[4RE KLR]

If you do your homework and shop hard you can find homes in Naples that are very nice and well worth the money, especially now.

We lived in Estero for a year. It is about ten miles to the beach, but takes 30 minutes to get there. You have to drive to Bonita Springs OR to Fort Myers to get to the beach.

If you are serious and want to live on the west coast (Gulf side) live NORTH of the Caloosahatchee River. Yea, Naples is OK if you are two hundred years old and only drive 12 MPH. The cost of living in Naples sucks big-time!

The beaches are crushed shell and you cannot walk on the beach without shoes on or you'll need a hospital for stitches. Yes, it is that bad.

When the RED TIDE hits there are more dead fish that GOD himself can count. All below the Caloosahatchee River.

Cape Coral, as mentioned above is an OK little area. yes there are hundreds of miles of canals, but make sure the one you spend the money to live on actually has gulf access. That's right MOST of the canals in the Cape (as it is called) do not have access to the gulf. Yep, you can steal a house there now for a song. brand new if you want one. The town is not so bad either. Small and friendly people. Shopping nearby and once you go across the bridge (toll) you are in a different world. Not a bad area and worth a look.

Fort Myers beach is for kids. Well not all kids. But at spring break they are everywhere. This is a tourist trap little area and as far as I am concerned not worth the cost. It is however a great place to go have dinner on the water. The beaches there are a little nicer than Naples as well. It is also a fishing boat area, so the shrimpers dock there. Don't worry they are inland and don't bother anyone. The fresh seafood from the boats is a MUST!

Estero, is a great little community as well. It is inland and has great shops very close by. I forget the name of the new shopping center there but it is HUGE and has everything you could ever want or need. To get to the beach it is a little further because of the way you have to get there, but very doable. Not as expensive as Naples to buy daily goods either. Look at (Google) Rookery Point for a good little community.

Fort Myers is a lot like Estero only a little bigger, and more traffic.

The schools SUCK in all the communities. Everyone will tell you Naples (Collier County) has great schools. They are filling you full if chit!!!!! Believe me I know. DO NOT PUT YOUR KIDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!!!!!

In short, if we were moving back there right now, I would have to say we would look in Cape Coral. It isn't as nice as Estero, but there are better deals there now. I would not get a house without a pool, and don't get a pool without a Lanai. The bugs will drive you batty!

There is also Sanibel Island (bridge) that is very nice and not too bad on cost, for what you get. Really nice area, shopping is a little further away, but worth the drive.

Captiva is VERY nice but accessible only by boat. So......

Bonita Springs is wanting so bad to be called Naples it is pitiful. They want to mock everything Naples does so people will think they are one in the same. Pass on this one!

On a side note, in Fort Myers the is Caloosa Nature Center, on Colonial Blvd. They have a cool indoor planetarium there that is a lot of fun to go to. We had season tickets ($40.00) for the whole family. Christmas is a lot of fun there as well.

No matter where you decide ask about the Red Tide before so you will know what you are getting into.