Ritz Carlton Resort, Amelia Island

If you are traveling with children, especially with teens on a holiday to Amelia Island and are searching for an accommodation that has plenty of onsite amenities to keep your children occupied, stop by at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Resort. Located on Fernandina Beach, the Ritz Carlton is a 5 star rated quality condominium that unlike other Ritz Carlton hotels; is a sea side resort.

Location: The resort is located on the coastal end of Amelia Island and can be reached from cars, taxis and buses from nearby Jacksonville. The hotel arranges transfers to and from the Jacksonville International Airport which is a 30 minutes drive away. Guests can book the transfers in advance by calling the hotel’s concierge desk.

Accommodation: The Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Resort has a total of 444 guest rooms that are divided into 43 club rooms, 42 suites and 2 presidential suites. The rooms have private balconies that provide stunning views of the ocean and are equipped with all the modern day amenities.

These include air conditioning, wireless internet service, 37 inches flat screen satellite televisions, on demand videos, iPod Docking Stations, multi line IDD telephones with voice mail, wardrobes, writing desks, built in safety lockers, irons, ironing boards, hairdryers, radios, alarm clocks and espresso machines.

The en suite bathrooms are marble floored and come with marble baths, showers and complementary bathrobes and toiletries. The rooms also enjoy 24 hour room and in room dining services in addition to daily maid service.

Cuisine: Your kids are never going to complain about food at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Resort. The hotel serves everything from traditional American food to various international delicacies and guests can choose to dine in any one of the resort’s 4 eateries which comprise of 2 restaurants for meals and 2 bars for drinks.

The Salt and Cafe 4750 restaurants offer interesting blends of several cuisines to provide interesting menu items that are a hit with families and children. The Ocean Bar and Grill provides the perfect sea side ambience to relax and enjoy grilled sea food.

The Lobby Lounge and the Eight Sports Lounge offer tasty tidbits and refreshing drinks which include wines, beers, tea, coffee, fresh juices and other beverages at all times of the day.  Both these venues offer live entertainment programs and several indoor games for guests to enjoy.

General Amenities: The resort’s massive pool is a hit with families. Called the Lazy River, it just seems to go on and on and on. The outdoor swimming pool starts at one end of the resort with a shallow area for small kids and toddlers to play in, and winds throughout the entire resort like a still river.

The entire pool covers an area of 300 square yards and is touted to be one of the largest pools in the entire Caribbean. The pool is dotted with sun loungers, parasols and small chirpy parrots at regular intervals.

In addition to the outdoor pool, the resort houses an indoor pool (with a whirlpool) which is located next to the fitness center and the spa.  The fitness center is equipped with the latest in training equipment and weights, and guests can enjoy a good workout session while enjoying wonderful views of the sea.

The Ritz Carlton Spa, like any other Ritz Carlton facility employs only the best of the lot. Professional therapists mete out rejuvenating body massages and treatments for guests and the spa is also serviced by a beauty salon that offers various beauty treatments.

The beach is a wonderful place to hang out with the family and you don’t need to worry about your kids moving far out into the sea. There are several shallow lagoons that can be found during low tides and you can have a relaxing bath in these natural pools.

The resort’s state of the art business center is a hit with business travelers. In addition to providing a concierge service for conference facilities, the resort takes care of transporting business delegates to and from the airport and the surrounding regions.

Kids will love the attention they get at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Resort.  In addition to having a private playground to play in, kids can enjoy fun filled activities in the mini club which is run by professional care takers. Some of the activities and shows organized for kids in the mini club include Kids Night Out, Pirate Tuck-Ins, Toddler Time and The Ritz Kids to name a few.

If you are traveling with teens, this is one hotel they are not going to complain about. For the resort has something in store for them too. Called the Space Teen Lounge, the lounge is an entertainment and activity zone dedicated for teens aged 13 to 19 years. Operated by a professional concierge service, the Space Teen Lounge offers a myriad of activities to keep teens occupied for the entire holiday.

Some of the more popular activities include beach games, video game challenges, bike hikes, movie nights, surf lessons, water sports, beach kayaking, pizza nights, and night sports.
Recreational Activities: Guests will definitely have a hard time trying to tear their kids away from the resort and its onsite facilities.

The hotel has an on site tennis court that faces the ocean. In addition to enjoying games on the clay court, guests can make use of the drill clinics and tennis lessons handled by professional tennis players.

The resort also features an18 hole championship golf course located within the premises. The Golf Club of Amelia Island is a private golf club and as a privileged guest of the Ritz resort, you can have access to the course.

Exploring the island is a pleasure in itself and there are various inland attractions worth visiting. In addition to this, the resort’s concierge service also offers a myriad of onsite and beach activities for its guests. These include surfing lessons, kayaking, water skiing, beach volleyball, dune bugging, sailing and fishing.

Frequent tours and hikes are arranged to the nearby areas and some of the more popular trips include the American Beach Bike Tour, Ft. Clinch History Hike, Talbot Island Nature Hike, Kingsley Plantation Tour and Downtown History Tour.

National Holidays are celebrated grandly at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Resort and hordes of families visit the island for some of the country’s major holidays like Independence Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year. Most of the celebrations include fireworks, cookouts, carnivals and fun activities for the entire family.