Whether travellers are looking for a romantic escape or family getaway, Florida’s Paradise Coast — Naples, Marco Island and the western portion of the Everglades — has an array of holiday options year-round. With more than 30 miles of soft, white sand beaches, a thriving art and culture scene, distinctive dining, family attractions and the best of outdoor adventure, the Paradise Coast is truly a destination with it all. Located just two hours from Miami, four hours from Orlando and three hours from Tampa, the Paradise Coast is easily accessible from some of Florida’s largest cities. Travellers outside of the Sunshine State can fly into Southwest Florida International Airport, which provides nonstop service to 49 destinations on 15 different air carriers.
Bask in the sunshine at your choice of urban or wilderness beaches in Florida’s Paradise Coast. Often described as sugar-sand beaches, the soft, sandy shores are strewn with keepsake seashells and are the perfect venue for watching the nightly awe-inspiring sunsets. With so much coastline on offer, there’s plenty of opportunity for activity on the water, with surfing, kayaking, jet skiing, windsurfing, paragliding, paddle boarding and airboat rides in the Everglades, there’s definitely something for everyone. If this isn’t enough activity, there are also more than 90 golf courses in the Greater Naples metro area, placing the region as #1 in the National Golf Foundation’s rankings of golf holes per capita.
For those looking for an unforgettable adventure, there is the subtropical wilderness of the Everglades – a world heritage site and ecosystem. Choose from the vast array of options such as airboat rides, wildlife tours, hiking one of many trails, taking a ranger-guided swamp walk strolling along the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk or explore on your own in a canoe or kayak through the Ten Thousand Islands.
Variety is the key word when it comes to the cuisine of Florida’s Paradise Coast, whether that’s down to the actual food on offer or where it’s being enjoyed, there’s diversity aplenty. From a catch caught fresh that day enjoyed on the waterfront, or an international bite to go from one of the eclectic mix of food trucks found at the waterfront Celebration Park, no palette will go unpleased. Everglades City, located south of Naples and Marco Island at the gateway to the western Everglades, is the birthplace of the stone crab industry and the second-largest supplier of stone crab claws in the nation. And from October to May, it becomes the epicentre of crabby activity, with the delectable stone crab claws traditionally served cold with a mustard dipping sauce or drawn butter.
