"We look forward to unveiling these elevated experiences this fall, perfectly timed to welcome the world for our championship golf tournaments and to celebrate a spectacular season ahead alongside our guests and Naples community."
Andrew Roberts, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, said that in April, when Host Hotels & Resorts announced the renovation. In the same statement he named "the Tiburón homeowners" among the groups the project was meant for. Now it's the last day of September. The renovation window the resort posted, May 18 through September 2026, closes today. The first of three professional tournaments at Tiburón Golf Club starts in seven weeks.
Read together, the new restaurant lineup and the tournament calendar show one clear choice. The resort at the center of Tiburón rebuilt its food around the hours of a golf day. It also scheduled the fall unveiling to line up with the run of championship tournaments on its courses.
What the Summer Setup Looked Like, and What Replaces It
The hotel stayed open through the work, so its restaurants moved into borrowed rooms rather than closing. The Eat Play SWFL dining guide, last updated August 20, tracked where each one went. Bella Vista served cocktails and lounge food from 5 to 11 p.m. in the Cypress Lounge. Lemonia ran breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. in the Tiburón Ballroom. eXpress(o) poured coffee from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Tiburón Foyer entrance. Ria, the Latin American restaurant by the pool, kept lunch on its outdoor terrace and moved dinner into The Preserve through September.
The resort's dining page now lists four names. Three of them open in October 2026.
| Venue | What the resort describes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Palmera | Gulf Coast grill built around local seafood, sun-ripened citrus, heirloom tomatoes and seasonal cocktails | Opening October 2026 |
| Fenrose | French breakfast, refined egg dishes and fresh pastries | Opening October 2026 |
| Café Fenrose | All-day market with pastries, house-made provisions and specialty coffee | Opening October 2026 |
| Ria | Regional dishes from Mexico, Peru and Argentina, handmade tacos, margaritas | Open |
Look at where the new lineup puts its weight. During the summer, the morning had one breakfast room and one coffee counter. Starting in October it gets a dedicated French breakfast restaurant plus a market that stays open all day. The resort describes Café Fenrose as the place for "a quick morning start, a midday pause, or something to carry to the course." That is the clearest sign of who the new food is for. It serves the person heading out for an early tee time as much as the person planning dinner.
Palmera is the anchor. The April announcement calls it the resort's "heartbeat" and says its menu will track Gulf Coast ingredients and local seafood, with "thoughtful, uncomplicated preparations." Fenrose takes its name from the "Fen" and the native Fen Rose. Its design mixes Art Deco with a European café.
The Questions the Resort Hasn't Answered Yet
The public record leaves several gaps, and they matter to anyone deciding where to book a table this fall.
- Exact opening days. The resort says "Opening October 2026" for all three new venues and gives no specific dates.
- Chefs and full menus. The official dining and overview pages give only broad food descriptions. They name no chefs and post no itemized menus.
- The evening lounge. Bella Vista doesn't appear on the current dining page. No source reviewed says whether Palmera takes over its role or whether it returns under its own name.
- Ria's hours. The resort's dining page lists Ria daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The August guide listed 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call ahead before planning a late dinner there.
The resort's line for the renovation is 239-593-2000.
The Rooms Built for Tournament Season
The food isn't the only thing timed to the golf calendar. Parker Torres Design, the firm behind the recent redesign of the sister resort on the beach, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, led this project too. The palette draws on the tropical greenery around Tiburón and the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary the resort sits on.
The one new structure is Swaying Palm, a 2,700-square-foot meeting and event space. It has expansive windows framing golf course views and lighting installations inspired by Naples' natural setting. The announcement pitches it for milestone birthdays, weddings and corporate retreats. The resort says it will debut in fall 2026, the same season three tournament weeks come to the fairways it overlooks. The same project covers the lobby, arrival area, guest rooms, suites and Club Lounge, all set to be unveiled this fall. The announcement doesn't say whether each area will be finished by the time the October restaurants open.
Three Tournaments in About 12 Weeks
The calendar Roberts referred to runs from late November to mid-February. Each event has its own schedule and its own parking plan, and none of them use the same lots on every day.
CME Group Tour Championship. The LPGA lists the 2026 event for November 19 to 22 at Tiburón Golf Club. General admission comes as daily or weekly tickets. Hospitality options include the Corona Premier Oasis and the Globe Lounge, and Globe Lounge tickets come with a Lot A parking pass for the days purchased. According to the event's parking listing, spectators park at First Naples Church Thursday through Saturday and at Community School of Naples on Sunday, with shuttles to and from the course. The tournament's own "Know Before You Go" page still shows gate dates from a different year. Use the LPGA dates when planning, and expect the parking price to vary depending on which page you check.
Grant Thornton Invitational. Tournament week runs December 7 to 13. Monday through Thursday are practice and pro-am days, closed to the public. Competition rounds are open to the public Friday through Sunday, December 11 to 13. General parking is at Lot C on Orange Blossom Drive on Friday and Saturday, then moves to Lot D on Livingston Road on Sunday. It costs $10 per vehicle, with shuttles to the course. Grounds passes are sold as Good Any Day or Weekly, online or at the main entrance during tournament week.
Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO. The tournament marks its 40th anniversary in 2027. It takes over the Black Course February 8 to 14, with 54 holes of competition Friday through Sunday, February 12 to 14. Organizers said on August 28 that public tickets would go on sale this fall. The ticket page still shows last year's schedule and parking, so wait for the 2027 details.
The Chubb Classic is also the easiest of the three to join from the inside. The tournament is looking for more than 700 volunteers for roles that include marshaling, scoring, transportation and hospitality. Registration is open now, and the volunteer package costs $75.
None of the official tournament pages published so far say anything about gate access or road effects for people who live inside Tiburón. The spectator plans send fans to off-site lots with shuttles. Watch for neighborhood notices as each week gets closer rather than assuming last year's routine still applies.
What Stays Constant Through All of It
Some parts of the resort didn't move during the renovation. The April announcement said resort guests kept full access to the Reservoir waterpark, Tiburón Golf Club, the Mouratoglou Tennis Center and Ria. For beach service and spa treatments, Tiburón guests could use The Ritz-Carlton, Naples on the Gulf. Daily tee times at Tiburón Golf Club, 2620 Tiburón Drive, are still listed on the resort's golf page.
The change for October is the food and the rooms around it. A grill, a breakfast room and a coffee-and-provisions market open at 2600 Tiburón Drive. Seven weeks later the LPGA arrives, followed by the Grant Thornton field in December and the Chubb Classic's 40th edition in February.
If your plans for the season include a tournament week, out-of-town guests or a closer look at what the renovation means for the community around the resort, John Shirey follows Tiburón through the year and is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
