Boat Tours Near Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort

Figure about a 10–15 minute drive from the resort to our dock at Naples Bay Resort & Marina, 1500 5th Avenue South — essentially a hop from the Gulf side of Old Naples across to the bay side. That’s a range rather than a promise, because season and time of day move it, so put your own address and the marina into a map app before you head out. Plenty of guests take a rideshare instead of driving, especially for a sunset departure, and it drops you a few steps from the slip. Either way it’s the shortest part of the day by a wide margin.

No — we depart from the marina, not the hotel, so there’s no lobby or beachfront pickup and no boat pulling up to the sand out front. You come to us at Naples Bay Resort & Marina, and we send the exact slip and a where-to-meet note once your trip is booked. We should also say plainly that Sand Dollar Shelling & Boat Tours isn’t affiliated with Naples Beach Club or Four Seasons in any way — there’s no partnership and no package between us. We’re a locally owned, captain-led company that’s simply glad to take care of guests staying there.

Start with a private charter. It’s the cleanest answer for this stay: the whole boat is yours, the route is yours, and the departure time is yours instead of somebody else’s posted schedule. From there most guests layer on the Port Royal mansion cruise for the canals and estates, or push the departure to the back of the afternoon so the same trip finishes as a sunset. A lot of groups do all three inside one unhurried outing. If you’d rather keep it simple and join a scheduled cruise, our dolphin and sunset trips leave from the same dock — just tell us what you’re after and we’ll point you at the right one.

On a private charter, yes — that’s the entire point of booking one. You pick the time that fits the rest of your day, and your captain talks the route through with you at the dock rather than reading from a script. Head up the Port Royal canals, run out Gordon Pass toward Keewaydin Island, work the bay for dolphins, or string them together; change your mind halfway through and we’ll change with you. Availability, weather and the tide are the only real limits, and your captain will be straight with you about all three when you book and again on the morning of your trip.

Port Royal is the waterfront neighborhood at the south end of Naples where the canals meet Gordon Pass, and from the water you get long private docks, coral-stone seawalls, boat lifts, and low wide houses built to face the evening light. We idle it slowly and respectfully, and we talk about the water, the architecture and the birdlife rather than trading in who-owns-what, because most of that talk is myth. Wild bottlenose dolphins live here year-round and turn up often, sometimes right alongside the boat — but they’re wild animals on their own schedule and we’ll never promise them. Herons, ospreys and pelicans are near-constant company along the seawalls.

Tap any ‘Check availability’ button on this page to reach our booking calendar, or call (239) 301-8913 and talk to a local person who can help you pick the right run. Private charters and Port Royal cruises are quoted when you reserve, because the number depends on the boat, the length of the trip and the size of your group — we’d rather quote your actual day than post a price that doesn’t fit it. Our scheduled shelling trips are the one published exception, from $125 per adult and $90 per child, and the Naples Bay water shuttle is $20 per person. Mention where you’re staying and we’ll match the timing to it.