View of pool beach, and Gulf of Mexico at Marriott Hotel, Marco Island, Florida photo: marriott.com
There are so many things to do for summer fun in Naples-Bonita Springs-Marco Island beaches, and Sanibel/Captiva! You will want to buy a home and stay for the winter fun.
Go to the beach!
This one is easy. Pack up a picnic, grab your sunscreen and head west. If you go late in the day, stay for a spectacular Gulf of Mexico sunset.
Bowditch Point Regional Park, Estero, north end of Estero Island. San Carlos Blvd south across Matanzas Pass, turn right on Estero Blvd. to the point. Catch the trolley in the Main Street Park & Ride lot, just north of the Matanzas Pass Bridge. Picnic and barbecue facilities, pavilion, showers, restrooms, bike and hiking paths and handicap accessible boardwalk. Map
Lynn Hall Memorial Park at the north end of Estero Island, take San Carlos Blvd to Estero Blvd, turn right, the park is on the left. Fishing pier, bathhouse, picnic & barbecue facilities, rentals, refreshment stand, swings, volleyball and parking area. Map
Lover’s Key Johnson Park – Bowman’s Beach, Estero is accessed off County Road 865 at the north end of Black Island (just south of Estero Island). The park has picnic facilities, boardwalks, nature trails, restrooms and a tram to the beach. Call 239-472-6477 for more information. Map
Lover’s Key State Recreation Area, Estero is south of Big Carlos Pass on County Road 865 at the north end of Black Island (south of Estero Island), 1 square mile state park. Map
Barefoot Beach Park/Preserve, Bonita Springs Bonita Beach Road west from US 41 to the guardhouse on the left at Lely Beach Blvd. This is a large park with 365 acres of beaches and trails. There is plenty of paid parking. Amenities include vending machines, a restaurant/bar and clean restrooms. Map
Bonita Beach Park, Bonita Springs Bonita Beach Road west from US 41, curves to the right and becomes Hickory Blvd. The park is on the left just past the intersection of the roads. This beach park has picnic shelters, volleyball courts and a bathhouse. The surf fishing is pretty good and the sand is great. There are several “beachy” places to eat within walking distance of the park. Bring quarters for parking. Map
Delnor-Wiggins State Recreation Area, Naples Immokalee Road west from US 41, it becomes Bluebill Avenue after the bridge, the beach is at the end of the road. Hours are 8 a.m. to sunset and there are lifeguards on duty. Lots of parking close to the beach. You can enjoy great sand and 166 acres of nature trails, woods and beaches with lots of trees and wildlife. There is an observation tower, picnic areas, grills, large clean restrooms and showers. Admission and parking fees. Call 239-597-6196 for more information. Map
Vanderbilt Beach, Naples Take Vanderbilt Beach Road west from US 41. This beach is next to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and within easy walking distance of several casual restaurants. Facilities include lifeguards, picnic areas, grills, tower, boat ramp, restrooms and showers. There is limited parking a few blocks east and handicapped parking is right at the beach entrance. Map
Clam Pass, Naples Take Seagate Drive west from US 41, the beach entrance is next to the Registry Resort. There is lots of parking. You can take a tram or walk (10 to 15 minutes) through the mangroves, along the boardwalk to the beach. Chaise lounge and equipment rentals are available on the beach from the Registry Resort. There is a lots of parking, snack bar, outdoor showers and restrooms, water-sport equipment rentals. Map
Beach Parks, Gulf Shore Boulevard North, Naples Park Shore or Harbour Drive west from US 41 to Gulf Shore Blvd. North. There are three beach parks accessible from Gulf Shore North, Horizon Way, Vedado Way and Via Miramar. These are pretty, serene beaches perfect for sunning, walking, shell collecting, surf fishing and watching shore birds. There is a stone jetty at the south end of Via Miramar beach, making it a good place to find shells and other sea life. There are hoses for rinsing off but no other amenities. Parking is limited, the meters take quarters. Map
Lowdermilk Park, Naples Banyan Blvd. west from US 41 to Gulf Shore Blvd. Loads of parking, a snack bar, vending area, picnic tables, volleyball courts, and decent restrooms. There are restaurants and a deli in a small shopping center across the street. Map
Beach Parks, Gulf Shore Blvd. South, Naples Mooring Line Drive west from US 41 to Gulf Shore Blvd. South. There is beach access at every Avenue from 8th Avenue North to 18th Avenue South. There are no restrooms or other amenities, just beautiful sand beaches, gulf breezes and gentle surf. Outdoor showers or foot showers. Parking is very limited, the meters take quarters. There are no restrooms or other amenities. You will also find public access to the beach on Gordon Drive at 32nd and 33rd Avenues South. Map
A service from the Naples Area Board of REALTORS®
REALTORS® Busy from Beaches to Beyond
Naples, Fla. (August 21, 2015) – Activity in the Naples area housing market continued its upward momentum moving into summer as evidenced in the July 2015 Market Report released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island). An 8 percent increase in overall pending sales (homes under contract) from 845 in July 2014 to 913 in July 2015 is one indication REALTORS® stayed busy in July. Unlike July 2014 where both overall pending sales and overall inventory decreased 13 percent respectively, activity in July 2015 had many notable peaks and very few valleys. For example, overall inventory decreased 1 percent from 3,563 in July 2014 to 3,518 in July 2015, but inventory for single-family homes rebounded with a 7 percent increase from 1,906 single family homes in July 2014 to 2,040 single family homes in July 2015.
Inventory continued to dissipate at double-digit rates in the low end of the market (overall inventory for homes in the $300,000 and below price category decreased 26 percent from 1,281 homes in July 2014 to 945 homes in July 2015); yet inventory in most other price categories during July was replenished. This is most apparent in the single-family homes market where the $300,000 and below price category fell 31 percent, but other categories saw big gains.
The NABOR® July 2015 Market Report provides comparisons of single-family home and condominium sales (via the Southwest Florida MLS), price ranges, and geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. The NABOR® July 2015 sales statistics are presented in chart format, including these overall (single-family and condominium) findings:
- Overall pending sales increased 8 percent from 845 homes in July 2014 to 913 homes in July 2015.
- Overall closed sales increased 1 percent from 9,751 homes in the 12-months ending July 2014 to 9,879 homes in the 12-months ending July 2015.
- Overall closed sales for condominiums in the $300,000 – $500,000 price category increased 38 percent from 686 condominiums in the 12-months ending July 2014 to 947 condominiums in the 12-months ending July 2015.
- Overall median closed price increased 14 percent from $259,000 in the 12-months ending July 2014 to $295,000 in the 12-months ending July 2015.
- Overall median closed price for homes over $300,000 decreased 5 percent from $550,000 in the 12-months ending July 2014 to $520,000 in the 12-months ending July 2015.
- Overall median closed price for homes in the $2 million and above price category increased 16 percent from $2,850,000 in the 12-months ending July 2014 to $3,300,000 in the 12-months ending July 2015.
- Overall inventory decreased 1 percent from 3,563 homes in July 2014 to 3,518 homes in July 2015.
Condominium inventory decreased 11 percent from 1,657 condominiums in July 2014 to 1,478 condominiums in July 2015.
- There is a 4.35 months supply of inventory.
- Conventional sales comprised 40 percent of all transactions in July 2015.
- Average days on market did not change between July 2014 and July 2015 to remain at 77 days.
The Rookery golf at Marriott Hotel, Marco Island, Florida photo: marriott.com
By Adelie Pojzman-Pontay
For three months, the Marco Island Marriott was hidden from the public while it received a facelift. On Saturday, the hotel that has stood as an island landmark for decades will open again to the public.
More than 50 years ago, Herb Savage helped bring the landmark to the island. Now 96, Savage designed the very first building that would become the Marriott. Back then, the three Mackle brothers, who owned the island, used the hotel to host potential clients for housing developments.
The first building had 50 rooms and looked more like a motel, he said Friday.
“But the Mackle brothers wouldn’t name it a motel!” he said.
When they started building the original hotel, there was barely any housing development on the island, said Savage.
“There was a gas station, a restaurant and a post office,” he said.
As the community grew, so did the building. Soon, another 50 rooms were built, then a second story, then finally a high-rise building in the 1970s.
“This is a residential community,” Frank Mackle Jr. used to tell Savage. “ We want it for young couples, working couples and retired people,” remembered Savage.
Now the hotel is well on its way in its transformation to Marriott’s luxury tier JW Marriott property.
MARRIOTT
View of sundeck and Gulf of Mexico, Marriott Hotel, Marco Island, Florida photo: marriott.com
Marco Island with a real signature property, in a way similar to what the Ritz Carlton did for Naples,” said Rob Pfeffer, the hotel’s sales and marketing director.
Pfeffer said the Marriott had contributed to the growth and prosperity of the island. He added the hotel is the most important property on the island, and one of its most important assets.
The new facilities include adult-only spaces, including a rooftop pool and a spa. Pfeffer said it will attract local residents from Naples or Bonita Springs, retired or without children, who want to enjoy a “staycation.”
“We’re just 15 or 20 minutes away, but you feel like you’ve traveled to a private island,” said Pfeffer.
He said Naples had become one of the hotel’s Top 10 source markets in the last three years.
Pfeffer said an additional 40,000 guests would check into the JW Marriott annually. The hotel is taking advantage of the “two years of extreme growth in leisure market,” he said. The demand especially has increased in Southwest Florida, which justified the $250 million renovation.
The investment effort seems to be paying off already. The hotel is 25 percent ahead of where it hoped to be in advance bookings for the next two years. Pfeffer estimates a JW customer will spend on average more than $750 per room per night, which is $200 higher than what was spent previously on the room, meals, drinks and activities such as golf or spa, and other expenses that contribute to the local economy.
The Marriott is expected to contribute an additional $4 million in state and occupancy taxes each year, as well as another $1 million in property taxes annually, he said.
Pfeffer said he believed the Marriott was a front-runner to attract luxury tier customers, but other local businesses are keeping up, including several recently opened upscale restaurants.
Check it out at www.marriott.com.
