La Playa

I hope you like the beach. Look out your window and see it, miles of it, stretching further than any human eye can see. Stand on your balcony and smell it, the tropical scent calling you to feel the warm sand beneath your feet, to hear the subtle surf receding into the Gulf of Mexico, to taste the tranquility that can’t be ignored. Every one of your senses will come alive at La Playa Resort in Naples, the Floridian beachfront arcadia that will stop at nothing to please you.

A trip to La Playa brings with it a promise of luxury and relaxation. Lounge at one of the private poolside cabanas with a margarita in your hand, or walk down to Spa Terre, where any number of blissful treatments are available. The innocuous-looking lobby area of the spa belies what awaits behind closed doors. Guests may choose from a selection of sensual oils in the mood-lit massage rooms before lying down and receiving treatments like the Balinese Massage, a gentle, rhythmic delight that washes away every ounce of stress and fatigue that may have stowed away on your plane ride down.

Meals at La Playa play out like taste bud roller coaster rides. The menu at Baleen, the hotel’s signature restaurant, is loaded with dips and corkscrews. Begin with an appetizer of baked oysters Rockefeller, steamed mussels in a Thai-coconut ginger broth, or a rare tuna tataki on a bed of mushroom salad. Move on to a meal of Chinese fried snapper and coconut rice, Roquefort crusted filet mignon in a red wine sauce, or roasted grouper in a garlic-caper sauce. Order one of Baleen’s fine bottles of wine to complement the meal, then enjoy either Baleen’s award-winning key lime tartlet or the cleverly named “Monkey in the Middle,” a dark chocolate cake with a white chocolate-banana truffle center, bananas Foster ice cream, caramelized bananas, and a rum and banana caramel sauce. I’d say that you’d go bananas for this dessert, but I think you get the idea.

The wonderfully prepared dishes at Baleen spring from the talent of Executive Chef Jeffrey Bowles. Bowles’ experience at some of the best restaurants in New York, Houston, and Fort Lauderdale has aided him in crafting a seafood-based menu at Baleen that takes known dishes and makes them new again. Guests can enjoy his creations either outside or in, depending on if they prefer the warm Gulf breeze or the strangely captivating monkey-themed wallpaper.

Members at La Playa enjoy the use of The View, a gorgeously appointed club, bar, and dining room that features five-star quality cuisine that looks like art. A sample from the ever-evolving menu includes snapper shabu-shabu, hearts of palm salad, a grilled New York strip steak with cilantro coriander jasmine rice, and a ginger lemon grass crème brulee. I have yet to eat a better meal since returning. For all aspiring members, I assure you that golf magazine writers are rarely allowed in—the club is the perfect place for a cocktail, private conversation, and relaxation.

Those of you that are reading this have been patiently waiting to hear about La Playa’s golf, and I won’t disappoint you. The 18-hole La Playa Golf Club is a spectacular exercise in golfing challenge. That’s a complicated way of saying that this course is tough. Low-handicappers that tee off from the blue tees will need every iota of their ability as they try to carry the water on La Playa’s first hole tee shot. Duffers like yours truly will gratefully accept the yardage deduction that the white tees provide, while still enjoying the challenge of trying to clear La Playa’s multiple water hazards.

Don’t let La Playa’s difficulty be a turn off. It’s actually a very good thing. Even in the eyes of someone that shot a 95 (and was quite happy with it!), the challenge that La Playa presented was never unfair. Many shots provided a thrill as I tried to avoid one of many watery deaths on my way from tee to green. Every play requires plenty of thought, as the water-lined doglegs don’t play well to students of Grip It and Rip It University. Golfers who excel in course management will never want to leave La Playa and its multi-option, high-risk/high-reward design.

There’s more to La Playa than just a challenging layout. It’s actually a very beautiful course, filled with postcard-worthy shots. The greens are quick, but they roll perfectly. Many fairways are bordered by palm trees and flower bushes, and the calm, still water will almost soothe your nerves before you attempt a 170-yard carry to a pin that seems just out of reach.

La Playa is offering golfers extra incentive to come experience one of Naples’ best golf courses. The Stay & Play package includes a one-night stay, a 50% discount off greens fees, and complimentary resort fees and valet service. The Golf & Sand package includes one round of golf per day, including the use of a golf cart, unlimited range balls, a complimentary beach umbrella and two beach chairs, plus accommodations and valet service. Golfers can also better their games at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, home of the most advanced golf school in America and the most popular teacher in the game.

The accommodations at La Playa are reason enough to make the journey. La Playa has 189 beautiful rooms, 141 of which overlook the beach. Step into your room and you can’t help but notice the sliding glass door that reveals the endless seascape view. The balcony in the back is the perfect place to watch one of Naples’ famous sunrises or sunsets, but it isn’t the only place. Many rooms come equipped with a “shower window,” meaning guests can take in the view while cleaning up for a night on the town. The rooms are extremely spacious, and the beds are more comfortable than any I’ve slept in.

Daytime activities at La Playa are plentiful. Rent a Jet-Ski outside on the beach, or give parasailing a try. Sip afternoon cocktails to the sound of live local music in Baleen, or tan on the beach and soak in Naples’ warm sun. La Playa can even arrange an Everglades expedition for adventurous guests, and the golf course is always available for play.

The nights at La Playa are wild. Naples is a hopping place, and the fantastic staff at La Playa is more than happy to organize a night on the town for you. Eat, drink, and dance the night away at the dozens of bars, clubs, and restaurants that populate Old Naples’ 5th Avenue. Other outings may include a trip to the Philharmonic Center Cultural Complex, which houses the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, site of numerous Broadway shows and stand-up comedy acts; the Naples Museum of Art, a 30,000 square-foot museum that is among the largest in Florida; and the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, a nationally-recognized performance ensemble.

The best place to enjoy the night is actually right back at La Playa itself. “Martini Mark,”perhaps the world’s foremost martini expert, is constantly inventing exciting new concoctions for you to imbibe—his latest, the caffeinated martini, is already a hit. Let the mixologist mastermind make you a delicious grape martini, chocolate martini, or the ever-popular “flirtini.” Enjoy the drinks around La Playa’s fire pit, the perfect place for friendly conversation and beachside stargazing.

La Playa is what a vacation should be—a place to relax and indulge in the sweet pleasures of life. Every meal is amazing, the temperature is ideal, and the water is inviting. Playing a round of golf on fabulous La Playa Golf Course is the hardest work you’ll do during your stay. Hope you like the beach? No—I know you’ll like the beach.