On the West Side of Florida...

Hope everyone’s 2012 is off to an amazing start!

I am feeling reenergized and ready to conquer the new year… Luckily, over the break JG and I had some time to relax and unwind from the craziness of 2011. We spent plenty of time in our sweet little apartment and wearing pajamas past noon… hehe. However, we did manage to take a quick 2-day trip over to the West Coast (enter Ice Cube mix here…) and no, we’re not talking California. (Although I threw you off with the West Coast thing didn’t I?) I meant the West Coast of Florida – Naples and Marco Island.

Growing up, my parents used to take regular weekend trips to Naples and Marco Island. I have fond memories of staying at the Marriott in Marco Island and playing on the beach with my cousins. So for my dad’s birthday, which falls on the day after Christmas, we decided to take a quick trip to Naples with my parents and Lola.

Being that it was our first road trip with the puppy (she’s not really a puppy, going on 4-years in April), we had to find a hotel that would allow dogs. Luckily, the Hilton in Naples allows dogs under 50lbs and only charges you a $50 pet fee and a $200 refundable deposit.

Lola loving the road trip

We set off in the early morning and made our way across Alligator Alley for the 1.5hr long trip to Naples. Along the way, I read up on some reviews for lunch spots in Naples because our plan was to arrive just in time for lunch and then check-in to our hotel. I came across a very well-reviewed French bistro called Café Normandie off of Tamiami Trail North that was near the hotel. We stopped in and sat outside and enjoyed a fantastic little lunch. Dad and I both had the Jambon de Paris which is a delicious ham sandwich on a French baguette, while mom enjoyed her Salade Niçoise and JG devoured his Crêpe stuffed with brie cheese, ham and mushrooms.

After lunch and checking-in, we headed off Hibiscus Golf Club to drop off the boys at the golf course and then mom, Lola and I headed off to the Miromar Outlets off of exit 123. These outlets are awesome – they have everything from Neiman Marcus Last Call to the Bloomingdales outlet and more. We even managed to score our NYE outfits!!

@ Hibiscus Golf Club

Dinner that night was at a spectacular spot off of 3rd St S called Sea Salt next to Tommy Bahamas. JG and I had been there before with some of our best friends who live in Naples. It’s definitely one of my favorite spots! Their cuisine is inspired by their location near the ocean and every dish is a winner. The hostess who seated us gave us a nice quiet table outside (so Lola could join us) and we had an awesome birthday dinner for dad! Mom and I had two of their pasta dishes and dad and JG had fresh fish!

The following day we headed south to Marco Island for lunch. Again, we took to Yelp for the best reviewed spots and came across a place called Little Bar Restaurant in Goodland (right next to Marco Island). Turns out this spot is a hidden gem! It’s an oceanfront, whole-in-the-wall spot with funky décor and fresh seafood.

@ Little Bar Restaurant

Afterwards we did some sightseeing and then headed back to South Florida… all in all it was an awesome 2-day getaway and folks from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale really need to take advantage of our quiet, yet fun neighbors on the west coast. It only takes about an hour and a half and you already feel like you’re in some other destination!

Taking pics with my new camera!