Community comparison · June 24, 2026
These three come up together constantly — all South Naples, all resort-style, all gated. But they’re built for different buyers, with very different golf models and very different mandatory fees. Here’s the honest side-by-side, including a deep look at Lely Resort’s many neighborhoods.
The 10-second version: Esplanade by the Islands = newest, still building, resort life without golf cost. Fiddler’s Creek = large & prestige, optional private golf + beach/marina. Lely Resort = established & built-out, the widest range of homes and prices, with public golf you don’t have to pay for if you don’t play.
Where: 15150 Tolmino Street, southeast Naples (near Marco Island & the coast). Builder/status: Taylor Morrison, still building — new construction available alongside resale. Homes: single-family, coach homes, twin villas, from the mid-$400,000s. Golf: none on-site — a Troon Access discount program instead. Fees: HOA by lot type, an $800/yr food & beverage minimum, and a $5,000 Working Fund at closing on resales.
The pitch: a brand-new resort home with a 15,000-sq-ft Wellness & Venue facility (2025 Best Clubhouse, Collier BIA), resort pool + Bahama Bar, and full-service spa — without paying for a golf course you may not use. (Run the true cost to own →)
Best for: buyers who want a new home, coastal proximity, and resort amenities — minus golf dues.
Where: southeast Naples along Collier Boulevard, toward Marco Island. Status: a large, long-running master-planned community with both newer product and resale. Homes: condos and coach homes up through luxury estates — roughly the $400,000s into $3M+. Golf: optional equity membership at the private Golf & Country Club (a separate, substantial buy-in). Club: a mandatory Club & Spa membership for residents; optional Tarpon Club beach & marina access.
The pitch: scale, polish, and an a-la-carte luxury menu — pick golf, beach, and marina if you want them. The trade-off is a more complex (and potentially higher) fee stack. See the detailed head-to-head: Esplanade by the Islands vs. Fiddler’s Creek →
Best for: buyers who want a large prestige community and may want private golf, beach, and marina — and don’t mind paying for the menu.
Where: South Naples near Collier Boulevard (951) & US-41. Status: developed by Stock Development and largely built out across ~40 neighborhoods — so it’s resale-dominant, with mature landscaping and an enormous range of options. Homes: from condos in the ~$300,000s to estate homes past $2M.
The neighborhoods (a sampler):
Golf — the key difference: Lely’s golf is not bundled. Two courses are public/pay-to-play — Flamingo Island (Robert Trent Jones Sr.) and Mustang (Lee Trevino) — and the third, The Classics (Gary Player), is a private equity club you join separately. Play occasionally and you simply pay public rates; want a private club, join The Classics.
The mandatory club: most Lely residents are required to join the Players Club & Spa (a 15-acre amenity campus with resort, lagoon & lap pools, a full-service spa, a 6,000-sq-ft fitness center, 13 Har-Tru tennis courts, pickleball, bocce, a dog park, and multiple dining venues). Per the club’s 2026 fee schedule, that’s a $10,000 membership deposit (refundable) plus annual dues of $6,400 + 6% Florida sales tax — and because golf is separate, notably lower than an equity-golf club.
Best for: buyers who want an established, mature community, the widest selection of homes/prices, and flexible golf (public when you want it, private if you choose).
| Esplanade by the Islands | Fiddler’s Creek | Lely Resort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Newest; still building (new + resale) | Master-plan; new + resale | Established; built out (resale) |
| Golf | None (Troon Access discount) | Optional private equity | 2 public + 1 private (Classics) |
| Mandatory club fee | HOA + $800 F&B; $5K Working Fund (resale) | Mandatory Club & Spa; golf/beach optional | Players Club $10,000 refundable deposit + $6,400/yr + tax |
| Homes | SF, coach, villas | Condos → estates | Condos → estates (~40 hoods) |
| From | mid-$400Ks | ~$400Ks | ~$300Ks |
Figures reflect publicly reported 2026 information and change frequently. Club initiation/dues and home prices vary by neighborhood and over time — verify current numbers with each community before deciding.
Want brand-new? Esplanade by the Islands is the only one of the three actively delivering new construction at scale. Want established & mature with maximum choice? Lely Resort. Want a big-name master-plan with optional private golf, beach & marina? Fiddler’s Creek.
Golf is the budget swing. If you don’t play, Esplanade (no golf dues) or Lely (public golf, Players-Club-only mandatory fee) keep carrying costs lower than an equity-golf community. If you want a private club, Fiddler’s Creek or Lely’s Classics deliver it — at a higher annual number.
Compare total cost, not list price. Mandatory club fees, golf, HOA, and CDD swing the real monthly number by thousands. Run Esplanade’s numbers → and ask me for the apples-to-apples on any home in all three.
I cover all three and I’ll tell you straight which fits how you actually want to live — golf or not, new or established, the real all-in cost. On new construction (like Esplanade), the builder pays my commission, so my representation costs you nothing.
Keep reading: Naples golf communities guide → | Naples new-construction guide → | Cost-of-ownership calculator →
Nicholas Nolan is a Florida REALTOR® with Realty ONE Group MVP focused on Naples, Marco Island, and Esplanade by the Islands. He has family who live in the community and works across South Naples resort communities, helping buyers compare the real costs — home, club, golf, HOA/CDD — before they commit.
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Fees & pricing. Club initiation, dues, and home prices reflect publicly reported 2026 information, vary by neighborhood, and change frequently. Verify current figures directly with each community before making decisions.