Mediterra’s beach club on the Gulf has whole new look

Andrea Stetson | Special to news-press.com

Residents sit on a balcony overlooking the soft, white sand and shimmering Gulf water while they enjoy a meal, drinks or simply conversation.

Mediterra is more than seven miles from the beach, yet every day residents enjoy the Gulf view. Now, they are enjoying it even more with new upgrades and renovations that were just completed at Mediterra Beach Club.

The club on the northern end of Bonita Beach has always been the only one in Bonita Springs with a swimming pool and raised balcony. But now it’s even better. After being closed for six weeks, the beach club recently reopened with a whole new look.

“The members decided they wanted to lighten it up,” said Tom Wallace, general manager. “It was mostly dark wood.”

The walls were painted light sea-foam green. The dark wood bar was replaced with white painted wood. Lighter, sandy-colored tiles now cover the floor.

“Now it’s like bringing the view inside so the inside matches the outside,” Wallace said.

New bright, yellow umbrellas on the balcony add to the lighter, brighter scene.

A swimming pool on a raised balcony and a restaurant overlook the beach. Residents of Mediterra can enjoy eating on the terrace as they watch the sunset, dolphins and the blue-green water. Below, indoor dining also is an option at the Mediterra Beach Club

The beach club is one of the main things that attracted Mary Lynn Myers to Mediterra. She comes to the club several times a week to socialize with friends and enjoy the view.

“We are so lucky we live in paradise,” Myers said. “This is the quintessential part of paradise.”

Myers said the beach club was always wonderful, but the renovations make it even better.

“I like the fact that it looks a lot like the beach,” she said. “It’s lighter and more open.”

Carl Dill, a Mediterra resident, was instrumental in getting the club its new look.

“When it was built by the developer it was a Mediterranean theme,” Dill explained. “The decor was very similar to what we had in the clubhouse. It was the dark wood, and beach clubs, in our minds, should be light and airy. It should be like a beach club and not a Mediterranean club perched on the sand.”

So Dill, who is president of the board of governors, pushed for changes and said the outcome has been wonderful.

“All the members really love the light feel,” he said. “The blue and the white are so much more lively and have a beach club feel.”