The sun dropping toward the Gulf of Mexico horizon with a distant sailboat and gold light on the water off Naples, Florida

Near Your Stay

Boat Tours Near the Edgewater Beach Hotel, Naples

You picked the quiet end of Gulf Shore Boulevard on purpose — the residential run of beach north of Old Naples, where the sand empties out by mid-morning and stays that way. Our Naples Bay dock is about a 10–15 minute drive south, and the day we build out there is cut from the same cloth: a small group, a slow pace and a captain with nowhere else to be.

Naples Bay Resort & Marina
1.5–2 hour cruises
Small groups, unhurried
USCG Master Captains

Check Availability & Book (239) 301-8913

Nearest dockNaples Bay Resort & Marina

From the propertyabout a 10–15 min drive

Waterprotected Naples Bay + Gulf

You may seedolphins, estates, sunsets — no guarantees

The Quiet Stretch, On the Water

An unhurried day that matches your end of the beach

The Edgewater Beach Hotel sits at 1901 Gulf Shore Boulevard North, an all-suite Gulf-front address on the calm residential run of coast north of Old Naples — the Coquina Sands and Moorings side, roughly a mile and a half up the beach from 5th Avenue South. Our dock is a different sort of place: Naples Bay Resort & Marina, tucked on protected Naples Bay a few blocks off that same avenue. Plan on about a 10–15 minute drive or rideshare south, and let a map app time the run from your own door before you head out, because the real number shifts with the season and the hour. We leave from a sheltered marina rather than the sand out front, and there is a good reason for that.

The marina is what buys you the calm water. From Naples Bay we can idle the Port Royal canals, slip out Gordon Pass and run the inside of Keewaydin Island without ever pounding across the open Gulf — which is the whole difference between a pretty afternoon and a loud, wet one. Guests off this stretch of Gulf Shore Boulevard tend to ask about the private charter first, and we understand why. The boat is yours, the route is a conversation instead of a script, and there is nobody else aboard setting the tempo. If you would rather join a scheduled cruise, our Naples departures stay small and unhurried too, with shaded seating and room to move around.

Book late enough in the day and the same trip turns into a sunset cruise. We ease out toward the pass as the light goes gold, and the color builds behind Keewaydin, the wild, boat-only barrier island just south of Gordon Pass. Bottlenose dolphins live in this water year-round and often roll up alongside or surf the wake — a real chance most evenings, never a promise, because they are wild animals on their own schedule. From November into March, when the Gulf drops below roughly 68 degrees, manatees move into the warmer backwaters toward Rookery Bay, scattered rather than herded. Bring a light layer; the bay turns cool and glassy once the sun is down.

Small groups and a slow pace — never a crowd
About a 10–15 minute run south to Naples Bay
Golden hour out Gordon Pass toward Keewaydin Island
USCG Master Captains who grew up reading this water

Check Availability

A Sand Dollar charter boat with shaded seating tied up in calm mangrove-lined water near Naples, Florida — ⚓ The whole boat, your own pace — out of Naples Bay

Tours That Fit the Stay

The trips that suit a quiet Gulf Shore Boulevard stay

Start with a boat of your own, then decide whether you want the light, the dolphins or the canals. Pricing is quoted when you reserve.

Private ChartersThe whole boat, your own route, nobody else aboard — the default for this end of the beach. Naples Sunset CruisesGolden hour out Gordon Pass toward Keewaydin, at whatever pace you set. Naples Dolphin ToursWild bottlenose dolphins work the bay and passes year-round — often close, never promised. Port Royal Mansion CruiseIdle the canals and read the grandest waterfront in Naples the way it was built to be seen. Special OccasionsAnniversaries, proposals and quiet celebrations, set up the way you want them. Shelling ToursWild barrier-island shelling — its own morning, and it leaves from our Goodland dock.

Getting There

From the Edgewater Beach Hotel to the dock

A short, easy run south down the coast. Here is the honest version, step by step.

Start: Gulf Shore Boulevard North

You are on the quiet residential stretch of Gulf Shore Boulevard North, up the coast from Old Naples on the Coquina Sands and Moorings side — low buildings, wide lawns, and a beach that thins out by mid-morning and stays that way most of the day. It is a lovely place to wake up and a genuinely poor place to launch a boat, which is why your water day starts with a short drive rather than a walk to the sand. The Gulf directly out front is open, exposed water. The trips actually worth taking — the canals, the pass, the barrier islands — all begin on the protected side of town, about a mile and a half south of your room.

The drive or the rideshare

Plan on about a 10–15 minute drive south to Naples Bay Resort & Marina, traffic depending. Most guests run down Gulf Shore Boulevard and cut across to 5th Avenue South, or take US-41 when the beach road is crawling. In season both swing by the hour, so let your own map app clock the trip from your door rather than trusting our estimate — that is a range, not a promise. A rideshare is our honest recommendation for anything that ends at sunset. Nobody has to think about parking, nobody drives home in the dark, and you can linger on the dock a few extra minutes instead of watching the clock.

The dock: Naples Bay Resort & Marina

We meet you at Naples Bay Resort & Marina, 1500 5th Avenue South — on protected Naples Bay, at the east end of the same street that carries downtown’s shops and restaurants back west toward the beach. It is a calm, walkable marina — no surf, no ramp queue, no hunting for your captain through a crowd. Once you have booked we send the exact slip along with a short where-to-meet note, so the last hundred yards are not a puzzle. Come a little early if you like and the avenue is right there for a coffee. Plenty of guests from your stretch of the boulevard build dinner downtown into the same evening and make the drive just once.

Parking and arrival

If you drive yourself, there is parking at and around the marina and throughout the 5th Avenue South district nearby, and outside the busiest winter evenings it is usually a non-event. Restrooms are right at the marina before you board, so nobody has to go looking once you are on the water. Arrive about ten minutes ahead of your booked time and you will step aboard relaxed instead of jogging down the dock. If a car runs late or plans shift on you, call us at (239) 301-8913 — a real person answers, and we would far rather move something around than have you turn up rushed on the first calm afternoon of your trip.

What to bring

Keep it light: soft-soled shoes, sunglasses, a hat and reef-safe sunscreen cover most of it. Afternoon and sunset trips run cooler out on the bay than they feel on the beach behind your hotel, so throw a layer in the bag even in March. A real camera, or at least a wiped phone lens, earns its keep at golden hour and along the Port Royal seawalls, where the light does most of the work for you. We handle water and the shaded seating; you bring whatever you would like to sip and snack on, and we are glad to talk that through when you book. Anything you would hate to drop in the bay stays in the room.

Then: the part you came for

Once the lines are off, the driving is over and the day slows down to your speed. Your captain points the bow wherever the trip calls for — up the Port Royal canals, out Gordon Pass toward Keewaydin, or into the bay to look for dolphins — and talks as much or as little as you want him to. On a private charter the route stays a conversation the whole way: linger somewhere longer, swing wide for a photograph, or turn for home early, and nobody minds a bit. Ninety minutes to a couple of hours later you are back at the same slip, downtown is right there for dinner, and your quiet end of the beach is a short ride north.

Who It Suits

A great fit if you’re…

This end of the beach draws a particular kind of traveler — here is who books us.

A couple on a slow week

Two people, one boat and no schedule to keep — the water-level version of the quiet you already booked on shore.

Back again this season

Repeat winter visitors who have walked this beach a hundred times and want to see the same coastline from the other side of it.

Done with crowds

Small groups by design, and a private charter any time you would rather the boat held nobody but your own people.

Chasing the light

Golden hour out Gordon Pass, the Port Royal seawalls and open Gulf sky, with time to actually get the shot.

On the Water

What a quiet afternoon out here looks like

Gulf light, wild dolphins and a captain who has run this water his whole life.

A fiery orange sunset touching the horizon over the Gulf of Mexico, seen from a boat off Naples, Florida — Golden hour, from the water instead of the sand

A wild bottlenose dolphin leaping in the wake behind a boat while guests watch from the stern near Naples, Florida — Wild dolphins, on their own schedule

A Sand Dollar captain at the wheel with two guests seated aboard the boat on calm green water near Naples, Florida — Your captain, and nowhere else to be

Keep Planning

More ways to plan your Naples week

A neighboring stay, the downtown waterfront and an itinerary built for two.

Near the Naples Beach Club, Four SeasonsThe other beachfront stay down the same boulevard — here is its route to the water. Boat Tours in Olde NaplesThe downtown waterfront a mile and a half south of your room. A Couples’ Weekend on the WaterHow to spend two unhurried Naples days mostly afloat. All Stays We ServeEvery hotel and marina we run boat tours near.

Good to Know

Boat tours near the Edgewater Beach Hotel

Straight answers to what guests on this stretch of Gulf Shore Boulevard ask us most.

How far is your dock from the Edgewater Beach Hotel?

Plan on about a 10–15 minute drive south from 1901 Gulf Shore Boulevard North to Naples Bay Resort & Marina at 1500 5th Avenue South. That is a range rather than a promise — the real number moves with the season and the time of day, so drop your exact room address into your own map app before you leave. Most guests run down Gulf Shore Boulevard and cut across to 5th Avenue, or take US-41 when the beach road is slow. A rideshare is easy in both directions and worth it for a sunset trip, since it takes parking and the drive home off your plate entirely.

Do you pick up at the hotel or off the beach?

No — every trip leaves from the marina, not from a hotel lobby and not from the sand out front, so there is no beach pickup and no shuttle. It is a short drive south to Naples Bay Resort & Marina, and once you have booked we send the exact slip along with a where-to-meet note so you are not wandering the docks. We should also say plainly that we are not affiliated with the Edgewater Beach Hotel in any way. We are a local, family-owned, captain-led company that is simply glad to look after the guests staying there.

Which tour fits a quiet stay on this end of the beach?

Nine times out of ten we point guests here toward a private charter first. You get the whole boat, your group only, and a route your captain shapes around what you actually feel like doing — which is the same instinct that had you book the calm end of Gulf Shore Boulevard instead of a resort strip. From there it is easy to add the Port Royal canals for the architecture, or push the departure to the back of the afternoon and turn the outing into a sunset run. If you would rather join a scheduled cruise, our Naples dolphin and sunset trips stay small, and nobody is going to hustle you off the boat at the end.

Can we do this without being packed in with a crowd?

Yes, and it is the question we field most often from this stretch. A private charter is the clean answer: the boat holds your people and nobody else, and the pace belongs to you from the moment the lines come off. Our scheduled Naples cruises are deliberately kept small as well, on stable, shaded seating with room to move around rather than shoulder-to-shoulder benches. If you are celebrating something, tell us when you book and we will build the trip around it. Call (239) 301-8913 and we will tell you honestly which departure times tend to be the quietest on the water that week.

Will we see dolphins or manatees?

Often, but never guaranteed — these are wild animals on their own schedule, and anyone promising you a sighting is selling something. Bottlenose dolphins live in Naples Bay and the passes year-round and frequently roll up alongside the boat or surf the wake, so the odds are genuinely good on most runs. Manatees are a cold-weather story: when the water drops below roughly 68 degrees from November into March they move into the warmer backwaters toward Rookery Bay, scattered around rather than bunched in one spot. You will almost always see birds working the seawalls and flats, whatever else does or does not turn up.

Can we go shelling from the Naples dock?

Honest answer: the serious shelling runs leave from our Goodland dock on the far side of Marco Island, because that is the head start into the Ten Thousand Islands and the wild, boat-only beaches out there. It is a longer drive from Gulf Shore Boulevard, so plan it as its own morning rather than an add-on to a Naples afternoon. Shelling here is good year-round — winter brings the negative low tides in the morning, summer pushes them to the evening — and Collier County law is empty shells only, with no live shells, sand dollars or starfish. Florida’s state shell is the horse conch, and people do still find them.

Reserve Your Seats

Ready to get on the water?

Check availability and book a boat tour — a short run south from your room, and the pace out there is yours.

Or call (239) 301-8913

Your Quiet Naples Week, On the Water

Book your boat from the Edgewater Beach Hotel

Private charters, golden-hour sunsets and wild dolphins, all from our Naples Bay dock about a 10–15 minute drive south. Tell us your dates and we will keep the day as unhurried as the beach you picked.

Book a Boat Tour (239) 301-8913

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