Naples Fun Part 1

We just got back from a week in Naples, Florida and I am excited to share our Naples Top 10 with you!  I missed you all and I've got so much to tell you.

We drove 18+ hours each way to get to Naples this year.  We're old pros and have a pretty good system for driving.  Kevin is the driver and I'm the organize, packer, kid helper for the drive.  Our return trip was harder than usual, but the kids did great both ways.  Maybe one day we'll get back to flying.  It just feels so complicated right now.  It's easier to load up the van with all the baby gear, car seats and go at our own pace.

This was our 8th trip to Naples.  We've been going since Olive was little and it's one of our very favorite spots.  We've been in March, June, July & November.  There really isn't a bad time to visit.  This time we got to try some new things, do some of our classic favorite things and dodged a little bit of rain here and there.  We made lots of great memories and the highs always outweigh the lows.  I hope you know that I'm writing about the highs, but there were lows, too.  I just focus on the positives and all the fun we had together.

1. We stayed at a new resort this year in Naples - Lely Resort.

We'd highly recommend it for the amazing pool, great golf, yummy restaurants and the property is gigantic.  There are tons of rental options and price ranges.  We would highly recommend upgrading the pool access to include this giant pool.  There are three huge pools, sand, hot tubs, tons of seating, waterfalls and restaurants with bar service.  The resort is about a 15 minute drive from the ocean.

 

2. Pool Days with Super Swimmers

Both Olive and Fletcher have become great little swimmers.  Thanks to swim lessons, lots of practice and great goggles, they are happily swimming without much help from us.  And the big pool at Lely was SO NICE.  You get free access to the smaller neighborhood pools and then can buy a pass to the bigger pool for your stay.  It has everything for everyone - comfy chairs, giant umbrellas, free water and coffee, zero entry pools, tons of space to spread out, waterfalls, fountains, tons of pool areas under 5 feet deep, hot tubs, sand and more.  We were there almost every day.  Sometimes more than once.

 

3. Poolside Restaurant

Lely has a poolside restaurant that serves delicious food and drinks.  We enjoyed the happy hours and the amazing food.  Kevin would highly recommend the fish tacos and I loved their berry salad.

 

4. Naps on the Go

Leo was a trooper.  He did not get quiet, peaceful naps at home every day.  He did get some pretty great poolside stroller naps.  Everyone ooohhh and ahhhhh over the sweet sleeping (giant) baby :)

5. We went to the Naples Zoo.

It was a cool, cloudy morning and all of the animals were so active.  It was really fun to see all of them out and about.  All of the unexpected animal encounters were our favorite: Close ups with the lions, feeding the giraffes, soft shell turtle strolling down the walkway and more.  They've updated the whole giraffe feeding area and the zoo is in great shape.  This zoo is one of the prettiest, accessible zoos we've ever been to.  There are tons of things to see and do.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our trip tomorrow :)