BALEEN — Restaurant in Bonita Springs

Celebrating a birthday should be a memorable occasion filled with joy, great food, and impeccable service, especially when it’s spent at a place as highly acclaimed as Baleen at La Playa Naples. The anticipation of dining at Baleen, driven by its reputation, set high expectations for my birthday celebration with friends. Among the many things we looked forward to, the chance to witness one of the most beautiful sunsets in Southwest Florida (SWFL) was at the top of our list. Indeed, the view did not disappoint, offering a spectacular backdrop that accentuated the evening. However, our experience with the food and service fell short of the restaurant's esteemed reputation.

Our evening began at the bar, an hour before our 8 PM reservation, where we explored the cocktail menu. The Coco Tini, selected with high hopes, unfortunately, tasted so disappointing that I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. This initial setback was a prelude to further challenges. Upon approaching the front desk at 8 PM, ready for our table, we were met with unexpected news: there was no estimate on when our table would be ready, despite our reservation and early arrival.

Eventually seated, the breathtaking view offered a moment of solace. Yet, the service did not mirror this beauty. It took our server 10 minutes just to approach us for our initial order of drinks and appetizers, setting a tone of delay that continued throughout the evening. Even then, our order arrived incomplete, missing the bread appetizer, which we had to request again. The appetizers, once served, were delightful, especially the mushroom risotto.

The main course presented a mixed bag. My lobster bucatini was exceptional, standing out as the highlight of our meal. However, my friends’ experiences varied significantly - both the grouper and red fish specials did not live up to our expectations, with the latter being described as the worst fish dish we had ever encountered.

The chocolate dessert was a redeeming factor of the night, which was nothing short of outstanding. However, even this sweet note was dampened by the prolonged wait for our check, compounded by our server's absence, requiring the assistance of another server to conclude our evening.

Reflecting on the night, the consensus is that future visits to Baleen might be limited to enjoying a drink, an appetizer, and, undoubtedly, the view. While the scenery of Baleen at La Playa Naples remains unrivaled, the overall dining experience, marred by subpar service and inconsistent food quality, suggests room for improvement to match the breathtaking ambiance that...

We got married at this hotel 13 years ago and every year we come back for our anniversary celebration. Last year we were a little late since the hotel was closed due to hurricane Ian repairs. Prior to the hurricane we always received fanfare on our anniversary like a flower on the table and always got a desirable table.

When we went in October last year to celebrate our half anniversary since it was still closed in March, we were given a table that was crammed in next to a door that went outside, so the whole time people were coming and going and bumping into my chair. We also didn’t have a flower on the table. Since it was so close after hurricane Ian and the hotel was obviously still struggling. I didn’t write a review and hoped it would improve the next time.

I booked the reservation through concierge to ensure that we got an outside desirable table. We arrived 30 minutes early for a reservation, but told them that we could wait, but they still tried to give us a crappy table in the middle of the sidewalk staircase outside. We asked for a different table and the hostess gave us an attitude, but eventually obliged.

Once we got our new table, we were in luck because we had Adriano as our server and he more than made up for the bad attitude and lack of fanfare from the hostess. There still wasn’t a flower on our original table, nor our second table like they used to do, but he took a great picture of us, was very attentive, did not rush us through dinner, was amazingly personable, and not just to us. I noticed all of the tables around us were also being spoiled by him! He is a treasure, and if not for him, we would have been left with a bad taste in our mouth after the treatment by the hostess.

In the future, the hotel should have some sort of a system for those who have been married at La Playa to make sure that they get extra special treatment when they return annually for their anniversaries. Or at least read the notes that were left for them especially when I booked this three months in advance, which is as far in advance as you can book it. They had no excuse to not honor our table request.

All in all, it was a great time, but that was a sour note that definitely needs to be rectified before we would come back for our 14th and future...

On our last coastal evening, we selected Baleen as our sunset view dining experience.

Tired from 16 days on the road, as we rode from Chicago to SC and Florida, we arrived for a brief stay in Naples. On our month-long road trips, we go from rags to riches. This evening was a raggy kind of day and we decided to make it an eclectic last coastal evening by having an upscale dining occasion.

Oh, how wonderful!!! Service, food presentation, flavors, and sunset, as ambiance, are outstanding.

Adriano attended to all of our requests and needs in an impeccable professional manner. He is knowledgeable, made excellent recommendations, and answered all of our questions - all with a sense of grace and good humor.

For starters, we share Forest Mushrooms Risotto and Baleen Signature Lobster Bisque. Both delicious. Creamy risotto and plenty of a variety of mushrooms could easily be a main dish. The bisque had delicate confetti-size lobster meat, excellent.

For our second course, I had the Blackened Gulf Grouper, my husband the Pan Roasted Diver Scallops and we shared the Crispy Brussel Sprouts. My husband selfishly did not share his scallops, he likesd them too much. The grouper was cooked to perfection - firm, flaky, mild flavor.

For our third course, we indulged in sweetness from a creamy delicious Crème Brûlée and a Chocolate something with a base of Heath bar that was phenomenal.

I had a Barrel Aged Old Fashion (I am an old-fashionista, meaning I try old fashions all over the country) and a Negroni. Both perfect mixology, balanced and flavorful.

As we were approaching the end of our epicurean affair, we had a lovely conversation with Georgina (manager??) who pleasantly inquired about our experience.

We will be back when...