Shangri-La Springs: Bonita Springs Community Spotlight

In the middle of Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs, a century of Florida history sits quietly behind a line of trees. Shangri-La Springs is a historic boutique hotel, spa, and organic garden estate at 27750 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs, FL 34135, built in 1926 as the Bonita Hotel and known for decades as the place most people drove past without ever seeing. The grounds are open to the public every day, and they are one of the most unexpected ways to spend an afternoon in Southwest Florida.

Why Shangri-La Springs Stands Out in Bonita Springs

The story starts long before the building. The mineral spring on the property was used by the Calusa people centuries ago, and the city of Bonita Springs takes its name from that spring. In 1926, developer Gilmer Heitman built the 35-room Bonita Hotel along the Tamiami Trail, now Old 41 Road. In 1965 the property was renamed Shangri-La and turned into a health resort, and the gardens planted then still supply the restaurant today. The hotel closed for about two decades, was purchased in 1998, and reopened to the public in 2015. This year it marks 100 years.

For most of its recent history, Shangri-La Springs was hidden in plain sight. A gate, a concrete wall, and a tall hedgerow kept the tropical grounds out of view from the road, so people who drove Old 41 every day had no idea a spring-fed oasis sat just past the trees. In late 2023 those barriers came down, and the estate is now visible from the street for the first time in a long time.

The property covers 8.5 acres, including a 4-acre organic garden. The Harvest & Wisdom Bistro cooks from that garden, serving seasonal dishes built around produce picked on the grounds, and it is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday. The Spa at Shangri-La Springs offers organic facials, massages, and treatments. One-hour organic garden tours, led by the garden manager, run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and are capped at 20 people, so the pace stays slow and personal.

A Slow Afternoon Worth Planning Around

The person who will love Shangri-La Springs is someone who wants an afternoon with a little more to it than a walk through town. You can wander the gardens, follow the paths past the spring and the old hotel, and settle in for a lunch that tastes like the ground it came from. It is the kind of place that rewards residents who think they know Bonita Springs and newcomers who want to understand why people settle here. The grounds are open to the public daily from 9 AM to 4 PM, with the gardens reserved for hotel guests and events after that.

Shangri-La Springs fits the Bonita Springs community because it is exactly the kind of old Florida character that makes the area feel rooted. The same qualities that draw buyers to this part of Southwest Florida show up here: history, green space, and a slower, friendlier pace. If you are visiting the area or thinking about a move, this weekend guide to Naples and Southwest Florida is a good look at what the region has going on, and our Bonita Springs buyer's guide covers the communities around it.

Other Local Businesses

Each week, Catalina features a new local business making a difference in Southwest Florida. Read past spotlights:

• Ageless Fitness and Vitality Booth Wellness Center Estero
• Doreen's Cup of Joe Marco Island
• Big Momma's Bicycles Naples
• Naples Soap Company Downtown Naples
• Fort Rock Climbing Center Fort Myers
• Books on Third Downtown Naples
• DeRomo's Restaurant Bonita Springs
• Three Sixteen Coffee & Bakery North Naples

Have a favorite business you think should be featured? Let Catalina know.