukkee Indian Reservation about 30 minutes from Marco. Rent kayaks from Collier-Seminole State Park, just off Marco Island. Visit Rookery Bay nature preserve and sanctuary, on the road from Marco to Naples. Visit Naples Zoo, shop antiques on 5th Ave., Naples. Everglades National Park is about 45 minutes away, it is fantastic. Check beach condos on vacation rentals. Have fun, we have lots of happy memories with our children on Marco Island.</p>
<p>Love that place. We stayed with friends, so I’m no help.</p>
<p>Oh, wow, loving this thread. I missed the Marco Island trip in college, as it conflicted with my Marine Bio Marathon Key trip. I heard it was wonderful, with stone crabs and dolphins. Always wanted to go back. Tagging this thread for future reference. I’m so pushing my son to apply to some of the Florida colleges for grad school so he and I can explore this area together!</p>
<p>Look on Craigs List for last minute condos or timeshares. A few years ago a friend & I got a 2br timeshare in Fort Myers Beach (across street from the beach) for $700 for a week. We only wanted 5 nights, but it was cheaper to take the full week. We saved lots of money by cooking in all our meals. It was a cool week with wind, so we were happy to be a bit off the water and spent most of our time by the pool or riding bikes.</p>
<p>We went up to Sanibel one day for shelling and one evening to the outlet mall just south of SW Florida airport.</p>
<p>Be aware that March is college spring break season, so some areas (downtown Ft Myers Beach for example) can be in full swing.</p>
<p>Naples is beautiful and not over run by college kids on Spring break like Ft Myers can be…I agree with the recommendation of the Ritz or LaPlaya (both are located on Vanderbilt Beach in North Naples)
The Vanderbilt Inn (also on the beach) has been there forever! It has been updated in recent years (although I have never been in a room) but they do have one of my favorite restaurants in the area as part of their hotel! The Turtle Club…wonderful yellow tail snapper and other fresh seafood…served right on the beach…it is wonderful to be sipping a glass of wine and watching the sunset over the gulf while waiting for your yummy dinner to be served!!
Enjoy your trip!!!</p>
<p>The Vanderbilt Inn was torn down several years ago…
The Vanderbilt Beach Resort, which houses the Turtle Club, is located about a mile south of where the Vanderbilt Inn used to be.
Love Naples. We like to rent bicycles and ride around gawking at the beautiful homes. Then we stop for ice cream at Royal Scoop!</p>
<p>Marco Island is beautiful - found a great deal on a house a few summers ago. Not sure what the prices will be like in March. You may want to check out this site (really, for any location) - vrbo.com.</p>