Bonita Springs

[jim09091]

Originally Posted by MrTudo

Grocery shopping. We cook. When I say we cook I mean my Wife could be a candidate for Iron Chef Asia. Hence we're looking to be a little closer to a Fresh Market or Whole Foods, Asian Grocery, etc. Do these exist IN Bonita or would we have to drive and if we have to drive, how far? In Port Charlotte we now have to go to Sarasota, ( a 40 mile hike) to go to Whole Foods or in the other direction a Fresh Market in Ft Myers.

Fish Markets? Butchers?

Thank you! The search continues.

Hello, Fresh Market is two blocks from the intersection of Bonita Beach Road and US 41. A new Whole Foods is going up at Vanderbilt Beach Road & US 41 (N. Naples / about 10 mins from my house in Bonita Beach / Mercato: New Naples Luxury Condos in Mixed Use Development - Naples Condos Condominiums, Retail, Office Space, Commercial Leasing in Naples, Florida FL Fla )

The Promenade Shops are a little bit up the road from there - Promenade- Bonita Springs (http://www.promenadeshops.com/ - broken link)

A new mall was just completed in the past two years in Estero, which is about 15 mins at most from my house. It is a large, outdoor Mediterranean-style mall - Simon Malls | More Choices — Coconut Point ® Information, Coconut Point ® Gift Cards . Another 10-15 mins puts you at Gulf Coast Town Center, another new outdoor mall - Gulf Coast Town Center - 239-267-0783 .

The Hyatt @ Coconut Point has been here for awhile now - very nice hotel and rates aren't awful if booked early (good for putting up family and friends if they aren't staying with you - Bonita Springs Hotels, Florida Resorts & FL Luxury Suite Reservations - Hyatt Regency Coconut Point ).

In Naples, there are the Waterside Shops ( WATERSIDESHOPS.COM ), the Coastland Center Mall ( Coastland Center (http://www.coastlandcenter.com/html/index20.asp - broken link) ), The Village on Venetian Bay ( The Village on Venetian Bay- Naples, Florida (http://www.naples.com/village/ - broken link) ), and Bayfront Naples ( Bayfront Naples Florida Shopping and Dining) to name a few.

There are plenty of fish markets and butchers in the city of Bonita & in the Naples area. In summary, there are plenty of stores, supermarkets, niche-speciality stores, restaurants, etc to keep anyone entertained. SWFL Int'l is about 25 mins and FGCU is about 20 mins. Keep in mind all times given do not take into account traffic during the busy season which can/will add time to the trips (although it is not much worse than in many other areas of the state/country).

I'm in Bonita Beach and while I appreciate all that the area has to offer for conveniences, my family's main draw to this area are the beaches, boating and the weather (although the sun has changed to rain - it is summer... 9 months out of the year are beautiful, at least to me, and the other 3 aren't too bad but we just have).

I will not lie - this isn't a cheap area to live in. The overall economy isn't great and a great deal of people in the service & construction industries are having a rough time. House prices have come down from crazy-land in some places and hopefully will continue to, especially in communities that were fetching 400k for a 3/2 10 miles away from the beach.

As far as the question of is this a place for just older people.... well I am 26 and although I love it you will find a good amount of people, especially closer to the beach to be "older." The numbers have been changing.... most of SWFL not too long ago was regarded as 65+ and full of swamps and bugs. I have plenty of friends around the area and know plenty of families. I also think the university has helped draw younger people and families into the area to help give some balance to the area.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by MrTudo

Would anyone care to compare Bonita with Sarasota or even Port Charlotte? ( Pretty diversified! ).

You can't really compare Bonita Springs with Sarasota. Bonita Springs has grown a lot in population, and there are many shops and beautiful beaches, but there is no "downtown" or entertainment area where you can safely roam around. The closest thing to a village is the 500+ acre Coconut Point shopping center which is on the Bonita Springs/Estero line. They've been planning to spruce up the Old 41 area for a long time, but the developers keep pulling out because of the economy. It's also not the nicest spot in town.
[URL="http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jun/01/bonita-mayor-thinking-small-downtown-redevelopment/"]Bonita mayor thinking small for downtown redevelopment big picture : Bonita : Naples Daily News[/URL]

Originally Posted by MrTudo

I just did a preliminary search of Bonita and there's some interesting listings in the 300K range. .

Depends what you are looking for, as in any city. Condo? House? Close to the beach? Gated community? New construction? Fixer-upper? Yes, there are a handful of homes available under $300K but there are also homes on the beach for $7 million. If you live in Port Charlotte, why not just drive here? It's so close!

Originally Posted by MrTudo

It's a few degrees warmer there than it is here in Port Charlotte so I would think that certain tropical palms that are iffy here in PC are no problem there?

Port Charlotte is not really any cooler/hotter than Bonita Springs. It's only in the next county. Actually, I would say that Port Charlotte is slightly more humid and feels warmer because it is inland. Depends on the weather pattern.

Originally Posted by MrTudo

If a realtor would chime in that would be great. In terms of price, in an average middle class area would you say that Bonita is more expensice than Port Charlotte? If so, by what percentage as a rule of thunb? 10%? 20%?).

Again, nobody can generalize without knowing exactly what you are looking to buy. I am not a real estate salesperson, but I've shopped around for about 2 years. Prices continue to fall, but Bonita hasn't been affected as much as some areas like Cape Coral or Lehigh Acres. Still, even on the Cape where you can buy a new home for under $150,000, there are million dollar homes too.

Originally Posted by MrTudo

Can someone render an opinion on Winter Haven East?

Now you are traveling to an entirely different area of Florida! Winter Haven is far inland.

Originally Posted by MrTudo

Grocery shopping.

We have just about everything you need, but keep in mind that this isn't New York or Boston! If you want good fish, some of the restaurants have their own fish markets. Rodes Fish House has been here for many years. It's too pricey for me. If you live in Bonita Springs you can catch your own fish. Publix supermarkets carry fresh fish at reasonable prices. When I first moved here nobody even knew what a blintz was, but we've come a long way.