My 1st(GB)/2nd(US)-floor apartment in Lakeside at the World Tennis Club suits both couples and families. It has a double bedroom (king-size bed/two walk-in closets/en-suite shower room) and a twin bedroom (closet, and adjacent bathroom). Extra beds for 1-2 children can be arranged (rental). A spacious lounge/diner has a three-seat sofa, a loveseat, and a dining table with seating for up to six persons. There is access to a screened, west-facing lanai (balcony) overlooking a lake and equipped with patio tables and chairs. A fully-equipped kitchen adjoins the dining area. There is a separate washing machine/dryer area. The apartment is air-conditioned, has cable TV (lounge and master bedroom), a DVD player (US DVDs only), radio/cassette player, and free WiFi. There is a dedicated parking space and guest parking.
I transfer my rights to access W.T.C tennis courts (no court fees), swimming pools, outdoor spa, and clubhouse/restaurant. Note please that for security of the community, all tenants must register with the W.T.C., whether or not they use the facilities. I supply a registration form to our renters for completion an d return to the W.T.C. office not less than 14 days before the commencement of the rental. A registration fee of $150.00 is payable to the W.T.C. office by the tenant at the time of registration. Because of this, I cannot accept bookings with less than 15 days notice of the date of arrival.
Downtown Naples shops and beaches are a 5/10 minutes drive away. The Everglades National Park is a half-hour drive away. A guest said, 'Having a great time; it is a real pleasure to return to your lovely apartment each evening'.
Tennis Details:
The World Tennis Club (W.T.C.) is a major Florida Gulf Coast tennis facility and is the central feature of the community in which our apartment is located. I transfer my tennis rights to our guests (please note the registration fee of $150.00 per rental - irrespective of the number of guests or the duration of the rental - for temporary memberships of the community). This also gives free access to 17 high quality tennis courts, a pro-shop, and a clubhouse with bar and restaurant (seasonal). Pro-tennis tuition is available, exhibition matches are played frequently, and regular tournaments are arranged. There is also a pickle-ball court and a table-tennis table, and matches are arranged
Adjoining the clubhouse is a large, heated swimming pool and a spa tub. There is a second, smaller heated swimming pool just round the corner from my apartment. Special meals and barbeque evenings are arranged in season at the restaurant, often in conjunction with events. The W.T.C. office provides a monthly calendar of events.
Golf Details:
Naples is a very big location for golf. Although there isn't a golf course on site at W.T.C., Naples has many public and private golf courses, several of which are close by my apartment. Details can be found on the Naples Tourism website. The nearby Quail Run Golf Club may offer reduced fees to W.T.C. guests (ask at W.T.C. for details of when these apply, and the fees)
Beach and Wildlife Details:
Naples has a lovely, nine-mile long, white shell-sand beach, which is safe for children. It stretches from south of Naples Town Pier to beyond Lowdermilk Beach Park, about 1 mile from the apartment. There are many access points to this beach which is also good for shell collecting. There are changing facilities, showers, and a cafe at Lowdermilk Park and showers and toilets at Naples Town Pier. North of Venetian Bay there are further grade 1 beaches at Clam Pass, Delmor-Wiggins, Barefoot Beach and Lovers Key State Parks, each with picnic/barbecue areas and full changing facilities (entry charges apply). Pelicans, fishing just off shore, are a major attraction, as are cormorants, egrets, sandpipers, sanderlings, seagulls, and terns on the beaches..
Sanibel Island, near Fort Myers (1 hour's drive away) has some of America's best shelling beaches. The Ding Darling Wildlife Bird Sanctuary on Sanibel Island is where many Northern bird species, including great white pelicans, spend their winters, and where egrets, anhingas, herons, roseate spoonbills and ibis can be seen close-up all year round.. The nearby Bowman's Beach has picnic and changing facilities and a beautiful shell-sand beach.
The Thousand Island Section of Everglades National Park (free entry + wildlife cruises) is a half-hour drive from my apartment, whilst the Shark Valley (cycle-path and trolly tour) and Florida City (Park HQ, trails and overlooks) accesses to the Park are a 1 hour and 1.5 hour drive away, respectively. Everglades National Park is a unique world ecosystem of marsh grasslands, hardwood hammocks and mangrove islands, with alligators, salt-water crocodiles, dolphins, manatees, turtles, water snakes, and an amazing variety of bird life, all year round.
The Corkscrew Swamp/ Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary is only a short drive from the apartment and harbors a bald cypress swamp with alligators and both water and tree bird life (including herons, egrets, falcons, hawks and woodpeckers), as well as racoons.
Naples Town Pier allows free sea fishing by rod (bait shops available) whilst charters for deep-sea game fishing are available from the Crayton Cove Town Marina. There are also sail charters from the marina, both bare-boat and captained.
Shopping Details:
Naples City has five major shopping hubs located, respectively, at Third Street South and Fifth Avenue (downtown), The Coastland Center (on US41), Venetian Bay (on Gulfshore Boulevard North), and the Waterside Center (on Seagate Road). All are within a 5/10 minutes drive from my apartment. The Coastland Centre contains major department stores such as Macy's, JC Penny's, and Dillard's. The other shopping complexes listed above comprise boutiques, specialist shops, jewelers, antique and fine art galleries, and good quality restaurants. Menus from a number of the restaurants are kept in my apartment.
Outlet store complexes are sited on the road from Naples to Marco Island (Premier Outlets), beside Interstate 75N near Bonita Springs (Miramar Outlets), and on the road to Sanibel Island (Tanger Outlets), all within an hour's drive of our apartment.
The Pine Ridge Shopping Center, 400 yards distant, has Publix, Walmart and Wynn Dixie supermarkets, clothing stores, wine-stores, video rentals, pharmacies, toy stores, restaurants, and home furnishing and home improvement stores. There is a Bank of America and a Chase Bank, both with an ATM, at Pine Ridge Shopping Center and other banks and ATMs at Fifth Avenue South and along US41 towards downtown.
Our agent in Naples provides pre-servicing of the condo, including full professional cleaning, as well as back-up support for our vacation tenants during their rental periods.
