Naples rewards a little strategy about where you base yourself. Stay on Vanderbilt Beach and you are steps from the sand but a short drive from downtown; stay near Fifth Avenue South and you can walk to dinner but drive to the widest beaches. The good news is the lineup has never been stronger, anchored by a landmark that just returned to the shoreline. Here is the local guide to where to stay, broken out by the kind of trip you are planning.
| Hotel | Area | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The Ritz-Carlton, Naples | Vanderbilt Beach | Established five-star beach luxury |
| Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort | Old Naples beachfront | Newest ultra-luxury, beach plus walkable downtown |
| LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort | Vanderbilt Beach | Boutique beach-and-golf feel |
| Inn on Fifth | Downtown, Fifth Ave South | Walk-everywhere downtown base |
| Edgewater Beach Hotel | Moorings beachfront | All-suite, families |
| The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón | Inland golf resort | Golf, tennis, and a waterpark |
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples is the long-standing flagship, a Five-Diamond resort sitting directly on Vanderbilt Beach with more than four decades of service behind it, ocean-view rooms, a spa, and the exclusive Vanderbilt Tower Club Lounge. Its brand-new rival is the biggest story on the shoreline in years: Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort, which opened in November 2025 on the site of the beloved former Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. The $1 billion-plus redevelopment brought back two local landmarks, the HB's beachfront restaurant and the Sunset Bar, alongside 220 rooms and suites on 1,000 feet of sand, a large new spa, and a Tom Fazio golf course arriving as the resort completes its phased opening. Crucially, it sits in Old Naples within walking distance of Third Street South. For a quieter, boutique-scale beach stay, LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort on Vanderbilt Beach pairs private beach access with its own golf and the Wine Spectator-recognized BALEEN restaurant.
If your ideal trip is walking to dinner, shops, and galleries, base yourself downtown rather than on the beach. The Inn on Fifth is the marquee choice, sitting right on Fifth Avenue South with a spa and its Club Level Suites just across the street. Bellasera Resort offers Tuscan-style all-suite rooms a few blocks up Fifth, Hotel Escalante is a lush, garden-tucked boutique hideaway near the action, and the Cove Inn on Crayton Cove is a long-running, more affordable waterfront pick. From any of these you are a short walk to the restaurants in our best restaurants guide and a quick drive or trolley ride to the beach.
Golfers have a dedicated option inland at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, a resort built around 36 holes of championship golf about three miles from the Gulf, with the Mouratoglou tennis programming and an on-site waterpark that makes it a surprisingly strong family pick too. The property is wrapping a top-to-bottom renovation debuting in fall 2026, with refreshed rooms, lobby, and new dining, and it has remained fully open throughout. Both it and the beachfront Ritz share amenities, and LaPlaya's private course rounds out the beach-and-golf category. For where to actually play, see our Naples golf guide.
Not every good stay is a five-star splurge. Edgewater Beach Hotel, tucked between Moorings Beach and Lowdermilk Park, is the only all-suite hotel on the beach here, with full kitchens that make it a natural fit for families cooking a few meals. The Naples Grande Beach Resort in Pelican Bay is a 474-room resort on 23 acres with three pools and tennis, and it is set to join Hilton's portfolio as the Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort for stays beginning in 2027. For a genuine bargain on the same Vanderbilt sand as the Ritz, the smaller Vanderbilt Beach Resort runs a fraction of the luxury rates.
Two questions settle most of it: do you want to wake up on the beach or walk to dinner, and are you traveling in peak season? Beach resorts put you on the sand but require a drive downtown; Fifth Avenue hotels flip that trade-off. On timing, Naples runs expensive and full during snowbird season, roughly November through April, so book those months well ahead and expect top rates. Summer and early fall bring the lowest prices and the widest availability, with the trade-off of heat and afternoon storms, covered in our surviving summer guide.
Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort, which opened in November 2025 on the site of the former Naples Beach Hotel in Old Naples.
For a classic beach trip, the Ritz-Carlton or the new Four Seasons. To walk to restaurants and shops, choose a downtown hotel near Fifth Avenue South like the Inn on Fifth.
Yes, including the Ritz-Carlton, the Four Seasons Naples Beach Club, LaPlaya, Edgewater Beach Hotel, and the Naples Grande.
Edgewater Beach Hotel is all-suite with full kitchens. The Naples Grande and the Ritz-Carlton Tiburón, with its on-site waterpark, also work well for families.
Peak season runs roughly November through April. Rates are lowest in summer and early fall.
The Four Seasons Naples Beach Club is the rare property that sits on the beach and within walking distance of Old Naples and Third Street South.
Yes. It is set to join Hilton's portfolio as the Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort for stays beginning in 2027.
Plan the rest of your trip with our getting to and around Naples guide, find your stretch of sand with our best beaches guide, or map out the days with our things to do in Naples guide.