It is possible to experience a true island getaway and yet travel only 8 miles (by boat) from Naples. In fact, you don’t even leave city limits. Encircled by crystal-clear waters and white-sand beaches, Keewaydin Island rests between the Gulf and an inland waterway running between Naples and Marco Island.
For those who value tranquility and love nature, the 8-mile-long barrier island, managed by the State of Florida’s Coastal Office, seems a world away from the hustle and bustle of Fifth Avenue South. While 85 percent of the island is open space, it does hold about a dozen privately owned residences. Visitors, who arrive by boat or perchance helicopter, live off solar power, generators, and cisterns. Thanks to conservation efforts in the 1950s, concerned citizens were able to prevent the building of a bridge that would link Marco Island, Keewaydin Island, and the mainland. Since 1997, the shoreline has been closely monitored every year—and following storms. Loggerhead turtle nesting activity is observed nightly by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
In 1949, the first owners of 10505 Keewaydin Island built a one-room cottage at the center of their two and a half–acre lot to accommodate their annual two-week visit. For more than 73 years, the little cottage weathered the hot sun and many a storm, continuously offering a rustic vacation experience. Mostly minor changes were made to the abode, though a second story was added, growing the total square footage to 1,500. Neither electricity nor air conditioning made the to-do list, however.
When it came time to sell their special place, the original owners went looking for someone—preferably a local—who would cherish the property and pristine environment as much as they did. Enter Mike Morris, who, as a young boy, moved to Naples from Pennsylvania in 1976. Morris immersed himself in all the small coastal town offered, especially water-based activities. He never left, becoming a general contractor specializing in remodeling homes. To this day, he enjoys surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and fishing.
To finance the purchase, Morris pooled all his assets. On his first visit as the new owner in July 2022, he arrived with an air conditioning unit—ready to install. He then rewired the home, took out a wall, added a wall, painted the cottage white (it was yellow), and modernized the kitchen with butcher block and quartz countertops. He left the original jalousie windows but added an outdoor shower, a new cistern, and more solar panels. While he outfitted the cabin with Wi-Fi, he consciously rejected televisions. He kept the landscaping natural and minimal, recognizing nature knows best how to handle any storms or damage.
With his rescue dog, Penny, in tow, Morris spends approximately 100 nights per year at the cottage (about 60 during the summer months) and at the only dog-friendly beach in Collier County. He does rent the home a few times a year, delivering his guests by boat. His latest visitor wanted to be dropped off and left alone to shell for the duration of her stay. The island’s location on the Gulf proved ideal, offering the guest solitude and seashells in abundance.
Those who inhabit the island know each other. They traverse the beach by ATV yet respect the privacy of their neighbors. Although the southern tip of Keewaydin Island sees daily visitors by boat, Morris reports the beach is empty by 4 p.m.
“Paradise found.” These two words inscribed on a small wooden sign resting in the window of the cottage’s mudroom say it all. Morris found the placard while refurbishing the place. He decided to keep it because—for him—it rings true.
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