{"id":39902,"date":"2025-12-01T21:51:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T21:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/im-a-new-yorker-who-went-to-naples-florida-for-the-first-time-and-6-things-surprised-me\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T21:51:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T21:51:30","slug":"im-a-new-yorker-who-went-to-naples-florida-for-the-first-time-and-6-things-surprised-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/im-a-new-yorker-who-went-to-naples-florida-for-the-first-time-and-6-things-surprised-me\/","title":{"rendered":"I&#8217;m a New Yorker who went to Naples, Florida, for the first time, and 6 things surprised me"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f43e7e1a9cbb014de9dc7?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A body of water with palm trees and mansions surrounding it\"\/><figcaption>The author spent two nights in Naples, Florida, for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>I spent two days in Naples, Florida, for the first time in October.<\/li>\n<li>I was surprised by the city&#039;s extensive canals and waterfront mansions.<\/li>\n<li>I didn&#039;t expect the local airport to be so luxurious, and I was amazed by the crystal-blue waters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When the temperatures dropped below 50 degrees Fahrenheit this October in New York, I was jonesing for one last taste of summer.<\/p>\n<p>So I headed to the southern part of Florida, where the sun beams down on white-sand beaches and crystal-blue waters.<\/p>\n<p>During my five-day trip, I spent two nights in Naples, a city known for its luxury lifestyle. In just 48 hours, I was surprised six times.<\/p>\n<p>From the airplane window, the canals running through Naples, Florida, reminded me of Europe.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691ce653e1a9cbb014de7744?format=jpeg\" alt=\"An aerial view of the coast of Naples Florida\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I took a private plane from West Palm Beach to Naples. The coastal view from above amazed me, but the most surprising part was inland.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of miles of canals run through Naples and the surrounding areas. It reminded me of trips I&#039;ve taken to European cities like Venice, Italy, and Amsterdam.<\/p>\n<p>I landed at the most luxurious airport I&#039;ve ever seen.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68ffbb4f0be9845f2dc52b58?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The entrance to Naples Aviation Airport dotted with palm trees on a sunny day in Florida\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If I&#039;d flown commercial, I never would have seen Naples Municipal Airport. Used for private jets and charter flights, the general aviation airport has no gates or TSA checkpoints. I spotted signs of luxury the moment I exited the plane. The exterior was thoughtfully landscaped, and I noticed a valet stand by the entrance.<\/p>\n<p>I thought the inside looked more like a high-end airport lounge than a terminal. Whimsical light fixtures dangled from the ceiling, there were couches in lieu of chairs, and the bathroom had a midcentury modern look.<\/p>\n<p>I didn&#039;t expect to find two Ritz-Carlton hotels within a five-mile radius.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691cf34fabd5e944effafe8b?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A composite image of two Ritz-Carlton resorts in Naples, Florida\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I spent both nights in Naples at the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tibur\u00f3n, which is primarily a golf resort. But before my arrival, I had no idea that there was a Ritz-Carlton beach resort five miles west on the coast (called the Ritz-Carlton, Naples).<\/p>\n<p>Even more surprising, I had access to both hotels throughout my stay.<\/p>\n<p>It felt like a bonus to be able to experience the various amenities at each hotel. At the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tibur\u00f3n, I floated through the lazy river by the pool. At the Ritz-Carlton, Naples, I lounged on the beach.<\/p>\n<p>I assumed Naples would have waterfront homes, but I was shocked by the sheer volume of mansions lining the shores and canals.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691e0cb0e1a9cbb014de874c?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A body of water in front of three mansions on an island with many palm trees in Naples\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During a boat tour of Naples, I got stellar views of these estates that backed up into the water.<\/p>\n<p>Architectural styles ranged from coastal cottage and British West Indies to contemporary and Mediterranean revival.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike New York, the downtown area was right next to the beach.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691ce095abd5e944effafbbb?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A road lined with palm trees leads to a beach\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We have ocean beaches in New York on the coastlines of the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn \u2014 a trek from the bustling streets of downtown Manhattan.<\/p>\n<p>So when I was walking down Fifth Avenue in Naples, past the strips of shops and restaurants, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the street led straight to the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>The ocean water was so strikingly blue.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/691f48e8abd5e944effb246a?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Blue ocean waters in front of a shore lined with homes and palm trees in Naples, Florida\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Standing in the sand and facing the water, the ocean looked noticeably clearer and bluer than it does in New York. When I ran into the waves and ducked my head beneath the surface, I felt as if I were somewhere in the Caribbean. <\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on Business Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The author spent two nights in Naples, Florida, for the first time. Joey Hadden\/Business Insider I spent two days in Naples, Florida, for the first time in October. I was surprised by the city&#039;s extensive canals and waterfront mansions. I didn&#039;t expect the local airport to be so luxurious, and I was amazed by the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-39902","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}