About Marco island
A few miles south of Naples lies the unique community of Marco Island, a thoroughly American (and to its critics, charmless) version of Venice, Italy, with a zillion mansions on a zillion canals. The picture is completed with a dense tourist quarter of very high-rise hotels and condos along much of the beach.
But: Marco Island stands at the gateway to the fabled 10,000 Islands fishing and recreation area, the northern gateway to Everglades National Park. And that is what makes Marco unique. (More on that shortly.) This duality is part of what defines Marco Island today.
Marco “on land”
Marco “on land” is a mix of ultra-modern beachside resort hotels and condominium complexes with a lot of seasonal English, German, and wealthy Northeastern visitors, and single-family homes on all those canals, owned partly by full-time retiree residents or Northeastern snowbirds. Apart from the usual resort hotel offerings, Marco basically rolls up its sidewalks at night, but nearby Naples provides an active, upscale social and entertainment venue.
So: boating or golf by day, Naples or stay home at night. All in a place that wears the mantle “paradise” quite comfortably. If you fit the description, and like a relaxed and Palm Beach-like lifestyle, Marco Island is heaven.
In between
As a collection of beautiful places, the Naples-Marco area offers some of the nicest beaches in all of Florida, one of which is Tigertail on Marco Island. My close friend who partly grew up on Marco tells me that you haven’t lived until you’ve gazed at a full moon from this magical spot. In fact the whole western coast of the island, called Crescent Beach, is pretty nice. There’s a good public beach at the southern tip of the island, adjacent to Caxambas Pass, with a jetty straight out of the movie “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”.
You can easily find other landside or land-based water diversions, of course; this is Florida. Resort hotels offer the usual tropical playthings, from SCUBA to windsurfing, and lots of residents (of all ages) partake. It’s an important part of the mix. Tennis is an important part of many residents’ lifestyle, and it’s everywhere. Just off island there are several good golf courses, and golf is big here.
But: Marco Island stands at the gateway to the fabled 10,000 Islands fishing and recreation area, the northern gateway to Everglades National Park. And that is what makes Marco unique. (More on that shortly.) This duality is part of what defines Marco Island today.
Marco “on land”
Marco “on land” is a mix of ultra-modern beachside resort hotels and condominium complexes with a lot of seasonal English, German, and wealthy Northeastern visitors, and single-family homes on all those canals, owned partly by full-time retiree residents or Northeastern snowbirds. Apart from the usual resort hotel offerings, Marco basically rolls up its sidewalks at night, but nearby Naples provides an active, upscale social and entertainment venue.
So: boating or golf by day, Naples or stay home at night. All in a place that wears the mantle “paradise” quite comfortably. If you fit the description, and like a relaxed and Palm Beach-like lifestyle, Marco Island is heaven.
In between
As a collection of beautiful places, the Naples-Marco area offers some of the nicest beaches in all of Florida, one of which is Tigertail on Marco Island. My close friend who partly grew up on Marco tells me that you haven’t lived until you’ve gazed at a full moon from this magical spot. In fact the whole western coast of the island, called Crescent Beach, is pretty nice. There’s a good public beach at the southern tip of the island, adjacent to Caxambas Pass, with a jetty straight out of the movie “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”.
You can easily find other landside or land-based water diversions, of course; this is Florida. Resort hotels offer the usual tropical playthings, from SCUBA to windsurfing, and lots of residents (of all ages) partake. It’s an important part of the mix. Tennis is an important part of many residents’ lifestyle, and it’s everywhere. Just off island there are several good golf courses, and golf is big here.