This two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment is the front unit of a duplex. The whole house is on one floor, and both apartments are self-contained with their own entrance and exits. Parking at the end of the driveway by the garage, in a cutout on 8th street, and in our neighbors' lot - The Gondolier Inn.
We call this rental by its address name - 385 because it sits on 8th Ave S, behind a sidewalk. The neighborhood has rentals and single-family homes, all beautifully cared for with gardens and palm trees. Walk to the right, and you will be three blocks away from the white sands and warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The public access point lets you walk for hours along the beach or sit and lounge 24 hours a day.
8th Ave S intersects with 4th Street S, blocks from the famous 5th Ave S and 3rd St S, also known as Old Naples. The well-known, one-of-a-kind boutiques, along with the high-end stores, are fabulous for just window shopping or for adding to your wardrobe. Don't forget that the beach is also three blocks away. Easy to get to for amazing sunsets by walking the quiet neighborhood's sidewalks with street lights.
Parking is equally simple. You may park in the private driveway or use the public cutout parking space directly in front of the house. There is an outdoor eating area with a black-and-white umbrella-shaded iron table and chairs just outside the front door, perfectly positioned for people-watching, reading, or sipping iced coffee as the palm trees sway.
Guests may enter the home either through the front door, which opens into the great room, or through the driveway entrance, which leads into a Florida mudroom.
As soon as you step through the main entrance off of 8th Ave S, the openness of the great room welcomes you. This main living space is designed for comfort, conversation, and relaxation, with a layout that subtly separates different experiences without losing its airy, unified feel.
Immediately to the left, a pair of oversized chairs with footstools form the home's informal reading nook. The white shutters themselves are worth mentioning. They cover much of the home's windows and open or close with just your fingertips. Their ability to diffuse, filter, or block light gives you complete control of the home's ambiance.
Centered on the great room's main wall above a crafted wooden console is a mounted smart television. The smart television platform lets you log in to your usual apps with ease, all supported by fast, reliable internet throughout the home.
Across from the reading nook sits the glass-topped bamboo dining table, which comfortably seats four. In the back of the great room, an oversized linen-covered sofa anchors the room alongside two swivel chairs. Centered between them is an exquisite cypress-root coffee table, a natural art piece created from a sliced, sanded, and varnished section of a cypress trunk. It is amazing!
The full kitchen has an electric stove, a full-size refrigerator, a dishwasher, a disposal, a microwave, a coffee pot, a French Press, and a farmhouse sink, with a small window overlooking the driveway and the shrubs. The counters above and below are stocked with dinnerware for 6, an array of glasses, coffee mugs, silverware, pots and pans- plus utensils that we thought you would need. There is a four-seat round table to make this an eat-in kitchen. The white wooden shades are easy to open and close for privacy, or to let the sun in.
If you decide to enter through the driveway side door, you'll step into the home's Florida mudroom. This area includes space to store beach chairs, an umbrella, a beach bag, and a cooler. There are hooks for your towels and coats—a stackable washer and dryer finish this space.
Across from the washer and dryer sits the first bathroom, equipped with a tiled shower and a shower bench. This layout allows the sand to be left in the mudroom without passing through the whole rental.
Two bedrooms are on the right side, down a hallway. The second bathroom has a combination tub and a shower in a 1950s style. The sink has a single vanity with a large mirror, plenty of towel racks, and one window that looks out to the driveway. We have blinds on the window. Soon, we will replace them with the same white wooden shades as the rest of the house.
The king-size bed has two bedside tables with lamps, a large dresser, a spacious closet, a 50-inch smart TV mounted on the wall, and white wooden shutters for adjustable light and privacy.
On the right side of the hallway is the second bedroom, furnished with a queen-size bed, two nightstands, a comfortable upholstered reading chair, and the third television in the home. White wooden shutters provide privacy.
At the end of the driveway is a garage that the owners use. The carport holds the town's recycling and trash bins. You can add your trash/recycling, and we will walk it to 8th Ave for pickup.
