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Sun and
sand for Christmas
The Ritz Carlton, Naples offers
a warm weather alternative
by Joan
Tupponce
for Virginia Business Options
December
2006
Temperatures in the low 80s and days of abundant sunshine
are tempting when you're shivering in 30-degree weather.
Snow may be the perfect scenario for the holidays, but
it's far from the perfect vacation forecast for warm-weather
addicts.
One possible remedy to the winter
blues is The Ritz-Carlton, Naples on the Gulf of Mexico
near Naples, Fla. The resort was recently listed as
one of the "100 Best Places
to Stay in 2006" in the Robb Report Luxury Resorts,
an annual publication from the editors of Robb Report.
The Mobile Five Star and AAA
Five Diamond resort is neighbor to Naples, where you'll
find golfing, yachting, fishing and sailing. Take a
day to browse through the Fifth Avenue and waterside
shops in the heart of Naples. You'll find everything
from the latest bling at Tiffany & Co.
to a trademark, made-to-order trench coat at British-based
Burberry.
Even though the temperatures are still hovering in the
70s and 80s, you'll know that it's the holiday season
when you walk into the lobby of the resort and smell
roasting chestnuts. Other dead giveaways are the ornate
Christmas tree, the custom holiday lighting and the two-story,
300-square-foot gingerbread house, which the resort's
chefs start working on in early November. If you time
it right, you can visit with Santa inside the house.
For a view of the water and the beaches, book a luxury
suite on the Gulf side of the resort. Suites start at
$2,500. For the ultimate indulgence, the hotel's 3,000-square-foot
presidential suite on the club level features complimentary
food selections, a butler's pantry and a steam sauna.
Golfers who want to brush up
on their game can book a premiere session at Tiburón Golf Course with
Rick Smith, voted one of the top five golf instructors
in America by Golf Digest. Smith has worked with PGA
Tour players such as Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus.
The Tiburón, a Greg Norman-designed championship
course, is at The Ritz-Carlton's sister property, The
Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. Or if tennis is your sport,
schedule a lesson with Australian singles champion Johan
Kriek.
The warm weather invites outdoor activities. For fun,
take a private jet-ski tour of Ten Thousand Islands.
The guided tour, which runs $75 an hour, weaves through
the uninhabited barrier reef islands around Marco Island.
You can also rent everything from fishing boats to a
70-foot yacht that will take you through the waterways
around Naples. Boat rentals range from $200 to $2,500
an hour.
If poolside is more your style, days can be spent lounging
at the Poolside Cabana Club. Each cabana features fresh
fruit, chilled water, micro-fiber robes, a 17-inch flat
panel television with DVD, high speed Internet connection
and local telephone service. You'll even have your own
personal Cabana butler to cater to all your requests.
Continue the pampering at the
51,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa, one of nine in
the country offering Prada Beauty skin care products
and treatments. Other spa treatments include couple
massages, facials, "Dream Journey" massages,
aqua therapy and wellness and personal training. The
average 50-minute treatment runs $125. Be sure to cool
off with one of the ice-shaved towels after your visit
to the steam room.
Dining experiences at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples range
from formal to casual. There's Artisans in The Dining
Room where menus come with an art guide that allows you
to purchase art work displayed in the room. For a more
relaxed atmosphere, you can go to Gumbo Limbo, an open-air
restaurant along a beach boardwalk in the nature preserve.
Don't worry if time is running out for those last-minute
gifts. Yamron Jewelers, a high-end store featuring the
creations of jeweler-to-the-stars Harry Winston, can
fit you for jewelry in your room. If that doesn't beat
the cold, nothing will.
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