Naples, Marco Island & the Everglades Holidays

Where are Naples, Marco Island & the Everglades? The city of Naples is towards the southern end of Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coastline, while Marco Island occupies a barrier island of the same name 20 miles further south. Inland, the watery expanses of the Everglades cover a large chunk of the southernmost part of the state.

Read more

Beaches
Naples’ beaches stretch to the horizon on either side, while Marco Island has six miles of sugar-white sand. North Naples’ Clam Pass Park, accessed via a boardwalk through the mangroves, is a magnet for sunbathers, paddlers and wildlife lovers. On Marco Island, you can parasail, kayak or spot dolphins in the surf at family-friendly South Marco Beach or opt for the harder-to-reach tranquillity of Tigertail Beach Park, one of the state’s top birdwatching spots. Quieter still, Keewaydin Island is barely developed and accessible only by boat.

Read more

Nature
The Everglades is one of the US’s most distinctive wild places, a subtropical wetland ecosystem of mangroves, pine flatwoods and sawgrass marshes that stretches for miles. Around half of its three million acres fall within the UNESCO-listed Everglades National Park, where tours by iconic airboat take you into the heart of a fascinating waterscape that turtles, alligators and 300 bird species call home. Smaller state preserves highlight other aspects of the Everglades ecology: at Fakahatchee Strand, there’s a boardwalk through the world’s most extensive bald cypress and royal palm swamp.

Read more

Shopping
Naples is known for its high-end shopping, epitomised by palm tree-lined Fifth Avenue South, which runs through downtown to the beach. You could spend hours here, checking out its designer stores, chic cafés, eclectic architecture and sheer glamour. Elsewhere in Old Naples, historic Third Street South has a host of elegant independent boutiques and oodles of charm. Ritzy shopping malls in enviable settings are another local speciality: try Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay, The Village Shops on Venetian Bay or Mercato for a great selection of upmarket stores. A 30-minute drive away, the massive Miromar Outlets offers more than 140 designer names minus the high price tags.

Read more