Now this is a hotel: It's really the only proper response to entering the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida—and to seeing how this most venerable hotel chain successfully melds its five-star philosophy to Naples' family-friendly environs. I arrived at two in the morning, after an 11:30 a.m. flight from JFK managed to leave a little over nine hours late; the one benefit of my exceptionally delayed arrival was a chance to get a look at the hotel's entrance hall without many distractions—distractions I would observe on following nights in the form of a live-music band and a bustling, mixed crowd of couples, families, wedding parties, conventioneers, and, at one point, the economist and television personality Ben Stein.

It's a grand hall, to be sure, with the window treatments and chandeliers befitting a Ritz-Carlton, but in welcoming, sunny colours, appropriate for the location. It's a tricky balance, to be sure—grandeur without ostentation—but they managed it.

My room was gorgeous: The worst thing about arriving at night is missing a good view, and this room had it—in fact, it was the highlight, with French doors opening on to a small balcony with an expansive view of the resort grounds below and the Gulf of Mexico beyond. The decor was simple and understated, focused on a 32-inch flat-panel TV. I was, luckily, located on a club floor, and the dining room was fantastically stocked—I could understand (but managed to avoid) eating there, or in an adjacent, adorable library, morning, noon, and night instead of the hotel's seven restaurants, which ranged from a poolside grill (gazpacho, tuna wraps, teriyaki salmon) to Artisans, a seafood restaurant arranging its offerings by “the protein,” to Gumbo Limbo, an oceanfront bar and café with a big crowd at sunset and my favourite menu, Caribbean inflected and including entrees like a sugar-crusted sea bass and a blackened snapper with roast pineapple salsa.

There are two Ritz-Carlton properties in Naples—the Ritz Carlton, Naples, where I stayed, and, three miles away, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. If I played, I certainly would have preferred the other location, with its Tiburon Golf Club—home to two Greg Norman-design courses—and the Rick Smith Golf Academy, which I imagine was designed to convert golf fanatics' disinterested partners.

I was happier where I was, in any case, as my location was the one with the 51,000-square-foot, three-level spa. I decided to try the hotel's "signature" Drift to Sleep treatment—a two-hour, all-purpose combo of a lavender body scrub, milk bath, and massage, followed by a guided meditation and a 30-minute nap. I'm not particularly sleep-deprived, so when I woke up only halfway through the nap, I skedaddled and spent extra time in the spa shop. The facilities were gorgeous, though, and my therapist—even if I sensed she was a bit mystified by my choice of treatments when I told her I wasn't a frazzled, sleep-deprived stress case—was completely tuned in to my preferences. In the future, I might try one of their new eco-oriented treatments, like the Eco Luxe Cocoon, a white algae wrap followed by a massage. The spa boutique is just one of several shops on the premises but my favorite, with a particularly a great selection of gifts for spa-loving moms-to-be. There’s also a great selection of appropriately tropical clothes and accessories in a separate shop—if I hadn’t, terribly, brought more than enough clothes with me, I might have splurged on a Milly dress and Bottega Veneta sunglasses.

What really set the hotel apart are the absolutely deluxe amenities for kids. Tucked into a set of rooms across from the sizable, and very busy, gym, is the hotel’s Nature Center, available to guests during regular open houses. It’s hard to imagine kids not going wild for the center, which has nine aquariums and two touch tanks, where kids can literally get their hands dirty and hold the animals inside, like turtles and starfish. Super motivated types will be delighted to test their science skills on the lab’s microscopes, while more relaxed ones will probably be satisfied to watch one of the center’s nature DVDs. (Everyone, hopefully, could enjoy the center’s outdoor activities, like beach walks, boat rides, and talks about dolphins and alligators.) Older kids are catered to as well, with a separate teen lounge called The Spot, open until 10 p.m. and offering big-screen TVs, arcade games, and video games—so Wii addicts won’t feel too bad about leaving their set back home.

The beachside location may not be the hotel’s best amenity—I’d still vote for that spa, where staff members kept insisting that clients relax in the sizable post-treatment rooms, perhaps in the Jacuzzi, perhaps in the huge primping areas—or the Nature Center, but it’s certainly a fantastic draw: gorgeous white-sand beaches that, at the height of the winter snowbird season, were pleasantly bustling without feeling crowded. I’ve always thought that the test of a good resort was inversely related to the number of times a guest considered exploring the surrounding areas—and Naples certainly has worthy ones, including the sprawling, fascinating Everglades nearby.

To tell the truth, though, as I wandered from the pool to the ocean to the other pool, from the clothing boutique to the spa boutique, from the gym to the Nature Center, with my delighted godson—I didn’t think about leaving until it was well past time to go home.

Rates start at $400

The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
280 Vanderbilt Beach Road
Naples, FL 34108
Phone: (239) 598-3300

www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Naples/Default.htm

Diane Vadino writes for magazines including Nylon, Marie Claire, and ID from her base in Brooklyn. Her debut novel, Smart Girls Like Me, was published in autumn 2007.