Florida Panama 2025: Naples - Fort Myers

Monday 24.02.2025 Homestead - Shark Valley - Naples, rainy day 23ºC

Today, I finally feel almost back to normal. On our way to Naples, we made a stop at Shark Valley in the Everglades and took the tram tour—a fantastic way to experience the landscape up close. We spotted an array of birds, many of which we had already seen in Boynton Beach, including wood storks, glossy ibises, white ibises, and anhingas. Of course, there were also alligators and even a crocodile.

Just as we continued our journey, the heavy rain set in and accompanied us all the way to our hotel in Naples, the Naples Park Central Hotel (room 208). After settling in, we headed out for dinner at Opa, a Greek restaurant where I particularly enjoyed the starter.

Tuesday 25.02.2025 Naples - Audubon Corkscrew Sanctuary, nice day 24ºC

Breakfast at our Naples Park Central Hotel wasn’t particularly exciting, so this time, we opted for IHOP. To our surprise, it was just as good as Denny’s! Volker enjoyed his blueberry pancakes, while I had an omelet.

After breakfast, we drove to Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and walked the beautiful boardwalk trail, spotting many birds, a few alligators, and even a water snake. Unlike the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Boynton Beach, which is free to visit, entry here was $17 per person.

In the afternoon, we headed back home for a siesta before driving to downtown Naples. We found a free parking garage and had lunch at La Colonie, a Vietnamese restaurant. Naples exudes sophistication, with its high-end ambiance, luxury boutiques, fine dining, and art galleries.

Wednesday 26.02.2025 Naples - Turner River Loop Drive - Ten Thousand Islands Marsh Trail, warm sunny day 27ºC

After a late breakfast at IHOP (yes, we missed the $6 specials that end at 10 AM), we set off for HP Williams Roadside Park and drove the entire Turner River Loop Drive. Along the way, we stopped at the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park to walk the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk, a scenic one-mile trail that will soon be extended to 2.5 miles.

After a quick refresh at the hotel, we headed to Tin City, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Riverwalk Restaurant.

Thursday 27.02.2025 Naples - Miromar Outlet - Fort Myers - warm sunny day 27ºC

This time, we made it to IHOP before 10 AM and enjoyed their $6 breakfast deal.

Afterward, we headed to Miromar Outlet, where we did some serious shopping at Columbia. A quick lunch at a Mexican snack bar fueled us for the next leg of our trip—to Fort Myers, where we checked into the Marriott Courtyard Cape Coral (Room 143).

In the evening, we explored downtown Fort Myers, which has a distinctly different feel from Naples. While Naples exudes luxury, Fort Myers offers a more laid-back, historic charm. We strolled through the streets and ended the day with a drink at 10 Twendy Five on the Patio de Leon Fountain Square.

Friday 28.02.2025 Naples - Sanibel - warm sunny day 26ºC

After a rather strange breakfast—where we had to choose just one or two items from a limited menu—we at least had a kind server who made sure I got my coffee and even an orange for Volker.

Fueled up, we set off for Sanibel. The devastation left by Hurricane Ian in 2022 was still painfully evident nearly three years later. The bridge had been destroyed, and much of the island remained in disrepair—far worse than we had expected. In contrast, Captiva Island, which we visited next, seemed to have recovered more.

On our way back through Sanibel, we took a walk through the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, where we spotted numerous tricolored herons and even an alligator. Volker was determined to visit the beach on Sanibel, so after paying a $5 fee via an app, we walked over—only to find no bar and chilly water (20°C). Unsurprisingly, we didn’t stay long and made our way back to Fort Myers.

Curious to see Fort Myers Beach, we drove there next. It turned out to be more of a long peninsula stretching south along the mainland, and we soon found ourselves stuck in traffic near Bonita Beach. At least we discovered a great Latin American restaurant, El Acajutla, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. However, the drive back to our hotel was tedious—almost an hour for just 20 miles.

Back at the hotel, we thought a swim would be nice, but unfortunately, the pool wasn’t heated.

Saturday, 01.03.2025 Fort Myers, warm 25ºC

Today was all about shopping and theater. We started at the Edison Mall, indulging in some retail therapy before heading to the Fort Myers Theatre, a charming little amateur venue. We had an absolute blast watching *GYPSY The Musical* (*ftmyerstheatre.com*). The cast included both children and adults, and they were all truly impressive!

For dinner, we opted for a classic American experience at Waffle House, where we tried the cheesesteak melt hash brown bowl—*smothered*, of course. Our American friend insisted it had to be that way! Next time, I’ll go all in and have my hash browns *smothered, covered, chunked, and diced* 😉.

To round off the evening, we took one last stroll through downtown Fort Myers, wandering along First Street before returning to our hotel. A quick stop at the hotel laundry—conveniently located right next to our room—made for a productive end to the day.

Sunday 02.03.2025 Fort Myers - Manatee Kayaking Company - West Palm Springs, warm 25ºC

We began the day with a drive to the Manatee Kayaking Company, where we had booked a guided two-hour tour at 11 AM. It was an incredible experience—we actually got to see manatees, and one even swam right next to our kayak!

After the tour, we continued our drive to West Palm Beach. Along the way, we passed the international airport and spotted Air Force One—Trump was probably spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate after his tense meeting with Zelenskyy.

We arrived at our hotel, the Springhill Suites by Marriott West Palm Beach (Room 328), and called it a day. For dinner, we kept it simple, enjoying the cheeses, crackers, and bananas we had left in our lunch pack.