Take A Tropical Couples Trip To This Beautiful Florida Island
If you're looking for a romantic tropical getaway, Marco Island, Florida, could be just the place. Located near the city of Naples and the Gulf Coast side of Everglades National Park, Marco Island is the biggest of Florida's Ten Thousand Islands (most of which are uninhabited), and it's the only one that's developed into a beach resort hub. This leaves it perched between luxury and natural beauty and makes it a great place to visit on a couple's trip.
Places like Tigertail Beach have a secluded feel that make Marco Island a less crowded and more intimate option for a Florida vacation, compared to a big city like Miami (popular as it may be as a honeymoon destination). At Tigertail, you'll still find all the requisite palm trees, white sands, and pristine turquoise waters, showing why this part of the state is called the Paradise Coast. It's the perfect place to set up a beach umbrella or search for seashells. In the tidal pools, you can find starfish and sand dollars, while the bird-watching tower holds wide vistas.
Another popular public beach, lined with condominiums, is South Marco Beach. However, when you're staying at a resort on Marco Island, some of the best memories you make may just come from the downtime you enjoy together back at the hotel. This could mean getting a massage, relaxing in hammocks, holding hands after dinner as you walk down to the beach, or watching the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico.
Where to stay on Marco Island
As for where to stay, The Boat House Marco Island and The Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa both won the Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Awards in 2023. The Boat House, as its name implies, is located right on the water and boat docks in Collier Creek. You can rent your own boat or fishing charter from here, and it's only a short walk to Scuba Marco for a dive trip or scuba lessons.
Paradise by Sirene, a resort within JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, caters strictly to adults with a private rooftop pool and exclusive beach section. Marked by flowing fountains and Polynesian tiki bars, the rest of the resort has also earned high marks from traveling couples for amenities such as its fine dining, spa services, and two championship golf courses, both accessible via resort shuttle. Evening entertainment includes a Balinese fire dance performance on the beach at dusk.
Though it's set back from the beach more, the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Sunset Cove Resort likewise has a free shuttle and loaner bicycles that will take you out there. If you're not staying on the beach but you still want to luxuriate in the gulf views, another option is to head up to the Rose Marina and take a sightseeing cruise or sunset dinner cruise aboard the Marco Island Princess. This is where the Hemingway Water Shuttle departs, too, for scenic Keewaydin Island, another top-rated attraction in the Marco Island area.
What to do beyond the beaches
Between Marco Island and the Everglades, there are all sorts of guided tours you can take. For a bike tour of the island, Susan's Adventures has won the aforementioned Travelers' Choice Award on Tripadvisor the last nine years in a row. Or you can strike out on your own on a beach cruiser from Marco Islands Bike Rentals, which also rents kayaks and street-legal golf carts. It all depends whether you're looking to meet people or just spend quality time with your partner.
With a watercraft, you could check out the otherworldly, abandoned, floating dome homes of Cape Romano. Marco Island Water Sports offers parasailing experiences, paddleboard and WaveRunner rentals, and even guided WaveRunner tours where you can explore the Ten Thousand Islands and possibly see marine life like manatees and dolphins in their natural environment. For alligator sightings and a ride through a mangrove tunnel, you can make the 35-minute drive over to Everglade City and head out on a guided airboat tour like Captain Jack's.
Sunny Naples is about the same distance from Marco Island as Everglade City, and it's only another 45 minutes from there to see Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, where a 2.25-mile boardwalk leads through America's biggest old-growth bald cypress forest. While a hurricane destroyed much of the famous Naples Pier in 2022, there are still some nice things for couples to do locally, like strolling alongside a lily pad pond, arm in arm, at the Naples Botanical Garden.