Vanderbilt Beach

One of my favorite beaches here Naples I love Vanderbilt Beach is really pretty and you can get to have lunch at the Ritz and look out on the ocean «yes I’m from New Jersey since you saw me right ocean instead of the gulf»
Lol

Great beach! Beautiful water. Sand is nice for walking. Gets crowded but most great beaches do. People are pleasant. Nice clean bathroom. Metered parking if u can get it or parking garage. Husband and I were visiting parents and spent a few hours at the beach. We are from New England and live 4 miles from a beautiful beach. This beach compares with ours. Definitely worth a trip.

Definitely the «party beach» of Naples! Lots of fun but definitely gets super crowded year round so expect to have no more than 3 – 4 feet between you and your closest neighbors. This beach attracts a louder and rowdier crowd, expect drinking, smoking, loud music, and bbqing. Not my favorite beach in Naples but always end up having a great time with friends here!

After living in Naples for over 30 years I believe that Vanderbilt beach is the best beach we have, this is supported by national and international publications as well
In short the beach has the best access in Collier County with the most convenient and largest number of parking spaces
You have three five-​star restaurants to choose from all within 1 mile of walking, the ritz, turtle club and la playa
For the budget minded visitor you have two options right across the street from the flagpole, not to mention a very clean and well run convenience store that serves breakfast lunch and dinner featuring boars head products
You can rent sailboats, paddle boards, jet skis or go parasailing which are all provided within a 100 yard stretch of the beach
If the sun is not your gig, then you could rent a cabana or a large umbrella while you watch your friends play
I am fortunate enough to live within walking distance to the beach and you would be hard-​pressed to find another residential location in Naples so close to the ocean under $ 500,000
life is good!!!

I go to Vanderbilt all the time out of convenience. It is by my house, there are clean bathrooms, and a few places nearby to get drinks & food (Ritz; Beach Box, or the Beach store.) If you’re traveling with a lot, there is a roundabout near the sand where you can drop everyone off with your things before parking in the garage. Parking is $ 8 for non-​residents or free with a Collier County beach sticker. It’s always a good time but it’s definitely one of the busiest beaches in Naples. Younger crowd of drinkers and people playing games and music. If you want a quiet, relaxing beach day, there are many many other places to go in town.

We visited this beach twice during our last vacation and it was great! They have a cabana and you can rent chairs for $ 7 or beach cabanas for $ 20. Parking is down the street in a garage for $ 8. I would suggest dropping everyone off with your stuff and then going to park. We went up the beach to Gumbo Limbo for lunch but the Turtle Club is close too! Definitely check this out when you’re in town.
P.S-I think there are different bathrooms, the one I used was disgusting but my mom said she went to one that was new and clean. Aim for that one.

My family and I came to Vanderbilt Beach for a much needed vacation. The beach is clean and white. The water is clear and warm. The area and neighborhood is quiet and family friendly. However, the most impressive sight is the gorgeous sunsets! It is the most beautiful I have seen.

Let’s see… Crowded. Check. Windy. Check. Churned up surf with some seaweed. Check. For the capper, while rinsing off, my wife’s Maui Jim sunglasses were stolen. I really, really wish I had been near enough to see that happen. It would have been a huge pleasure to dole out some vigilante justice. Not a good day.

This beach is Packed so come early. $ 8 to parking, not six as we had read and been told. White soft sand. Warm water. We had a lovely day. You can bring your own food and chairs or everything you might need is there for rental. Walk across the street to get a decent frozen drink. People were really friendly, chatted up folks on all sides. And then we returned to watch the sunset. Amazingly, there were hundreds there to do the same. It was a giant party celebrating the beauty of Mother Earth. Before we leave this paradise and head back to winter we will do a day and an eve on the beach again.

Amazing beach! Sand is clean, like powder and beautiful. Great views. Totally amazing! water is crystal clear… and if you come during off season it’s not packed :).

La plage de Vanderbilt est très longue et agréable à marcher. Un grand stationnement payant à étages à proximité ainsi que les salles de bain juste à côté sont appréciés. De plus, juste à côté de la 41, pas difficile à trouver. Nous y sommes allés deux fois et le coucher du soleil était merveilleux. Dommage que l’on né retrouve pas cette belle chaleur chez-​nous à cette époque de l’année!!! Nous retournerons vers la saison froide avec la belle neige et ses sports d’hiver. Bienvenue à tous chez-​nous au Québec, Canada.
Gaetane
13 novembre 2014

This place does not have such a big area for shade, so you have to bring your own. The sand is very soft. The water is clear enough to see into feels friendly with the environment around you.
If you want to bring your kids here to make sandcastles or swim in the water, the water is shallow enough for a 6 year old to walk through for while, even though there is no sandbar.
This place also is nice enough if you want a tan or relax, very quiet and relaxing.

Awesome beach. There is lots of sand and water and I loved both. Well I love all beaches in fairness to all the others thus the 4 out if 5 rating. Maybe if they had a cheeseburger stand and snow cones they would earn the coveted 5 stars. Great beach
Clean quiet and enjoyable!

Vanderbilt Beach was fantastic! It was clean, quiet and easy to get too. I would love to go back! Watching the Sunset was one of the coolest!

One of my favorite beaches in Florida. Second only to Lido Beach in Sarasota. Access to the beach is great. If you don’t want to walk with all your beach gear, you can have one person in your party pull up to the circle and drop you and your stuff off. Then they can go find parking. We have our beach cart and it’s the best investment ever.
It looks like they will be building a new restroom area, which is a good thing. I don’t really blame them for the condition of the restrooms. It is a beach restroom after all. People can be a bit more conscientious. I have yet to go to a beach where the restrooms have attendants.
Same goes to the rude folks that plant themselves, usually right next to me, to smoke their cancer sticks. Or, as was the case this past week, their cigars. Seriously, I go to the beach for fresh air, not carcinogens. One other reason why Lido wins. They’re smoke free!
Pack some snacks and drinks because there are no food vendors on the beach.

Beats NJ

We came in mid-​late April, so it wasn’t too crowded. I’d recommend this over both Marco Island beaches. We stayed in Marco and made the drive to Vanderbilt for something with smoother sand and it delivered.
Someone must’ve listened to the prior reviews about the nasty bathrooms b/​c they were plenty clean enough for my wife and I to take our 3 yr old son in to use.
Because I compare every beach to Siesta Key beach, I can’t give it 5 stars (or maybe I should give Siesta Key 6??), but this was a nice beach, super friendly service at the cabanas (we rented one b/​c we’re pale), and we had a wonderful time.
Just make sure to park in the garage on the left-​hand side as you’re driving up to to the beach. It’s probably a 50 yard walk or so, but it’s hard to find unless you know it’s «beach parking.» We kept thinking it was a hotel parking garage.

Warm water, clean sand and small bikinis. Be warned however that the bikinis are worn by women ages 17 to 70 and a few men so you are definitely going to see the good with the bad and the ugly. One of the best beaches in Naples.

Vanderbilt Beach is right by the Ritz. It is one of the nicest beaches in Naples. Very clean, clear water, nice white sand. They have a great parking garage for $ 8 with in/​out privileges (can’t beat that).
Get there early; the place gets really packed, especially on weekends and holidays. Also take beach chairs and umbrella (to protect from the sun). There is no shade to protect you. We like to spend the whole day here enjoying the sea, sand, and sun.
Finally, sunset views are extraordinaire from any beach in Naples, but since we get in/​out privileges here, we come here when not at Lowdermilk Park.

Vanderbilt is kind of a hike from Fort Myers, but definitely worth the trip. Nothing wrong with a day in Naples (ah, fifth avenue.)
This beach is a little different than the peaceful serenity that Bowman’s (Sanibel Island) offers.
Parking lot? No. Parking garage? Yes. Again, not very expensive, but a place that fits more cars will most likely put a lot more people on the beach.
This is definitely another bring a cooler and spend the day here kind of beach, but don’t expect to fall asleep. There are some crowds, music, and sports. On more than one occasion I’ve almost gotten hit by a rogue football — if you are going to play catch, do it awayyyy from the people, and if you are going to try and show off by doing it in the middle of a crowd, don’t be terrible at it.
The water has always been warm, and gets much deeper much faster than the waters off Sanibel /​Fort Myers Beach. Very, very strong current too; last time I was there I swam out 20 feet or so, turned around, and found myself 50 feet to the right of where I entered. Watch out for that with kids.
There is a convenience store right before you walk on the beach where you can grab some drinks, ice, and/​or snacks, and there are plenty of shower areas to wash the salt and sand off.
Spend a day here and bring a change of clothes so you can enjoy the nightlife on Fifth Avenue or get super fancy and grab a drink at the Ritz.

An amazing beach and never crowded if you walk away from the public access points. The South side has The Ritz and the North side has Wiggins Pass. And La Playa is kind of in the middle.
Bring some provisions with you unless you want an expensive drink at the Ritz. The drinks are nice but can break the budget fast.
Weekends can get crowded, so get there early so you can get a good spot. Keep your eyes open for dolphins too! And don’t forget the sunscreen.