By Stuart Forster
The area known as Florida’s Paradise Coast is winning a reputation as a destination where travellers can enjoy a holiday within a holiday.
After the excitement of Orlando’s theme parks, spending time in Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades offers an opportunity to relax on white-sand beaches while appreciating vivid sunsets and viewing wildlife, including manatees and dolphins.
The region’s pleasant winter climate has long attracted the rich and famous. The industrialists Thomas Edison and Harvey S. Firestone were among early seasonal visitors. Naples is now reputed to have properties belonging to 12,000 millionaires. Boat tours are a way to discover who lives where while cruising past the grand waterfront villas of the Port Royal neighbourhood, which has houses owned by A-list celebrities from sports, entertainment and other fields.
Those tours depart from docks on the Gordon River by Tin City. Formerly the hub of the local fishing industry, Tin City now hosts boutique shops, dining establishments and tourism-focused businesses. Those include Trike Tours USA, which, as I experienced, operates 90-minute sightseeing tours of Naples.
Before setting off, our guide Diego showed the group how to operate our electric vehicles. Within minutes, we were confidently zipping around Tin City’s car park on mopeds and tricycles. Opening up my trike’s throttle helped dismiss the idea that I might be mistaken for some octogenarian scooting around the city.
Calusa Indians were the region’s first human inhabitants. Europeans settled here in the 19th century. “The little bodies of water that go through the land reminded them of Italy,” said Diego, explaining how Naples got its name.
On Third Street South, we paused to peer in the windows of art galleries, chic clothing shops and a recently opened bookstore. From there it was just a couple of minutes to the soft sand of Naples Beach. Stretching for 10 miles, the beach featured numerous pockets cordoned off with yellow tape warning of the need for caution. I soon learnt that they marked the nesting sites of turtles, whose leathery eggs continue to hatch into October.
As someone who grew up in northeast England, I associate stepping into the sea with toe-recoiling temperatures – even at the height of summer. But stepping into the Gulf was like getting into a lukewarm bath. It was a delight to swim in.
Marco Island is a 35-minute drive south of Naples and linked to the mainland by the 1,800-ft Stan Gober Memorial Bridge. If Naples has the feel of being a millionaires’ playground that anyone is welcome to visit, Marco Island is an upscale holiday destination whose appeal extends beyond couples, families and retirees.
From my hotel balcony, I viewed people skipping across the sea on what appeared to be jet skis. Down on the beach, I discovered they were riding WaveRunners rented out by Marco Island Water Sports. Brian, one of the company’s tour guides, explained: “We lead guided excursions in single-file lines of up to six machines into the Ten Thousand Islands. Our major goal is to sneak up on wildlife doing what it would be doing if nobody was around, so you get an idea of what the local wildlife is actually doing out there.”
The Ten Thousand Islands’ mangroves are part of an ecosystem providing habitat for nearly 200 bird species. Ospreys, bald eagles and herons were just some of those that I spotted while hurtling between islands. Creatures such as manatees and American crocodiles remained elusive but it was thrilling to explore on the powerful WaveRunner.
I was back on Marco Island with plenty of time to grab a cold beer before taking in one of the region’s spectacular sunsets over the tranquil Gulf.