The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón Swaps Its Dark Wood for Palmera and a Lighter Look

The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón revealed the finished results of a multi-million-dollar transformation on October 5. Led by Parker Torres Design, the project replaces the resort's dark wood interiors with lighter, residential-style rooms, a redone lobby and Club Lounge, a new event space and three new places to eat and drink: Palmera, Fenrose and Café Fenrose.

Tiburón is the inland, golf-and-tennis sibling of The Ritz-Carlton, Naples on the Gulf beach in Naples, Florida. The 295-room Ritz-Carlton resort sits beside the Greg Norman-designed Tiburón Golf Club, with two 18-hole championship courses, the Mouratoglou Tennis Center with Har-Tru clay courts, and The Reservoir pool complex with a 600-foot lazy river.

What do the new rooms look like?

The design takes its cues from Southwest Florida's mangroves, the resort's Audubon-certified grounds and local craft. Desks are gone in favor of curved settee lounges and built-in dining spots, and each room entry has a small bar niche set against woven shell wallcoverings. Light oak, rattan, custom murals and palm-patterned carpets fill out the rest.

The Presidential Suite goes darker and bolder, with charcoal, deep green, mauve and coral against preserved green marble floors, plus a bar lounge, a dining room with a banquette wall and a dressing room off the primary bedroom. The Club Lounge was redone in rust, gold and amber with rope-and-rattan banquettes and maritime-themed art.

Where do you eat now?

Palmera, now open, is the resort's new bar and restaurant, built around an orange quartzite bar under brass palm-leaf lamps. Executive Chef Jared Young's menu leans on Naples farms, St. Augustine Datil peppers and Florida citrus, with dishes like blue crab toast with grapefruit aioli, a tableside espresso lobster cocktail with smoke service, and yakitori-grilled chicken with a Datil pepper ragout. Fenrose serves French-style breakfasts built around egg dishes, and Café Fenrose next door works as an all-day market and espresso bar. Ría, the resort's open-air Latin American restaurant, remains part of the lineup.

For events, a new 2,700-square-foot venue called Swaying Palm looks out over the golf courses and is sized for weddings, galas and company dinners.

Tiburón or the beach resort?

It comes down to how you spend your days. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton puts you on the sand. Tiburón suits golfers, tennis players and families who will use the courses, the clay courts and the lazy river, and with its rooms, lobby and restaurants all newly redone, picking it no longer means settling for older interiors. The resort holds Forbes Four Star and AAA Four Diamond ratings, and reservations are open now through Ritz-Carlton or by phone at 239-593-2000.