The writer Hans Christian Andersen famously said, “To travel is to live.” But those of us who reside on the Paradise Coast would beg to differ—or at least amend the thought. One of the biggest perks of calling a resort town home: We have instant access to luxury hotels and their built-in culinary attractions. These properties continually seek to elevate guest experiences, with the art of destination dining at the forefront. Fortunately, the establishments court locals with gusto, too, and the bevy of kitchen activity in our region’s toniest resorts tells us we’ll be spending plenty of time in hotel lobbies this season.
Changes had already been afoot at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples and ’Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa in Captiva as far back as 2021, before Hurricane Ian ripped through Southwest Florida in late 2022. Though storm-related setbacks delayed timelines, both hotels pushed onward with even more dazzling results.
Photography by Brian Tietz
The Turtle Club at Vanderbilt Beach Resort entrance
Restaurant hotels—like the recently reopened, beachside The Turtle Club at Vanderbilt Beach Resort above—make it easy to tap into vacation-mode for an indulgent night out. Go for the seafood tower with a whole Maine lobster and Gulf shrimp.
Last July, The Ritz debuted its Vanderbilt Tower, a new wing with more than 70 club-level guest rooms and a ground-level casual (but chic) restaurant, Sofra. Cross-breezes sweep through the contemporary space, which is open on three sides and overlooks the two pool complexes. It’s an apt backdrop for a menu of Eastern Mediterranean creations, like the hummus, beautifully whipped into a tiny tower with smoked paprika-infused butter and sizzled onions on top, and a sea bass tagine bathed in an herbaceous tomato stew.
Across The Ritz grounds, locals are also flocking to Nolita, which replaces the Italian eatery Terrazza, with mosaic tile flooring resembling Neapolitan-style pizzerias in New York’s Nolita neighborhood and charred pies to match.
Photography by Brian Tietz
Crow’s Nest Steakhouse whiskey drink
Courtesy AC Hotel Naples 5th Avenue
AC Hotel Naples’ rooftop restaurant Limón
Further north on the barrier island of Captiva, ’Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa shuttered its casual Crow’s Nest Bar & Grille in 2021. The original plan was to renovate the bottom-floor, nautically inclined locale. But when the hurricane hijacked their schedule, the team took the opportunity to reimagine the space into two distinct restaurants—The Shipyard, a polished everyday eatery downstairs, and Crow’s Nest Steakhouse, a fine-dining venue upstairs with 180-degree bird’s-eye views of the Gulf. “We wanted to capitalize on that gorgeous view,” says director of food and beverage Kim McGonnell. The need for a staircase meant the crew had to downsize, resulting in an intimate, 60-seat setting at the island’s first steakhouse to open in years. Attention to detail carries through the bedrock of the menus, with more than 70 whiskeys and bourbons (as well as old fashioneds that get smoked and assembled tableside) and 30-day, in-house, dry-aged ribeyes and New York strips.
Down in Naples, another hotel reopening couldn’t come fast enough. While other Naples restaurants sat quietly through summer, reservations for The Turtle Club in the Vanderbilt Beach Resort remained mostly booked from opening day in May through August.
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Photography by Brian Tietz
Find surprises like smoke-cloaked starters at ‘Tween Waters’ beachfront steakhouse.
Find surprises like smoke-cloaked starters at ‘Tween Waters’ beachfront steakhouse.
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Brian Tietz; Courtesy The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
Locals find a recreated New York City pizza joint at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples’ Nolita.
Locals find a recreated New York City pizza joint at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples’ Nolita.
Nearby, AC Hotel Naples 5th Avenue debuted a pioneering rooftop restaurant, with its Mediterranean-inflected Limón. No shell stone was left unturned for the decor, which recalls Spain’s Costa del Sol and sets the scene for a coastal-ready menu of black lava salt-rimmed Crimson Sunset Margaritas, paellas, tagines and a skin-on snapper in a caper-dotted tomato-fennel broth.
Further north, Sunseeker Resort in Punta Gorda places dining at the forefront. Propped on the glittering Charlotte Harbor, the resort lures locals with seven distinct culinary establishments, like Blue Lime, for a contemporary spin on Mexican flavors from pedigreed chef Juan Ramos, and the centerpiece, Harbor Yards food hall. The 25,000-square-foot emporium with 11 counters covers everything from charcuterie to Cuban sandwiches to made-to-order crepes. Who says you can’t travel the world right from your backyard?