Meeting groups are drawn to Cape Coral for its boating lifestyle. Dubbed as a "Waterfront Wonderland" by its original developers in the late 1950s, this master-planned community has more than 400 miles of canals, more than any other city in the world. Temperate year-round climate and proximity to Fort Myers (which has a wide variety of entertainment, dining and sports recreation opportunities) also benefit Cape Coral meeting venues.
Set between the Caloosahatchee River, part of the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Gulf of Mexico, Cape Coral is located 14 miles from Southwest Florida International Airport. Interstate 75 is situated about 10 miles from Cape Coral affording convenient commutes to Naples (35 miles), Sarasota (84 miles) and Tampa (133 miles).
Hotel venues in Cape Coral include several small chain hotels with limited meeting space, such as the 149-room Courtyard Fort Myers Cape Coral, with 1,000 square feet of meeting space; and the 75-room Hampton Inn & Suites Cape Coral, with 2,000 square feet of meeting space. For larger groups, there is the 263-room Resort at MarinaVillage, a 19-story condominium resort with views of the Caloosahatchee River, San Carlos Bay and Gulf of Mexico; it has 25,000 square feet of meeting space.
When groups require off-site special event venues in Cape Coral, the diverse possibilities include the La Venezia Ballroom, a newly renovated special events facility with a ballroom, lounge and oak bar that can accommodate up to 300 people; Bowland Cape Coral, a 33-lane bowling alley featuring a 2-hour lunchtime team-building program; and the Coralwood 10, which can host up to 395 people for stadium seating business meetings, private movie showings and special events and parties.
In Cape Coral, the social and recreation epicenter is the Yacht Club Community Park, which has a ballroom available for rental and amenities such as a fishing pier, grills and picnic shelters, a public beach, tennis courts, marina and restaurant. Popular group pastimes include playing golf at the Coral Oaks Golf Course, exploring backwaters and Pine Island on a guided kayak trip; deep-sea fishing excursions to catch tarpon, redfish or shark; and chartering a yacht for snorkeling, fishing and cruising.
Major chain restaurants such as Bonefish Grill and Houlihan's headline Cape Coral's dining scene, and groups also have several excellent options in nearby Fort Myers, only 8 miles away.
