*I was invited to Amelia Island and the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island on a press trip. My accommodations and activities were covered. But all opinions are still my own!
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably figured this post was coming. I had THE BEST time in Amelia Island last weekend. This was my third visit — The first was a regional meeting for my husbands job, and the second we were just passing through on our way back from Spartanburg, SC. There is so much to Amelia Island – it’s perfect for a romantic weekend away, a relaxing girls trip, babymoon, or a magical family vacation. For this post, I’ll focus on more the romantic weekend away – which could also work for a girls trip. But a family trip blog post at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island is coming!
For reference, the closest airport to Amelia Island is Jacksonville. And it’s about a 35 minute drive.
We checked in around 2pm, and the check-in was seamless. I headed straight to the spa. Brittany, one of the estheticians, gave me a relaxing facial and I went right into vacation mode. Now I think all vacations should start at the spa! I told her I usually get a dermaplaning treatment at home with my esthetician, so she added in a Dermaflash treatment plus a hydrating mask. It worked out great and I had that post facial glow I was going for (: They have a beautiful outdoor salt water pool, indoor jacuzzis, and a relaxation area. If I was staying here with just JB we’d probably make this our whole morning – and meet at the salt water pool which is co-ed after treatments. If I was with girlfriends, we’d probably want to make this an all day thing. 
After that I checked on JB and the boys who were swimming in the indoor pool and jacuzzi. I love that they have that especially since it was sprinkling a bit. Then I ran upstairs to get ready for a tour by Joe, the director of public relations. 
The rooms are all beautifully appointed, and come with a gorgeous view. I loved the marble bathroom! The best part though is the beds. I don’t even know what they do to make it that comfortable but it is pure heaven! This is coming from someone who doesn’t usually sleep so great at hotels … I slept like a baby there.
Then I got ready for the evening in my Camilyn Beth dress – that travels SO well. I don’t have to worry about wrinkles at all! Joe, the director of public relations of the hotel, gave us a tour of the property. I loved the recurring theme of salt, its healing properties, and how they incorporate that throughout the hotel. Even the restrooms all have salt scrubs in them.
We also toured the concierge level. You can get breakfast and bites all day around there. We toured right around dinner time, and they had heavy apps that looked delicious. My fave was this cute candy/cookie armoire! To get the concierge level is an additional fee – but likely worth it if you aren’t leaving the property.
There’s a kids club on site for ages 5 and older. It has plenty of activities, a great room for crafts and toys, and the staff is all someone I’d feel comfortable leaving my kids with. That’s where you can find Amelia the macaw. She is so cute and gave us a high five when we were there. I’ll go more into the kids club later this week but even if you’re kids aren’t 5 and older, there’s plenty for younger kids to do on site. For example while we were doing this tour, my husband and two boys came by with a fully dressed pirate and they were all on a treasure hunt. They finished some grog at the end (:
Before dinner we grabbed drinks at The Lobby Bar. Which is beautifully decorated – coastal and comfortable but still luxurious. One of the bartenders mixed us up an Apple Pie Bourbon. It was so fun to see the process. The drink can be totally customized based on preferences. This is a great place to have a drink or appetizers in the evening. Or even grab a coffee and work from during the day.
We then had a four course dinner at SALT. Which is one of only three five diamond restaurants in all of Florida. Chef Laughlin made my head spin with how amazing everything tasted – and it wasn’t just the caymus wine. (; Though that was delicious! Especially after 25 days of no wine. Throughout each course different salts were incorporated to bring out the flavor of the dish. It was truly worth giving up Whole30 for. No regrets! My favorite part was when they brought out a block of salt that was heated to 450 degrees. It had a cooked to perfection lobster on it and steak that I cooked on the salt block to my desired temp. After dessert they brought out more treats to go, which included some caramels. BEST CARAMELS of my life. I wish I could go back and buy a bag of them. Also I have to note how truly incredible the service was. Top notch! Plus there was some great live music, so it was just a fun relaxed but upscale atmosphere.
The next morning I woke up, quickly got ready, and went downstairs for The Royal Wedding Watch Party. I was so impressed to see so many ladies all dressed up with their hats and fascinators. It was such a special way to watch a fairytale wedding. I’ll always remember I was at The Ritz during their wedding, and what a sweet memory that will be! They did such a good job transforming the lobby bar. They had cute british flag cups, gorgeous flowers, and a large drapery with lanterns lining the entrance just like at a wedding. They even had cupcakes made in the same flavor as the royal wedding cake – lemon and elderflower.
{wearing zara slides and J.McLaughlin dress c/o}
After the royal wedding watch party we brunched it at Marche Burette Market and Deli on the Omni property. I had the steak and tips and I can 10000% recommend it. Such a good combo – and loved having all of that protein to start the day. They also served us this amazing mimosa that has rum in it. They have a garden there where they grow a lot of the ingredients – and some of the ingredients we had at Marche Burette were grown right in their garden.
We then got our segway licenses (: we had to watch a video and do some training. Our guides were so helpful especially since none of us knew what we were doing. We were all nervous, but it really is more intuitive than I thought it would be. It was a fun way to see the huge Omni property. It also was quite the ice breaker!
at amelia wheels you can rent everything from a double bob stroller to baby seats on bikes. And everything in between. What a fun family activity! 
The Omni Amelia Island is a lush property, with tons of tree canopies. You also have the beach, a huge pool, and the marsh. They even have wi-fi at the parks with the marsh view, and what a great place that would be to work from?!
We had lunch at Bar Zin. These truffle fries were toooo good. It’s a fun little wine bar, so would be a great place to grab a drink!
my little beach set is from asos and under $30!
That afternoon I got to go to the beach with the boys. I love how expansive Amelia Islands beach is. There are tons of different shells – and it’s so different than what I’m used to on this coast. Even though it’s just four and a half hours away, the island really does feel totally different. They also hopped in the pool right before I had to leave to get ready for the evening. JB is always the fun parent (:
Kaitlin, our amazing host and amelia island expert, brought along this charcuterie board. Y’all know I love a good charcuterie board. It’s from a place in their downtown called The Picnic Basket.
They’ll pack you a basket for a picnic. How cute is that? Perfect for a picnic on Fort Clinch. Or a sunset sail on Windward Sailing. 
{wearing an Elizabeth McKay tunic (also perfect for the beach) c/o }
We loved our captain, John from Windward Sailing. This would be such a fun thing for a couple to do, a bunch of your girlfriends, and John even mentioned that he’s had this chartered for families as well. They just switch the itinerary based on who is aboard. We sailed along the Amelia river even up to Cumberland Island in Georgia. The sunset was stunning!
We had dinner at Espana. I know I’m being redundant – but the food in Amelia island is really that good. It was another delicious meal. I loved their croquettes, eggplant, mussels, flan, sangria… every bite was enjoyed. 
Sunday morning we woke up for Sunrise Yoga. Holy humbling. I thought I was in shape-ish, but with yoga you’re using such a different part of your body. And the stretching felt so good – some poses were tough for me since I’m not naturally flexible. But the instructor was understanding and helpful. What a great way to start the day.
{wearing zara shoes // zara dress // zara bag (sold out but they have a ton of cute raffia bags )- haha I love Zara! }
After sunrise yoga we toured fort Clinch Park. What a beautiful spot this would be to ride bikes. The tree canopies go on and on. After that we headed to 29 south for brunch downtown. I got the southern salad which had pulled pork, cornbread croutons, fried green tomatoes, to name a few of the ingredients. It was the best salad ever even if it wasn’t all that salady (;
It started raining when we were supposed to go shopping. Which was a bummer because the downtown is so cute with a ton of antique shops I would have loved to get in to. The Palace Saloon is the oldest bar in Florida, and the mayor is the owner/bartender. How fun is that? I also loved hearing about
Here are some other places y’all were so sweet to recommend to us… we didn’t get to these but that just means we have to come back!
Fantastic Fudge – I had a white chocolate sanddollar delivered to the room. yummy and so cute.
and last but not least, I had so much fun with the other girls on this trip. I laughed until I cried, and they are all such sweet and genuine women.
{from left to right: me (: ! Eating with Erica , Ashlee from Little Lovelies blog , Caroline of LCB Style , rebecca from islands, and k for kaitlin }
Did I miss any Amelia Island Musts? Would love to hear if you’ve been and what’s your favorite!
