The Paradise Coast Can Make Florida Seem Sophisticated — This is No Spring Break Party Zone

As PaperCity reveals our list of dream destinations for when we’re all free to trot across the globe again, I’ve been thinking about my pre-pandemic travel over the past few years from a new perspective. As someone who loves to explore new vistas away from the hustling bustle, I preferred socially distancing getaways long before the phrase became a new way of life.

Case in point: Early this year, before the winter of COVID discontent, I took a trip to Florida’s Paradise Coast. Besides stunning beaches, pampering resorts, and primeval swamps, Paradise Coast — aka Collier County’s Naples, Marco Island, and Everglade City – has earned the title as one of the places in the United States with the longest life expectanceis. I went there for one of the area’s regular wellness weekends spotlighting ways to longevity.

Now I realize I found a place of coastal serenity far from the crowds — but near a myriad of restaurant and shopping indulgences.

Sunny Sanctuary

Even during high winter season, the white-sand beaches never seemed crowded, and the blue-green Gulf waters even less so. This is not the Florida college kids migrate to on break; instead, it’s a sanctuary for those sun-lovers, swimmers, and beachcombers who’d rather hear the crash of the waves and call of the gulls than the screams from packed pool parties.

Many of the resorts along the Paradise Coast cater to those looking for wellness -focused vacations and, along with a plethora of water activities, offer class and programs such as yoga, meditation, and spa services.

To get a broader experience of the area, I stayed at two resorts: the JW Marriott Marco Island and Edgewater Beach Hotel in Naples. And, yes, both featured programs and classes for mind/body rejuvenation, but in an environment where I could find serenity in solitude, if I preferred.

The JW recently underwent a $320 million renovation to upgrade the rooms and public areas and added a new 93-room adults-only tower with rooftop pool. Yet for its size and many luxuries, I appreciated the softer touches. After an informal mocktail mixology course on tonics and shrubs, given by resort’s director of beverages and an elegant dinner at the Mediterranean restaurant Tesoro, I was primed for a Yoga Nidra sleep class. Any travel tension I held onto that evening floated away during the balcony yoga session under the stars.

With most international island getaways impossible for the immediate future, Marco Island might make for a fine island breezy alternative.

In Naples, the Edgewater is the only all-suite beachfront hotel in the city. At the time, I found the expansive living room, balcony, and modern kitchen a luxurious perk, but now recognize it as perfect for a family bubble vacation on the beach.

Discovering Naples

Right on a seven-mile stretch of Naples beach, Edgewater lies a few miles away from the boutique shopping and dining hub of old Naples. After a full afternoon filled with a a beach yoga session on the sands, a wellness cooking class, and time for swimming or paddle boarding, I wandered down to the famed (in Florida) Naples Pier, where visitors and residents congregate at sunset and applaud particularly dramatic pink and red skies.

From there, it was a short jaunt to the 5th Avenue promenade, with a four-star restaurant on practically every corner. With my small group of fellow wellness seekers, I had one of those unique culinary experiences: the dinner walk-along. We sampled a different course at five restaurants along the avenue. Sure, it’s super indulgent, but having spent days of yoga, swimming, or paddling, I felt I earned it.

At the time, I admired the ambiance and European feel of all the year-round outdoor and patio dining offered along 5th Avenue. Now I see it as a preview of one of the safest models of restaurant experiences.

Here Be Gators

The highlight of the trip came as a half-day adventure deep into the living heart of Florida, the Everglades. There are many ways to explore one the most unique ecosystems in the world, from airboat and swamp-buggy tours to hikes along boardwalks into the wetlands.

I took a guide-led mangrove-tunnel tour down the upper end of the Turner River in Big Cypress Swamp National Preserve. It’s easy to stay six feet away from people when paddling around in a solo kayak.

With the exception of my small tour group, I saw few humans but lots of waterfowl, turtles, and several alligators hanging out among the mangroves. All the Preserve gators I spotted ignored us, content to sunbath on logs until one kayaker in our group lost control of his paddle and ended up a little too close, causing a hasty retreat to socially distance by both parties.

As we paddled deeper down the river, the mangrove branches created a living, leafy roof over our heads, filtering sunlight so that the world became green and softly lit. Our eco guide kept us at a leisurely pace and regaled us with tales of famous orchid poachers while pointing out some rarities amid a paradise of bromeliads on every tree.

Back on solid ground, I took a trip into Everglades City for lunch. What the seafood restaurants along the Barron River, on Chokoloskee Bay, lack in decor, they more than make up for in stone-crab goodness.

Triad Seafood, set to reopen in October, is the kind of ramshackle place right on the water where the bathroom contains an actual tub adorned with a mermaid shower curtain — truly a sign of seafood paradise. Indeed, the stone crab was some of the best I’ve ever had. Even the pricing system had its own Florida character, with all crab baskets weighing in at a pound but the bill dependent on how much work I wanted to put in tackling the stone shell by myself.

As I reminisce on winter in coastal paradise, I checked in with the places I had visited to find most are welcoming guests back and have signed a special Paradise Coast Pledge to meet and exceed CDC and Florida Dept of Health Safety Guidelines and Protocols for reopening. While the immediate future for travel remains hazy, I find comfort knowing mangrove days and starlit island nights await when I’m ready to journey once more.