Naples Reserve

Naples Reserve sits in South Naples, off Tamiami Trail East, behind a gate and laid out around freshwater lakes. Eagle Lake is the centerpiece, with a 1-mile rowing lane running the length of it.

The amenities belong to the homeowners association. They come with the home, and there is no separate club membership to buy alongside it. So the decision here is about the house and the lot, not about what you have to join.

Can you keep a boat at Naples Reserve?

Only one that stays. The lakes are freshwater and don't connect to salt water, so nothing launched here can reach the Gulf. If you want a boat that leaves the property, this is the wrong community for it.

The water is good for anything you can launch and put back. Paddleboards, water bikes, kayaks and canoes are kept on Eagle Lake at no cost to people who live here. There's also a community pontoon boat, and using it takes a boating license on file with the association office, or an approved safety course in its place.

The association describes the dock behind the Outrigger this way: "A boat dock behind the Outrigger offers easy access to our 125-acre private Eagle Lake." Kids Cove holds the other water access, with a boat launch and a fishing dock onto Eagle Lake, plus a playground and a basketball court.

What is there to do inside the gates?

Four gathering places, each with a different job. The Island Club covers what the association lists as "the resort pool, kiddie pool, bocce courts, the lakeside firepit, and beach volleyball area on Sunset Beach". Match Point is the racquet end of the property, with "five tennis courts, four pickleball courts, and a lakeside picnic and relaxation area". The Outrigger Activities Center seats up to 76 and lends out bicycles and water sports equipment free of charge. The Reserve Club handles the dining and the drinks with regular entertainment and live music, and the association calls it "your place to gather, relax, dine, and celebrate".

The pool is lagoon-style, with zero entry, a waterfall and a set of swimming lanes off to one side. The fitness center sits beside it, with floor-to-ceiling windows over Eagle Lake, and there are no showers in it. That last part matters if the plan was a swim before heading out for the day.

Two dog parks as well: Walk & Wag, and Paws Awhile.

When is everything open?

On fixed hours rather than around the clock.

• Gate house staffed 6am to 10pm, seven days.
• Island Club clubhouse 6am to 10pm daily.
• Fitness center 5am to 10pm, every day of the week.
• Boat dock behind the Outrigger 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm on weekends.

After the gate house shuts for the night, visitors reach a remote guard by video and audio, who verifies credentials and opens the gate. A late arrival still gets through, by screen rather than by somebody in the booth.

What does it cost to carry a home here?

Budget around $650 a month for the association fee. Fees sit in a tight band from one address to the next, so two homes here are straightforward to compare on carrying cost: if you like both, the difference between them is mostly the house itself.

What kind of homes does Naples Reserve have?

Detached houses mostly, with villas among them, and houses outnumber villas by about four to one. The homes date from 2015 onward, so there is no older stretch of streets here to weigh against a newer one.

What has sold here starts in the $420,000s and reaches around $2.5 million. A villa and a lakefront house sit at opposite ends of that, so most of the spread comes down to which of the two you are buying.

How far is it from town?

Fifth Avenue South is about 12 miles west-northwest, and RSW is about 35 miles north of here in a straight line, longer by road. Nothing about this location puts restaurants at the end of the street, and that is the trade you make for the lakes.

Picayune Strand State Forest runs along one side of the property, state-owned conservation land rather than a development site. What that does for a particular window depends on where the house sits, so the sight lines are worth checking from the lot itself rather than from the entrance.