Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort: First In

Why book?
Because Naples, Florida finally has the beachfront resort it has been worthy of for decades—one that captures a southern-meets–Old Florida charm, Gulf-front drama, modern swagger, and enough Four Seasons confidence to ripple through an entire small coastal city (and cue The White Lotus yodel on repeat).

Set the scene
Driving down residential Gulf Shore Blvd, a series of low-rise, cream-hued buildings come into view from both sides of the street. On the beachside there are four—three housing residences and one containing the main event: Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort. The resort looks delightfully understated for a major hotel project: a seven-story, all-balcony, C-shaped structure that settles gracefully into a neighborhood of long-established mansions and Old Florida cottages. But the minute you walk through the doors, the demure perspective shifts. The ceilings soar, the air feels wide open, and the textures—brass heliconia door pulls, layered millwork, bleached pecky cypress on the coffered ceiling—suggest the kind of Florida beach house you’d design after landing a grand inheritance.

The lobby is an instant mood-setter: soothing earth-toned furnishings, colorful pillows with intricate botanical patterns (including olive-fringed beauties with dazzling fern prints), and seven overhead bas-reliefs, each molded from a different palm leaf indigenous to southwest Florida. Together, they glow in the bustling, sun-filled space and create a genuine sense of place.

Naples has never been known for pushing aesthetic boundaries, but the crowd here signals a shift. Guests arrive dressed for the part, whether inspired by their White Lotus obsession or devotion to the Four Seasons brand. Well-groomed locals pull into the porte cochère to visit the public-facing restaurants, donning seaside resort wear that lands somewhere between Gulf Coast restraint and Nantucket summer ease. Families drift toward the pools. Young couples angle for a spot at Sunset Bar. This is Naples, but not the Naples you remember—or the one your grandparents talked about.

The backstory
The resort rises on the site of the former Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, a beloved fixture that served generations of locals and was best known for HB’s and the Sunset Bar. Except for these two restaurants, now renovated and forming a standalone structure on the beachside, everything else was cleared and rebuilt entirely from scratch under the direction of interdisciplinary design firm Hart Howerton (lauded for hotel projects like The Lodge at Sea Island, GA, and Montage Big Sky). While the hotel is a new-fashioned interpretation of the old-school Naples good life, the spirit of the original property lives on where it matters: at HB’s and the Sunset Bar during those legendary Gulf sunsets.

The rooms
Guest room hallways preview the property’s design point of view: blonde wood floors, blue-and-white striped carpet, and sage doors topped with brass knockers shaped like clams, crabs, fireflies, seahorses, and more. The flora-and-fauna story continues inside through art and soft goods, while telescoping glass doors open onto deep terraces or balconies furnished with striped daybeds and sturdy wood-framed dining nooks. Nearly every room gets some Gulf view thanks to the outward-facing C-shaped footprint, and the resort sits directly on the sand—never more than a few steps from your door.

Overall, the interiors by Champalimaud take inspiration from Old Naples cottage style. Think: paneling, teak consoles, soft palettes without tilting too nostalgic. Minibar cabinetry in flamingo pink or periwinkle blue lacquer ground the look, complemented by sea-glass chandeliers in the suites. Bathrooms are expansive and clad in white marble, foreshadowing the scale of the sublime spa across the street.

Of the 220 keys, 57 are suites, many conceived with multigenerational travel in mind. For now, the top accommodations are the 1,230 square feet oceanfront corner suites and the larger specialty suites: Cypress and Magnolia. In early 2026, the resort will debut its ultimate accommodation, the five-bedroom Sabal Suite: bi-level and 5,500 square feet with a wraparound terrace and its own circular pool perched above the sand.

Food and drink
Five restaurants fill the resort, each distinct without trying too hard. The Merchant Room, helmed by two-time James Beard Award-winner Gavin Kaysen, emerges just off the lobby and hums from morning through late evening. By day, guests linger over breakfast or lunch on the ocean-view terrace. At dinner, the energy shifts indoors as guests feast on New American brasserie selections such as in-house dry-aged steaks and house-made pastas. A wall-to-wall, flamingo-filled, hand-painted mural by renowned fine arts painter Dean Barger sets the tone for a tropical-chic dining room, where even the glassware and flamingo-covered menus feel considered.

Sunset Bar is where you’ll need to vie for space with locals in the late afternoon (but it’s worth it). Naples is famous for its sunsets, and this is the place to be for the daily ritual of the sun’s descent—and the official “blowing of the conch” the moment it hits the horizon. Guests can grab a stool, stand, or carry drinks directly onto the sand, settling into oversized upright chairs to take it all in.

Next to Sunset Bar is HB’s, reinvented as a seafood-centric restaurant with plenty of crudos, local catch, and the kind of raw-bar plates that belong beside the beach. Because HB’s is indoor-outdoor, the sunset views are identical to those of its popular neighbor. The smart move: book an early beachfront dinner, bypass the Sunset Bar crowds, and watch the sky fade across the Gulf in peace.

A short walk through the “Coconut Connector,” the pedestrian pathway linking both sides of the property over Gulf Shore Blvd, leads to Market Square—home to the spa and two casual dining venues, including Naples Trading Company for pastries and coffee, and The Wager, a sports-centric gastropub with a bowling alley set to open in 2026.

The spa
The Sanctuary Spa, a tri-level, 30,000-square-foot complex devoted to wellness, is unlike anything else in the region. The third-floor hydrotherapy circuit is its own destination: a white-marbled progression of co-ed ice rooms, saunas, heated hammam benches, and experience showers that alternate between bracing and warming. It’s an immersive maze where time seems to evaporate. The second-floor houses treatment rooms and a massive gym developed with celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, the kind that rivals a major city fitness center. There’s also a 75-foot rooftop lap pool overlooking the in-progress Tom Fazio golf course, set to open in 2026.

The neighborhood / area
The resort is located in Old Naples, surrounded by calm Gulf surf, low-rise cottages, and permanent conservation land. Guests can easily stroll or drive to Third Street South and Fifth Avenue for boutiques and restaurants. The surrounding residential buildings are private homes, which keeps the beachfront from ever feeling overcrowded, even in high season.

Service
Four Seasons is known for excellent service, and the Naples outpost delivers. Some of the staff feel very green but eager, while others hail from more seasoned Four Seasons properties near and far. Overall, there’s a freshness to the team’s energy—a sense of pride in presenting a long-awaited project. Everyone seems to have a favorite dish, a preferred sunset angle, or a story from the Four Seasons from which they came. Service feels attentive without formality or pretension.

For families
Expect easygoing flexibility: a family-friendly pool tucked into the curve of the C-shaped building, suites with room to spread out, and soft Gulf conditions ideal for younger swimmers. Adults get their own oceanfront pool lined with cabanas striped in orange and white.

Accessibility

All ADA standards are in place, and the property offers a variety of accessible rooms and suites (six options, in fact). Note, however, that the beach does not have mobi-mats and is not wheelchair accessible.

Anything left to mention?
Two last things to note: the website’s aerial shots make the resort look larger than it feels—remember, most of those buildings are private residences. And if you’re planning to dine off-property but stay for sunset, order your car from the valet well in advance. There’s a huge rush each evening after the conch blow, and you don’t want to wait upward of 30 minutes to leave.