Essential Extras

For many Southwest Florida homebuyers, finding the perfect home is only part of the equation. It's also about living the lifestyle they discovered while vacationing or visiting here-enjoying gourmet food without the in-season wait, playing some of the best golf courses in the world, strolling the long stretches of sandy white beaches. Local realtors report that amenities play a big role for many buyers in deciding where they'll live, so much so that finding that dream home is often secondary. "They're buying amenities that fit their lifestyle," says Ileana Hamel, a Prudential realtor who specializes in Estero and Bonita Springs communities. "A large percentage want a golf course community or water frontage, and it's divided 50-50."

We've nailed down some of the top amenities local realtors say buyers are looking for. The top two were no surprise given the well-worn real estate mantra "Gulf or golf" ("You have golfers or water people. Those are the two main draws," says Harry Robinson, a realtor with VIP Realty). But the growing appeal of fitness centers did take us by surprise.

1. A Stretch of Shoreline

There really is nothing like a home on the water, whether it's overlooking Naples Bay (from Port Royal and other canal- and bay-lined streets) or the Gulf and its back-bay waters (from towering high-rises or island homes). Just open the back door and you're right there. But keep in mind, so are others. Much of Southwest Florida's beachfront is accessible to the public, so there's really no such thing as a private beach. If they can get there, they will.

Because this is Southwest Florida, practically anything is possible, and golfers no longer have to choose between Gulf and golf. A handful of savvy developers have brought the beach to their land-locked communities, building Gulf-front beach clubs along prime portions of beachfront. West Bay Club in Estero has one; so do three of the communities being developed by The Bonita Bay Group-Bonita Bay, The Brooks and Mediterra. The latter is located on a three-acre Bonita Beach site and offers an elevated pool, sundecks and casual dining in addition to a stretch of beach with umbrellas, chaises and a beach attendant. The Bay Colony Beach & Tennis Club, within the Bay Colony community, is located right on the beach, and offers a tiki bar and two indoor dining areas. "I don't know anyone else who has that," says Premier Properties' Dorcas Briscoe. "It's not an afterthought. It was planned and designed in the 1990s from the get-go to be a focal point and social hub."

Residents of Pelican Landing have access to their own private island-34 acres that includes boardwalks, restrooms, prime beachfront and shuttles every 30 minutes in season. Some of Sharon Kiptyk's clients have found a perfect way to get beach access: They become members of The Spa at the Ritz-Carlton, Naples, where they also enjoy the resort's sandy beaches.

2. Golf

Southwest Florida has one of the highest number of holes per capita in the country, along with country club initiation fees that range from $20,000 to more than $200,000. Many of the courses are designed by some of the most noted names in golf-Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Arthur Hills-a factor VIP's Robinson says is important to his clients. "Buyers look for particular course designers like Tom Fazio and Greg Norman, and only a handful of communities have designer courses and other amenities that are commensurate with the prices of the homes," he says, pointing to Tiburón's Norman-designed course and Mediterra, with two Fazio courses.

High-end buyers expect extras such as limited membership and no tee times. "If you're spending $3 million or more on a house, you expect to be able to just walk on the course," says Kiptyk, a realtor with Premier Properties in Naples. "In an upscale low-density community, you want limited membership in the golf course. You don't want to feel like you're in a factory line."

Bay Colony's golf club features a Robert von Hagge-designed course and membership fees that, at $250,000, are among the highest around. "There are no tee times, and that's huge to the honest-to-goodness golfer," says Briscoe.

3. Gourmet Fare

Clubhouse food used to be nondescript at best. Not so these days. Knowing developers and communities have lured top chefs away from some of Southwest Florida's most noted restaurants, giving them carte blanche to create a dining experience that rivals a five-star restaurant, but without the in-season wait. "You can have a wonderful upscale clubhouse; but if the food isn't good, it's not going to work. No one is going to use the club," says Kiptyk. "Members want a place where they enjoy entertaining family and friends. They want fabulous food and a restaurant they can go to when the other restaurants are so crowded in season."

Communities like Mediterra in Naples and The Colony Golf & Bay Club have helped to elevate the status of clubhouse dining in Southwest Florida. The Bonita Bay Group, developer of Mediterra, enticed food and beverage director Friedrich Eder away from the Ritz-Carlton.

Bay Colony, says Briscoe, also offers a fine-dining experience right on the beach, that's recently been enhanced with the addition of award-winning chef Wilhelm Gahabka, who she calls "an absolutely excellent chef. It's one of the best-kept secrets."

4. Town Centers

Hamel notes the growing trend of communities offering more than a community center. Multi-purpose town centers or village centers, she says, provide extras like cafes, movie theaters, even sports bars that keep residents from fighting traffic while affording the opportunity for social interaction. Pelican Preserve, a retirement community in Fort Myers, features a multi-building complex that will offer more than $20 million in amenities when completed. Amenities include an arts and crafts studio with kiln, a game room, restaurant, natatorium with second-floor jogging track, cyber café, 100-seat movie theater, hobby shop, ballroom and fitness center.

"The whole town center concept is catching on," says Hamel, noting that the new coach home community of Villagio in Estero has been popular with her clients, who can enjoy an onsite coffee shop, cinema and sports bar for minimal dues. "On-site amenities centers are getting popular."

Palmira and The Brooks in Bonita Springs, as well as Miromar Lakes Golf & Country Club in Estero, also feature town centers. Palmira's Village Center will offer a park, walking paths, a gazebo/bandshell, interactive fountains, courtyard, and a village café offering pastries and gourmet coffee. The Brooks features Rosie Spoonbill's restaurant, an enrichment center, computer learning center, fitness center, village green, gazebo and paddleboats. Miromar's spa and beach club has casual open-air dining, a day spa, pool and a marina, offering rental boats and waterskiing. "It's all about the resort lifestyle," says Hamel.

5.Fitness Centers

We admit that this one snuck up on us as kind of a surprise. But it makes sense, given that buyers are getting younger and more health-conscious. Kevin Pelitera, a realtor with Prudential Florida WCI Realty, says a few pieces of equipment shoved into a room the size of a closet won't do for his buyers. "They want Gold's Gym," he says, noting that developers like WCI have responded with state-of-the-art fitness facilities on the amenities levels of its many Southwest Florida high-rises. These multiroom facilities feature rows and rows of cardio machines, resistance equipment, special rooms for Pilates, yoga and aerobics, and even include massage rooms and saunas in the men and ladies' locker rooms. Other communities have similar setups, employing personal trainers and offering a host of fitness classes. Briscoe notes that construction has just begun on a new 18,000-square-foot community center/fitness center in Pelican Marsh. In addition to providing facilities for lectures, book groups and wine tastings, it will offer a large fitness center and personal trainers.

"The younger the person, the more they want more than just a couple of pieces of equipment," says Kiptyk. "They want a full facility with full services."

Fitness centers also go hand-in-hand with spas, as developers begin to factor day spas into the equation, offering massages, facials and body treatments. "There's really no need to venture outside the community," says Kiptyk. "That's one of the main amenities buyers are looking for."