Sweet and intimate: the best boutique hotels in Naples, Florida

On the grounds of Marco Island's earliest outpost of hospitality, Old Marco Island Inn continues a tradition of gracious hospitality. French-inspired Bistro Soleil occupies the original 1883 historic landmark. The newer block of two-bedroom suites attach to it, part of a shopping and dining complex. Large screened lanais, modern tiled kitchens, a master bedroom, a guest bedroom and two private baths give guests plenty of space to spread out. Besides the restaurants of adjacent Olde Marco mall, the inn is easy walking distance to a number of other dining spots, shops and marinas.

A bright, white vision of 1920s-style Mediterranean architecture, the resort, built on the banks of a spring-fed creek that named the town, came to be known early on as a healthful place. An historic plaque next to Shangri-La's springs fountain makes inference to Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth and native Calusa reverence to a sacred, healing place. The 1960s saw it turn into a health resort with raw cuisine and solariums. Through the years, Shangri-La has retained that aura, today with an extensive organic garden that supplies its Harvest & Wisdom restaurant and an organic spa. Suites occupy its renovated original lodge building, and villas live in newer digs that blend with the artistic and historic feel among lush, peaceful grounds.

For visitors looking for convenience to Naples' downtown but neighborhood quiet too, Trianon lies a couple of blocks from Fifth Avenue South. Modeled after the famous Trianons on the grounds of Versailles, it exudes European style from its marble lobby and its fireplace to the outdoor pool courtyard and its spacious selection of accommodations. Elegant furnishings and appointments decorate the rooms and one-bedroom suites, each with their own private patio or balcony. All beds are fitted with quality mattresses. In the lobby's library, guests can purchase beer and wine and morning continental breakfast, which many enjoy around the lushly landscaped pool.

This longtime, family-operated fixture on the barefoot, casual Vanderbilt Beach scene comes in two parts: There is a two-story, Old Florida beach motel with a small swimming pool in the shadow of next door's towering high rise and, across the street, a four-story bay-side condo building. The efficiencies and apartments in the older beach building have an easygoing feel, while the condos sport a bit more elegance. All 34 units come with fully equipped kitchens (no stoves in the beach efficiencies) but plan on at least one dinner at the inimitable and highly hailed Turtle Club restaurant on site. It serves lunch and dinner inside or outside on the patio or in the sand. A private fishing dock and a tennis court add to the convenience of the compact property.

The name means "a special place" in the spirit of the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon on the grounds of Versailles near Paris. Heavy on European influence, the hotel's lobby exudes elegance and intimacy, with polished marble and high-arched ceilings. The dramatic entryway segues into a cozy nook, where there are a fireplace and a patio with a view of a green lawn and a small lake. In its 100 spacious guest rooms and suites you'll find the same refinement previewed in the lobby: dark-wood armoires, sliding French doors to a balcony, gourmet European coffee service, roomy all-white baths, and lots of space. A small pool lies in the backyard of the four-story, chateau-like structure, and the Lake House Bar & Grill overlooks it. Shoppers will like Trianon's walking-distance proximity to The Promenade.

Feel the warmth of Tuscany as you splash in the tiled fountain pool and dine on fresh seafood at The Claw Bar, an indoor and poolside restaurant. Inside the lobby, a sweeping staircase and rich Tuscan tones introduce a motif that carries through the hotel's 100 studios and one- to three-bedroom suites. The spacious suites include all the comforts and modern conveniences of home including full kitchens and screened porches and balconies with views of the lushly landscaped courtyard and grounds. A small fitness center occupies a second-story room on one side of the pool, where cabanas are available. Location-wise, the hotel sits steps away from the action and smart social scene of downtown Naples but is tucked away enough to ensure peace and romance. A free shuttle whisks guests to the beach, minutes away.

Edgewater is an all-suite property with top of the line stainless steel kitchen appliances, glass mosaics, quartz countertops and a soothing color palette that mimics views of sea and sand. It holds 125 units containing full state-of-the-art refrigerators, microwaves and dining ware in their kitchenettes. The small details make the difference here: a complimentary electric trolley to Fifth Avenue South, a 2 p.m. cookies-and-milk buffet, ensuite bathrobes and a beachside s'more fire pit. Date palms flank the pretty boutique hotel's lap and family pools. Coast restaurant serves fresh, new American cuisine in the suave lobby, poolside and beachside.

In the thick of all the hip action downtown on Fifth Avenue South, Inn on Fifth provides an attractive alternative for nightlifers and metro-types. Located next to the Sugden Community Theatre and in the midst of bars, restaurants and shops, it keeps its guests blissfully sequestered in luxurious, sound-proofed accommodations decorated in a chic contemporary style. Late 2012, the fashionable inn took another step up with the addition of a concierge-level, all-suite component across the street from the original hotel. Its club room serves complimentary breakfast, noshes and beverages. A rooftop pool and bar in the inn and hot tub in the all-suite club create quiet retreats. Two on-site restaurants reflect the upscale level of accommodations. Plus there's an intimate spa in the original hotel.

LaPlaya's gracious Southern-style lobby, Thai spa, exercise room, rocky waterfall pool, pool bar and trendy restaurant menu put it on par with Miami Beach's boutique hotels. Rooms show meticulous attention to detail; some have Jacuzzis with sea views, and all are luxurious with four-poster beds, fine bed linens, goose-down pillows, private balconies and marble baths. Of its 189 units, 141 face beachfront with private balconies. The "golf" part of the name refers to privileges on a course 15 minutes away. The "beach" part is obvious-a delicious slice of sands that gives way to the property's lush tropical pool and gardens.

Built on a historic property a short walk from both of downtown Naples' main shopping and entertainment hubs - Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South - as well as the beach, this luxury boutique hotel maintains 10 intimate rooms. They surround a pool, Jacuzzi and fountain framed with lush, flowery, sweet-smelling vegetation. Subtitled "A Naples Hideaway," The Escalante is certainly that. The rooms and suites (one to two bedrooms) have private patios facing the pool or courtyard and mahogany plantation-style furniture with armoires and king-size beds dressed with European style linens. Veranda E restaurant serves contemporary, Asian style cuisine with a French flair. The spa and beach fitness classes inject a wellness element.