Our family of four stayed in a bungalow, 1 bedroom suite, the last week in March and had a wonderful visit. The bungalows have just been redone and were perfect for our needs. We have small children so the ride to the beach on the tram was always exciting for them, they both loved the pool with waterslide and when we wanted a calmer experience we swam in the lap pool adjacent to the bungalows. They've added a concierge room next to the bungalows which offered continental breakfast and light lunch. The hotel is within 2 blocks of the Waterside shops which boast a wonderful variety of shops and restaurants.

Our daughter did the kids camps and loved them. Amanda has been with the resort for 2 years and you can tell she enjoys her job/kids. We hired a sitter for 3 nights and the children loved her. The next time I will sign her up for some tennis lessons. Really cannot say enough, had a great time and will definitely come back.

We stayed at the Naples grande for 5 nights on business. This is a conference hotel and I couldn't imagine choosing it for a vacation. We did not have a car and felt very isolated as the hotel is a good 7 miles from downtown naples and a taxi would run over $20. There is an upscale mall within walking distance with a few restaurants that were much more reasonable in price than the resort.

The beach: This resort is about a half mile from a public beach. The beach is very crowded and is blocked off by construction, so no beach walks. You could stay at a much cheaper hotel and still use this beach.

The pool: nice, but extremely croweded. Expensive food and premixed drinks. A fish sandwich (good) and a cocktail (Not) will run you a good $30-before tip.

The rooms: Okay, robe and coffee pot available. The housekeeping is horrible. We could be out of our room for 6 hours with the "clean my room" sign on the door, and it would not happen. I had to call housekeeping at 4 in the afternoon most days of our stay just to get service. Even then, they would not change the sheets even when you requested. Also, the water in the room tastes and smells awful, very mineraly, it is undrinkable. They have bottled water in the room that they would like to sell you for $8! There is construction going on even in the middle of the night so don't even try to sleep with your window open.

Food/drinks: Overall, I found the food to be very good and nicely presented. The drinks were pricey and watered down. I have never had a worse cocktail than the cosmo I had at their hotel bar.

In closing, this resort is okay for a conference, but simply not worth the $400/nite price tag. I would advise getting a car so you are not so isolated. Also, bring a case of bottled water for your room. And be advised that the hotel will charge you before you even arrive.

We stayed at The Naples Grand for 4 days, March 25-29, in conjunction with a meeting. The hotel is quite nice, and in my opinion, tries to be all things to all people, which is nearly an impossible task. During our visit, the hotel was VERY busy.

One really nice feature is the underground free parking. The downside is that the elevators don't go to the parking level, so people often try to haul luggage up a narrow stairway--lots of congestion, and tough if your suitcase is heavy. I would really recommend that the hotel work on elevator service to the parking!

I agree with all the other reviewers: the staff is very nice and tries hard to please, the rooms are large, comfortable, pleasant, the bathrooms are excellent, with Aveda amenities, the balconies all have a view--the rooms with lower numbers (1-19) are closer to the Gulf, those with higher numbers are closer to the entrance, which has a busy traffic circle. The spa is STILL under construction, and there was sawing of metal sometime between 2 and 3 AM one night, which did wake us up (we like to keep the balcony door open). We had 2 rooms, and the desk lamp in both did not work--one needed a lightbulb (which was provided) and the other's on/off switch did not work, so you had to plug it in or unplug it! No response to a note left about that one.

The pool area was packed (it was Spring Break season) and loud. While the large free-form pool looks great in the evening, it just seemed chaotic all day. Swimmers were bumped by kids (and parents) throwing footballs. There is a waterslide in non-stop use. Many chairs were "held" but not used, which was a problem. There are many shady umbrellas and half the pool is in shade most of the day. The food was fine, but poolside service was spotty. Maybe not enough staff, even though all the staff were extremely nice.

The beach is actually a public beach (Clam Pass) with hotel services (towels, chairs, food and water sports rentals). The shuttle works well--there is often a line-up to return to the hotel, but if you want to ride, you can get a ride. The walk isn't bad.
The beach is also very busy. To the south, some sort of dredging/construction continues, which makes a long beach walk a bit more challenging. To the north, an estuary from the mangrove cuts the beach off from walking further.

The hotel is set back from the beach behind this mangrove, so have no illusions that this is a beachfront hotel. In sight lines, it is about 6-8 city blocks away from the Gulf.

The hotel seems best suited for meetings with options for family members tagging along. It seems to be priced for the expense account as well. It is isolated, although there is a (pay) shuttle which comes through the entry all day and tours Naples. It would be nice it the hotel offered free shuttle service, considering the fee for its rather standard resort features.

Downtown Naples is nice for dinners. Go early if you don't have a reservation. There is a lot of sidewalk seating and people stroll and stop for ice cream--affluent (retirement-age) small town. The closest shopping mall is very upscale, and parking is IMPOSSIBLE. The people there tell us that it is designed to be entirely valet parking.

My husband and I stayed at three different hotels in Naples in March, so we were able to get a nice sampling. The Naples Grande has been completely redone. It's very hip, ultra-modern and swanky, almost too modern for Naples. They just added a new spa, which they were finishing during our stay. The indoor restaurant and bar were very nice, but pricey. The food and drinks at the pool bar were very good and less expensive. The extra service charges for room service were ridiculous! The pool area and walk to the beach (through mangroves) were very nice, and the room was large and comfortable! The bathroom was amazing with a large corner tub, double sinks, and a separate shower!! It was also great to have a balcony with a lovely view of Naples. This hotel is about a $25 cab ride from 5th Avenue and most of the action in Naples, so if you don't have a car, you're a little isolated. Overall, we enjoyed this hotel and would recommend it. We also stayed at the Hilton (don't go there!) and the BellaSera (beautiful, serene, & close to 5th Ave.).