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Post by freecharlie on Feb 16, 2016 3:12:23 GMT
As I have stated a couple of times before, we are going to Jacksonville for my nieces graduation in May. Trying to find somewhere to stay that is acceptable to all has been has been trying to say the least. I came across Amelia Island on vrbo.com. The condos are on the beach and are cheaper than hotels on the beach. Seems like a good idea.
I checked with my SIL and she said it is within 30-45 min of where my niece will graduate, but that is about all she has come back with. Since my niece graduates over Memorial Day weekend, I want to get this done ASAP.
With that long winded post, have you been to Amelia Island or anywhere in the area? Would you recommend? What can you tell me?
TIA
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Post by epeanymous on Feb 16, 2016 4:06:41 GMT
I have stayed at the condos at the Omni Amelia Island resort. We got a three-bedroom with an ocean view, and it was awesome. Ours was well-appointed, we could stroll right out onto the beach, and there was a reasonably-sized pool at the condo complex. The hotel proper was a decent walk/short drive away, and we had access to all of the hotel amenities like their larger pools, although we were at a conference and I can't swear 100% that the conference didn't arrange for that (I think everyone on the property has access, but I am not sure).
I will say, some of my friends had condos that they said were not as nice as ours. We had all of our social gatherings at our condo, so I am not sure what theirs looked like.
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Post by kluski on Feb 16, 2016 4:10:09 GMT
While I've never been...I have two family members that live on the island and love love love it.
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Post by dockmaster on Feb 16, 2016 8:09:16 GMT
I do not live on the island, but I spend a considerable amount of time there. It is the closest beach to me and I love the beach. It is a quiet area. Not a lot of night life, but some of my favorite places to eat are on the island. The downtown area is charming with a lot of antique shops and little boutiques, you might see a pirate or two also. It is a hidden gem off the beaten track.
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Post by anxiousmom on Feb 16, 2016 11:26:18 GMT
As I was growing up, my best friend's family had a house on Amelia Island and they were over there a good bit. I had never been, but my mom just went for one of my dad's 'I'm retired and now I am supposed to travel' weekends (he doesn't particularly like to so my mom is easing him into by going local. ) She said that is was amazingly perfectly wonderful. The only thing that she did not care for was the beach, but that is all on my mom-she is like me in that we very much prefer the gulf coast beaches over those on the atlantic side. If it is close enough and works for what you need, you won't go wrong there. I would say without hesitation to go for it.
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Post by Leone on Feb 16, 2016 15:37:40 GMT
We were there in November and want to go back. It's charming and really interesting. I'd highly recommend the harbor boat ride. It's fun. It takes you out to Cumberland Island which is in Georgia. It's where JFK Jr. Was married in that tiny church. The story is really interesting as the church is inside a pig pen and most of the wedding guests had to stand outside with the pigs as the church only held about ten people. The entire town was kept in the dark for several days after the ceremony and didn't know it had happened. Amelia Island has a lot of history associated with it. Lots of very wealthy people have lived there. We did a carriage ride too. Bet some of the thrift shops have some great finds.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 5, 2024 7:01:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2016 16:26:38 GMT
My husband and I stayed there for a few days on our honeymoon at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, and it was the best part of the honeymoon!! Never stayed anywhere else though. Loved the island so much.
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Post by genny on Feb 16, 2016 17:21:36 GMT
You will love it there! Yes, it's about 35-40 minutes for Jacksonville if I remember correctly. We don't stay on the south end where the Omni and Ritz are, we stay farther north on the island. We usually stay at the Sand Dollar Villas. Reasonably priced, some are nicer than others - depends on the owner and their decorating style. It is quiet and family oriented, but there are some fun bars in the downtown area (which is only a few miles from everywhere on the island). Great restaurants! Look for shark's teeth on the beach-one of our favorite past times. Look into some local history while there if you have the time. the river cruises are all awesome! you can also do a haunted carriage ride and a historical carriage ride downtown - not sure what nights of the week that's available, but probably every night since it will be peak season. If you're a history buff, definitely check out Fort Clinch State park while you're there - it's so worth an afternoon. My family has been vacationing and meeting there for more than 35 years. The place holds a strong emotional attachment for me. I have thousands of pictures of the area, literally, if you're interested in a real life look at the place. ETA: freecharlie if you do decide to stay there one of the places you must eat is Arte Pizza. It used to be a literal hole in the wall, but they have a bigger nicer place now. I honestly wish they'd kept the hole in the wall, but they got so popular they had to expand. It's great italian food and very reasonably priced. I have plenty of other suggestions if you are interested - where to eat, drink, etc. Also check the city website - you may be there while the shrimp festival is underway and that is big fun!
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Post by dockmaster on Feb 16, 2016 18:01:28 GMT
The shrimp festival is in April.
Another great place to eat is the Happy Tomato on 3rd Street for lunch. We also enjoy the food and beachside dining at Sliders. If you want a great bigger there is Tastys. There is also an ice cream stand on Sadler that serves Dole Whip.
I personally prefer Main Beach, but you can drive on Peters Point with a $5 permit and a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The permits are available at the various convience stores.
My family loves living in this area. We spend a great deal of time on the island all year round.
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River
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,508
Location: Alabama
Jun 26, 2014 15:26:04 GMT
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Post by River on Feb 16, 2016 18:44:00 GMT
We vacation there often. I can't complain about any of the condo's we've stayed in. My memory is the pits for details so I can't recall the names right off. My DH grew up there and it left one heck of a mark on him. He truly hopes we can retire there one day. I fell in love with it the first time he took me, now my boys are so in love with it, it's the only place we want to vacation. It has now left it's mark on all of us. It's such a lovely town, historical yet homey feel.
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Post by genny on Feb 16, 2016 19:37:48 GMT
The shrimp festival is in April. Another great place to eat is the Happy Tomato on 3rd Street for lunch. We also enjoy the food and beachside dining at Sliders. If you want a great bigger there is Tastys. There is also an ice cream stand on Sadler that serves Dole Whip. I personally prefer Main Beach, but you can drive on Peters Point with a $5 permit and a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The permits are available at the various convience stores. My family loves living in this area. We spend a great deal of time on the island all year round. Yes, we've been to the Happy Tomato for lunch several times! Sliders has a great atmosphere - this past year the local gal they had singing was AWESOME. We had so much fun! We went to Tasty's for the first time this past summer and loved it as well - fabulous burgers. We also enjoy the atmosphere at the Surf on weekend nights when there's music on the deck. The place we usually stay is right across the street, so it's an easy 'go to' after a long day on the beach. We stayed at ketch courtyard this past year and the room was REALLY nice (Sanddollar was all booked up) We also enjoy going down to American Beach and then further north. We'll park north of Sandy Bottoms (which is fun for drinks but i don't dig the food) on North Fletcher on the side of the dunes and walk north toward the Fort. Our best shark tooth finds have been way up that way and then further south between american beach and the ritz.
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Post by dockmaster on Feb 16, 2016 19:48:26 GMT
Well if you do wind up staying on Amelia, or GA Jenny if you come back this year and are at Main Beach and see a gypsy camp with kites flying, it is probably me. Expecially, if you see a Hello Kitty kite. I spend waay to much time on that beach, but what is a wanna be mermaid to do?
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