Five Reasons is a regular feature, where I outline the reasons why a destination is hot right now. If you’d like to run Five Reasons in your publication or on your website, contact me at chris@caroundtheworld.com.

This week, I’m examining Naples, Fla., where I recently visited over the holidays. It’s conservative, yes – but Naples is a great destination if you want the all of amenities of an upscale community with the proximity of a white-sand beach.  

1. It can be surprisingly affordable. A stalwart on the IRS’s wealthiest zip codes list, Naples is the ritziest corner of southwest Florida. But the recession that has caused hotel rates to dip worldwide still lingers:  On Jan. 1, the convention and visitors bureau debuted Paradise Priced Perfectly specials on their website (www.ParadiseCoast.com/Deals).

There are plenty of lower-cost chains on the busy Tamiami Trail, aka US 41 (a Staybridge Suites opened in November). Or try the Lemon Tree Inn, a bright and clean renovated motor inn just a short walk from 5^th Avenue, home to galleries, shops and restaurants. Winter rates start at $129.

2. But if you want to splurge, there’s plenty of opportunity. Naples’ Glam Prep dress code – pink Polo pullovers for men, designer sweat suits and big sunglasses for women – can be witnessed firsthand at upscale restaurants on Third Street South, where its practitioners nosh outdoors on $22 lunch entrees. The area’s only AAA Five Diamond resort, The Ritz Carlton, Naples, has a 51,000-square-foot spa; massages start at $145 for 50 minutes. Near the Ritz, the Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay carry more high-end stores, including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermes, than your credit card could possibly handle.     

3. The food and wine scene is top notch.  Oenophiles with big checkbooks flock to Naples every January for the Naples Winter Wine Festival, where vintages from the likes of Chateau Lafite Rothschild are auctioned off for hefty sums.

Budget not so large? Enjoy the mozzarella bar at Naples Tomato, while sampling wines by the glass from their innovative self-serve Eno bar. At Sea Salt – named one of the top 20 new restaurants in the US for 2009 by Esquire magazine – Kobe beef cheeseburgers and pulled Korobuta pork sandwiches are part of the $12.95 lunch special (which also includes warm olive bread and glass of wine).

4. And then catch a show. Floridians drive for hours to get their culture fix at Naples’ live performance venues such as The Phil (the Philharmonic Center for the Arts). True to the area’s conservative leanings, the Naples Town Hall lecture series is pairing President George W. Bush with his brother, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, for a talk in February (those with a more literary bent may prefer the night with New Yorker magazine authors Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Gopnik in March). New on the scene is the Silverspot movie theater, which promises a screening room experience with well-spaced, cushy leather seats, arranged stadium-style. The Silverspot also hosted the first Naples Film Festival in November.  

5. Best of all, signs of Old Florida are still around. After driving through too many strip malls on US 41, the weathered 121-year-old Naples Pier – where camera-toting tourists mix with local fishermen – is a welcome sight. This is where the town gathers to watch the sunset, drinks in hand, in a sociable ritual harkening back to a simpler time. During the day, children build sandcastles on the white sand beach, while their parents read or play cards, just as they have for decades. Just ignore those multi-million dollar mansions on the shore.