Get away to the beauty and serenity of Amelia Island and experience a resort where Southern charm meets Northeast Florida’s warm ocean waves and a wide, pristine beach. The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island may just be the perfect east coast family resort destination for a classic summer beach vacation. Located on a barrier island in Northeast Florida, just thirty minutes from Jacksonville International Airport, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, is just a two hour flight from a number of cities. The hotel’s oceanfront setting on 13 miles of dune lined beaches bordered by state parks to North and South, immediately offers a respite from the stresses of everyday life.
The luxury resort is offering the Amelia Island Breakaway with a $100 daily resort credit to use for adventures, relaxation, and everything in between.
No matter how long you stay, there are endless opportunities to share special moments.
1. Natural Adventures. For lovers of the outdoors, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island is paradise found, as activities are abound. Enjoy long and leisurely walks along the pristine, dune-lined beach while collecting shells and fossilized shark teeth. Build sand castles with complimentary kits. Escape from everyday life amidst moss covered ancient oaks in Northeast Florida’s maritime forest. The surrounding salt marshes and nature preserves create the perfect environment of bicycling, bird watching, and hiking. There is even horseback riding on the beach and a boat tour to Cumberland Island where wild horses roam.
2. Kayak the Creek. Experience the thrill of a guided tour kayaking down Simpson Creek spotting Roseate Spoonbills and White Egrets seconds before they take flight. The creek meanders through the majestic beauty of Talbot Island State Park where the Timucua Indians once camped; living off nature’s bounty and pirates sought backwater refuge from their pursuers.
3. Surrender to The Spa. Follow the ebb and flow of the ocean’s tides with the Heaven in a Hammock treatment, a specialty of the Northeast Florida luxury spa. By combining the therapeutic benefits of zero gravity with light massage, rocking and stretching, this treatment soothes tension and induces deep relaxation. Book any treatment and stay for the day soaking in the sun at The Spa’s adult-only, saltwater pool and rejuvenating in the eucalyptus-infused steam room and wet lounge.
4. A Pirate’s Life. Join our Pirate Captain daily in a rousing pirate toast to celebrate the end of a beautiful beach day. Every Friday, children accompany Princess Amelia on a treasure hunt spanning the far corners of the resort. Say an extra special good night to the children with a Pirate Tuck-in, including a Pirate and Princess who will read a bedtime story to your little ones and serve a snack of chocolate chip cookies and milk.
5. Ritz Kids Experience. The Ritz Kids Center has three dimensional murals, two 200 gallon fish tanks where kids learn about ocean life, play games, explore dune life searching for gopher tortoises and life beneath the sea based on proprietary programs from Jean-Michael Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society. Full and half day programs are available. Every Friday and Saturday evening there’s Kids Night Out. Children will enjoy an evening of activity while parents slip away for a romantic dinner.
6. Experience a Sea Turtle Nest Excavation. Share the wonder of a turtle release as volunteers dig out a turtle nest, count hatchlings, rescue baby loggerheads and set them on course for a journey out to sea.
7. Private Poolside Cabana. Make your pool experience luxurious by reserving a private cabana for the day. Amenities include welcome beverages, 32″ TV, personal cabana butler, chilled towels, light snacks, water, and sunscreen.
8. Take Your Taste Buds on an Adventure. Elegantly situated at the ocean’s edge, Salt is an AAA Five Diamond dining experience featuring Florida specialties with exotics, fine steaks and an endless array of global salts presented tableside. Each night Chef de Cuisine, Rick Laughlin, creates an Adventure Menu combining his select ingredients of the day. For your pleasure, the wine sommelier will match a glass of wine with each course. The finale to the Adventure Menu is a signature soufflé touted as the “finest soufflé south of Manhattan.” For the ultimate foodie experience, reserve The Chef’s Table in The Kitchen, named one of the Best Chefs Tables in America by Forbes magazine. Guests customize menu with matched wines and are invited to watch the kitchen activity in an intimate setting.
9. Courtyard S’mores with a Tour of the Night Sky. End the day with family roasting marshmallows over the glow of an open fire with the sound of breaking surf in the background. Allow the resort’s Astronomer to guide your eyes through the night sky as you discover constellations, Saturn’s rings and the deep craters of the moon through a high power telescope. It’s a summer memory that will last forever.
For reservations, please call The Ritz-Carlton toll-free at (800) 241-3333 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com/ameliaisland.