Naples, Florida, Has Two Sides. Noble House Has a Hotel for Both.

For a downtown stay: Inn on Fifth

Photos: Jamie Sanders

Inn on Fifth is located on Fifth Avenue South, a downtown corridor filled with restaurants, shops, and spas that’s sometimes referred to as the Rodeo Drive of the East. The 119-room hotel, which includes 87 guest rooms and 32 Club Level suites, is ideal for guests looking to experience a little glitz and glamour while still being only an 11-minute walk from Naples Beach.

Accommodations fall into categories like Deluxe Room, Plaza Room, and four suite options, all of which have views of 5th Avenue South, the courtyard, or the pool. I stayed in one of the Club Level suites, which are located in a room-key-accessible building across the street. The floor has a dedicated concierge (I had a pleasant conversation with Michael while he was on duty) and a lounge featuring a variety of sweet and savory snacks (including mimosas and a make-your-own Bloody Mary station), cocktail hour, and continental breakfast. There’s also a private rooftop in the building just for Club Level guests. My room was quite spacious, with large sections for the bedroom and living room separated by a coffee bar, plus a small balcony. I also loved the oversized bathroom with a glassed-in shower and separate soaking tub.

The certified Green Key Global hotel builds multiple eco-friendly initiatives into the guest experience. In the bathroom, you’ll find refillable amenities like body wash, hand soap, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner, which cuts down on the amount of plastic and small bottles being tossed into the trash. The rooms are equipped with LED light bulbs and sensor control panels, and the water-saving systems throughout the property add up to an impressive 15 percent reduction in water use over the course of a single year.

If you want to sightsee around town without using gasoline, Inn on Fifth has a collection of bikes for hotel guests, as well as electric Moke carts that go within a mile radius. My group used the Moke carts (low-speed vehicles that have been compared to street-legal golf carts) to sightsee around Naples and breeze past mansions on our first morning in town.

Back on site, the dining options at Inn on Fifth are limited. Blu Bar & Grill, the pool bar and restaurant, is the only dining option located directly at the hotel. I had lunch here, ordering the Endless Summer Cobb Salad from a menu of salads, sandwiches, and starters.

Photos: Jamie Sanders

Truluck’s and Ocean Prime are attached to the property, with priority given to hotel guests, but they are not technically hotel restaurants. My group dined at Ocean Prime. The menu features a mix of surf-and-turf options and cocktails. My favorites among the appetizers we ordered were the warm bread basket, oysters, and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. I also enjoyed my blackened snapper with corn spoon bread, and the Berries & Bubbles cocktail was another highlight, as it was prepared tableside and featured curling smoke.

When you’re looking to relax, the hotel has a beautiful pool complete with sun loungers and a fire pit, as well as The Spa on Fifth, located on the third floor of the main building. I was treated to a 50-minute Bespoken Massage, which helped me get over my jet lag and work out the kinks in my body from my overnight flight. My therapist focused on my lower back and shoulders, using firm pressure to knead out every stubborn knot, so much so that I fell asleep on the table for a moment. While the spa is on the smaller side, it doesn’t skimp on pampering; the locker room has a sauna, steam room, and plenty of amenities like plush robes and soft terry slippers.

Between bike rides, bites, and spa treatments, Inn on Fifth’s central location makes it easy to wander into Naples on foot. I especially loved strolling down Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South. Highlights for me included the iced lavender latte at 5th Avenue Coffee Company & 6th Street Diner and perusing the resortwear at Lilly Pulitzer. We also stopped into Books on Third, which has officially become my new favorite bookstore thanks to the combination of whimsical design and hundreds of must-read titles and book-themed gifts.

For a Gulf getaway: La Playa Beach & Golf Resort

Photos: Jamie Sanders

My group spent our remaining two nights at La Playa Beach & Golf Resort. Like the Inn on Fifth, the lobby is large and inviting, but this one is done in shades of white, tan, and bright blue, with a tropical feeling. While the resort is not all-inclusive, it feels like one, making it difficult to leave during your stay (and, really, you don’t have to).

La Playa has 193 guest rooms split between two buildings: the Gulf Tower (part of the main resort area) and the Bay Tower (located across the street). A variety of double queen rooms, king rooms, and suites make up both towers. There are also eight Gulf-front suites with lanai terraces in the Gulf Tower. Guests have access to all of the amenities and common areas at the resort, which include four lagoon-style pools, the beach with lounge chairs and attendant service, the spa, and a fitness center. You can also take advantage of activities like water sports, an 18-hole golf course, and bike rentals to use around the area.

My group stayed in the Gulf Tower, and I checked into a Premium Beachfront Gulf Tower King room. The cornerstone of the room was an immense four-poster wooden bed with a mattress so comfortable that I sank into it and fell asleep immediately both nights. Shades of navy, light blue, yellow, and tan permeated the space, which also included a seating area and a small dining room. The bathroom had a large glassed-in shower with a huge, super-deep jacuzzi tub and the same amenities found at Inn on Fifth. The view from the balcony looked out over the turquoise waters of the Gulf and the white sand beach dotted with rows of umbrellas below. I spent quite a few hours sitting on my balcony, just watching the water, taking in the sea air, and listening to the crash of the waves.

Photos: Jamie Sanders

There are two dining venues and a bar on site: the Tiki Bar & Grill; the waterfront Baleen restaurant, which serves regional seafood specialties; and a small bar inside Baleen that is also a coffee shop during the day. I especially liked the tiki bar, which we dined at on our first afternoon at the hotel. I had a poke bowl with ahi tuna, sushi rice, and fresh veggies, which was rich, flavorful, and colorful. The tiki bar is also set right next to one of the pools, with a view of the Gulf beyond it.

My activities at La Playa revolved around relaxation. First, my group spent time in a cabana on the beach, where I enjoyed a pistachio piña colada. The white-sand beach is reserved specifically for hotel guests, as are the lounge chairs and cabanas, so it didn’t feel overly crowded. In fact, I was able to dip my toes into the Gulf without anyone else around me. I was also treated to an incredible 50-minute De-Stress Massage at the hotel spa, SpaTerre Naples. The spa is located on the second floor near one of the pools, with a beautiful relaxation lounge and well-appointed spa rooms. In addition to massages, the spa also does facials, body treatments, and nail services.

Our group also enjoyed a special pontoon boat tour through the Gulf of Mexico with Boat Naples, a private captained cruise company contracted through the resort. As we drifted through the Gulf, our tour guide pointed out various landmarks and houses around Naples while educating us about the red mangroves, which help protect the shoreline. The sun began to set, the speed of our boat picked up, and then, unbeknownst to us, multiple dolphins started popping out of the water. We were all oohing and ahhing, taking so many photos and videos, as they came right up to our boat and swam alongside us. I’ll admit I brushed away a tear or two.

Getting to the Noble House hotels

Photo: Jeff McCollough/Shutterstock

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is 27 miles from La Playa Beach & Golf Resort and 34 miles from Inn on Fifth, which are both roughly a 40-minute car ride in light traffic. If you aren’t renting a car, the easiest way to access each property is with a town car and limousine service, which you can book in advance with the hotels, or via rideshare. Uber and Lyft both operate in and around Naples.

Note that the airport is on the smaller side, so you may not be able to fly direct. For example, I connected through Charlotte on my way there, and through Dallas on my way home to Los Angeles.