Wyvern Hotel in Punta Gorda: Luxury Without Pretense

on April 18, 2009 in Life at the beach 0

Wyvern Hotel in Punta Gorda, where the Tamiami Trail meets the Peace River.

I’ve lived in Florida my whole life, but as far as I know, I’ve never been to Punta Gorda. Perhaps because it has no beaches. But I’m extremely fond of Pine Island (which I accidentally discovered) and it has no beaches either. Punta Gorda and Pine Island are on opposite sides of Charlotte Harbor.

When I was invited to come down and have a look around Punta Gorda and the nearby beaches of Englewood and Palm Island, I jumped at the chance. Mary Huff of Smith Advertising, and Jennifer Huber of the Charlotte Harbor Visitor’s Bureau put together a whirlwind tour of the area for me. My first afternoon was spent walking around downtown Charlotte Harbor, then dining with Jennifer Huber at Peace River Seafood, and finally, cruising at sunset with the Kingfisher Fleet where the Peace River meets Charlotte Harbor. More on those things later.

My room at the Wyvern Hotel in Punta Gorda, FL.

Now I’m relaxing at the Wyvern Hotel, which opened in November 2008. It is a 63 room boutique hotel with a rooftop swimming pool. Everything about the hotel is luxurious, but understated. It is right in the downtown area and has a great view of the waterfront and of the bridges crossing the Peace River. It is upscale, but I feel comfortable here, even though I don’t drive a Mercedes and I don’t have a Wall Street banker’s check book. Luxurious without being “Palm Beach.”

Punta Gorda took a heavy hit from hurricane Charlie back in August 2004. The result has been a reawakening of the downtown area with new construction everywhere in evidence. This is an up-and-coming city that still has plenty of small-town charm.

Tomorrow I have a busy day planned, with visits to the Babcock Wilderness Adventure, Grande Tours (kayaking), and Palm Island Resort.