Naples area vs Fort Lauderdale

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by jhlcomp

I live near Fort Lauderdale (Weston) and spend a fair amount of time in Naples. As others have mentioned, they are quite different. When the end of the season arrives, it is more noticeable in Naples than Fort Lauderdale. The beach in Naples and/or west coast is far and away more beautiful than in Fort Lauderdale. If you do a lot of flying, Fort Lauderdale is ideally situated. Golf is played on both coasts.

And I wholly concur what others have said. Naples is a small city - Fort Lauderdale including the tri county area has a population in the millions.

In the end, you have to decide what area speaks to you - both have their pros and cons. Visit both areas and enjoy!

RSW in Ft Myers is a good airport to/from as well. Lots of direct flights and connections via Atlanta, etc.

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by markjames68

RSW in Ft Myers is a good airport to/from as well. Lots of direct flights and connections via Atlanta, etc.

I've been commuting out of RSW, on and off, for over 27 years. I've always said that Naples is a great place to live, IF you don't have to get to or from here on a regular basis.

Service to/from RSW is, to put it bluntly, spotty, and always has been. When I commuted to PHL, there was one flight a day, and 10 to BWI. When I commuted to BWI, there were 10 flights a day to PHL, and one to BWI. It's always changing. The airlines haven't figured out that there is more than seasonal leisure traffic in this area.

The best thing about living here is that FLL is less than 1:30 away and MIA under 2:00.

[Sandsam]

I have found the RSW airport to be expensive. I wouldn't want to pay to fly in/out on a regular basis. FLL is usually less expensive with more options. Just a thought -

[markjames68]

@Tripower455/Sandsam, interesting comments. My experience flying to/from LGA from RSW on Delta generally hasn't been that expensive or inconvenient. For international flights I'll drive to MIA.

I agree that the traffic is highly seasonal though, and it's annoying when you're TSA Precheck and they don't have it open and you have to line up with the geriatric set who don't understand flying. But that's the benefit of living in SWFL.

[Tripower455]

My beef with RSW is that the service changes radically on a regular basis and not just seasonally, although that is sometimes a player.

Every time I actually end up in RSW, it's like finding the golden fleece or the holy grail, as it so rarely works.