Just over the GA border on the Northeastern coastline of FL sits an island paradise. Amelia Island is a barrier island north of Jacksonville. With its beautiful white beaches and aqua-blue water, it will immediately transport you into island vacation mode when you arrive.
For this getaway, our anniversary, we chose to splurge a bit and enjoy a stay at The Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island, the recipient of two prestigious AAA Five Diamond designations, the travel authority’s highest rating. In addition to the resort’s lodging award, SALT, one of the onsite dining spots, is also graced with this award for world-class service and imaginative menus. After all, with all that said, and it is a drive away and gas prices down, why not? The Ritz Carlton is situated directly on the beachfront, with breathtaking views.
Upon arrival, you’ll find the service to be all you would expect and more. Valets greet you with welcoming smiles and are ready to assist. We arrived around noon with hopes of being able to check-in. With it being July 4th weekend, we weren’t expecting anything but were still hopeful, and luckily, they accommodated us with no fuss. We were offered a glass of champagne upon check-in to kick off our anniversary weekend.
Entering our room, we see the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors and windows open to a spacious patio with broad, expansive ocean vistas and views of the beach and the crystal blue ocean. With a patio set beckoning you to sit, relax and take it all in, we do just that. The rooms are nicely appointed with all you could need, a mini fridge with an honor bar stocked with basics and space to store what you might need. Having an in-room Nespresso machine with different pods and bottled water for the device is the perfect way to start your morning.
With so many amenities available, it would take several articles to detail each—still, an overview of what they have – family pool, kids pool, hot tub. If you’re on the club level or use the spa, another adult pool is available. They offer food and drink service there, beachfront chairs and umbrellas, a pool bar and restaurant, a beach bar and restaurant with bird cage seating to sit and enjoy watching the waves crashing on the beach in front of you, total gym with Peloton bikes, bike rentals (2 bikes for 2 hours included with your stay), boogie board rentals (2 rentals included with your stay), pickleball/tennis rentals, cabanas to rent with large screen TV’s, patio seating with firepits and tons of lounge seating to enjoy the outdoors, and that’s just the outside areas. Inside, they offer – for club level or if you use the spa, an inside pool, plus a full spa with ladies’ and men’s areas including wet rooms with Sauna, Steam room, hot tubs, and more, four unique restaurants including Salt, which we’ll talk more about later, a coffee/deli spot, several shops to get anything you might need or want including some fun options for souvenirs.
If you happen to be traveling with children, you’ll be thrilled to know they have exceptional accommodations to keep your little ones happy. The Ritz goes above and beyond to create a memorable family getaway with their renowned Ritz Kids Program of supervised games, crafts, movies, dinners, treasure hunts, and themes for full- and half-day options. You can also join other activities like guided nature walks with a respected naturalist and hunting for shells and shark teeth with a hotel recreation team member.
Some of the “little things” that make The Ritz what it is, there is almost always an open elevator waiting on the main floor to take you to your room and back, not to mention the speed of the elevators, always smiling and friendly staff greeting you as you pass, concierge waiting to assist you in any way you need, fresh made coffee and ready to make teas for you to help yourself in the lobby in the morning followed by fruit infused water new and cold available the rest of the day, evening turndown service with melt in your mouth chocolates placed on your bed and waiting for you to treat yourself at the end of your day. The hospitality experience here is unmatched.
One of the highlights of this getaway was our culinary experience at Salt. Salt is one of the few AAA Five Diamond restaurants in Florida, and it not only meets but exceeds any expectations one might have hearing of this status. Salt takes its name seriously, utilizing over 40 salts worldwide. Upon entering, you’ll know you are in for an experience. The décor at Salt is warm and upscale, with views of the dunes and a guitarist playing to add to your evening. Just sit back and relax and plan to have a meal you won’t soon forget.
The first thing presented will be your choice of custom in-house-made infused salts and a bowl of unsalted butter. Our knowledgeable server shares the details of each flavor profile and what they pair best with. You will experience the difference the unique salts make with the freshly made bread they bring out. Your taste buds dance with joy upon each bite from the first course to the last. There are so many delicacies to enjoy, but if I could recommend one must, it’s the homemade Tagliatelle Pasta with mushrooms and Australian black truffle butter. This dish is an absolute must, and the wonderful thing about this dish is you can try it in an appetizer size to save room for savoring some of the other mouth-watering options, or go for it and get the entree size. Dining at Salt is an explosion of exciting flavors that change with each course.
To summarize Part One of our two-part series for a getaway to Amelia Island, if you want to experience the utmost in luxuriousness and feel like royalty, book your room at The Ritz Carlton today; it’s worth every penny.
For more information and to book your fabulous getaway at The Ritz Carlton Amelia Island located at 4750 Amelia Island Parkway, Amelia Island, Florida, USA, 32034, go to their website – https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/jaxam-the-ritz-carlton-amelia-island/overview/
Or call The Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island directly at 1 904-277-1100.
Check back shortly for Part Two when we go on a Backwater Cat Adventure and we also see what/where Her Money gets us. Just some of the things to do and see outside of The Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island.