Experience Paradise Articles

Discover how these great vacation ideas will inspire you.

You are here:  Things To Do In Paradise / Shopping / Tomboys and Uptown Girls

Tomboys and Uptown Girls
By Amy Nance
Bookmark and Share


Fine art for the home in Naples
Fine art for the home in Naples
Who says girls are just sugar and spice and everything nice? Sometimes a ladies getaway means tough competition on the ninth hole and hearty dinners that stretch deep into the night. Gather your darling buds of May for a luxury rendezvous in Naples, Marco Island and The Everglades that will leave you feeling all sweetness and light on the massage table and then challenged athletically on the green. Nothing's as sweet as getting nine holes in before lunch.

Day One
Sip heartily from delicate china cups at afternoon tea at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples. Steep fragrant Darjeeling just as your conversation steeps in the plush surrounds of the Lobby Lounge. Once refreshed, steer your heels to the Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay. Promenade along this upscale shopping community's spacious walkways and take in flowing fountains and pools. Be leisurely: at 260,000 square feet and with plans for expansion, the Waterside Shops is a high-fashion fantasy. Though already a model of elegance, luxury retailers such as Burberry, Gucci, Tiffany & Co. and Herm's have come courting the shops and will open in early 2006. With waterfalls, a lagoon and, soon, valet services, the Waterside Shops' new look will include contemporary touches including etched glass throughout and dramatic lighting. Take an early dinner at Brio Tuscan Grille, opening at the shopping center in early 2006. Its menu will feature steak, homemade pasta and flatbreads. Before leaving, settle for something decadently sweet. Haagen-Dazs is nestled in here as well.

Day Two
Get down at the Marco Island Marriott Resort's golf club, The Rookery at Marco. Open to non-members, the course is a serenely austere landscape, diverse in both course composition and wildlife. Littoral areas are mini-bird preserves, as the course is a member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. After you've made par, expect par excellence at The Spa at the

resort. Take a retreat within a retreat as you slip into one of the acclaimed Balinese baths. Glide off to the land of milk and honey in one vitamin-filled soak - and to the South Pacific in the next. The tropical "Sea and Flower Bath" will have you back just in time to alight with the girls at Marek's Collier House Restaurant. Dine on the enclosed porch or in the Olde English Library dining area at this award-winning restaurant. Finish, as always, with sweets. In this case, a gourmet dessert.

Day Three
Commit yourselves to boutique-strewn Fifth Avenue South. Shop downtown Naples' historic streets - 12 blocks in all and most leading ladies straight to the Gulf of Mexico. Fifth Avenue South is the heart of a district that features independent gems such as the Paper Mosaic Gallery and Maison Auclair Antiques. Stop in to browse the elegant Bacchus of Naples and check out the Remy Martin Louis XIII Diamond Collection limited edition, with a 1.32-carat diamond in the stopper. Peruse the Gallery on Fifth and share your impressions after over lattes from 5th Avenue Coffee Company.

Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades don't need sugar to be sweet settings for luxury getaways.

If you go:
Bacchus of Naples, 239-659-3232, Website
5th Avenue Coffee Company, 239-261-5757
Fifth Avenue South, 239-435-3742, Website
Gallery on Fifth, 239-430-9200, Website
Maison Auclair Antiques, 239-263-4121
Marek's Collier House Restaurant, 239-642-9948, Website
Paper Mosaic Gallery, 239-293-4167, Website
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, 239-598-3300, Website
The Rookery at Marco, 239-793-6060, Website
The Spa at the Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa, 239-642-2686, Website
Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay, 239-598-1605, Website
Top of Page
© 2012 Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau. All rights reserved. A cooperative effort funded by the Collier County Tourist Development Tax.