The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

There is no self parking. Only valet. Car is retrieved quickly. Restaurant set up is a little weird, especially the lobby/​restaurant– there is no clear cut door.
Very stingy on room amenities. Housekeeper did not give new soap or shampoo. We had to ask for it. Water was also given on a random basis.
They are very kid friendly. Lots for the children to do.

NEVER again. Horrible service — rude and you would never know the front desk employees were Ritz Carlton trained. Spent my entire weekend upset. NO turndown, rude front desk and Rachel in guest services is totally incompetent. Enough that I will never return. Don’t spend your money. If you like Ritz Carlton go to Grand Lakes in Orlando. Night and day. This is an amateur hotel. On par with nursery school!

We paid the resort fee which includes an umbrella at the beach. We went to the beach and the umbrellas were all taken. The «umbrella guy» said to get there at 9AM to get one and it is your’s for the day. Really frustrating to bake in the sun and see lots of umbrellas clearly not in use. 5 – 6 staff sitting at the beach hut giving off the attitude that says «we are here for the season and you will be gone so what».

Elegant Anticipation. For 25 years my wife and I have been coming to the Ritz-​Carlton, Amelia Island. Of all the different properties we stay at over the years, this has become our ‘go-​to’ favorite. The Amelia Ritz has the unique blend of Southern Hospitality and the Ritz Experience.
General Manager, Jim McManemon and the Amelia team have successfully raised the bar in service and on how to respond to a guest’s request. The lobby and halls have been updated to a beach resort elegance that is soothing and rejuvenating.
We have already booked our next trip for November.
Thank you Amelia Ritz for a great birthday celebration

This is a beautiful property like all the Ritz hotels. I’m a fan of the Ritz cause they usually are pretty kid friendly and most have heated indoor pools so they are a great place to visit during the winter. The service is friendly, but the reason it didn’t get 5 stars is because they are just a tad lacking in foresight. We were at the club level and had a child with us. During the multiple food presentations, it was never mentioned that there was separate food for the children. I understand that I could have asked, but if you see a party with a child, perhaps it would be good to offer that option.
I also feel that the food presentations have gone down in quality from earlier years. This time we didn’t eat at Salt, just ordered room service, which I also think quality wise has gone down.
However, I still think this is a lovely property and will return.

I was soooo excited to stay at this property but honestly I wasn’t too impressed with it. It’s kind of far and hard to get to. Getting an über from this place is extremely difficult. The room I had wasn’t anything special and the hotel itself has a stuffier vibe. It was definitely a beautiful property but I think I hyped it up in my head. I will say all the food there is delicious and I wasn’t able to enjoy salt but coast was AMAZING. I definitely did enjoy my stay here but definitely not my favorite Ritz property.

Nice place… We went there to meet up with some friends from out of town and ended up booking a room. The front desk was polite, remembered my name, and give me a feeling that they actually cared.
The only downside is that we had a child with us, and the kids club or babysitting was pretty expensive, so you really have to be prepared to spend a good deal if you want time with adult friends.
As for the facilities, very serene setting, there is a little kids arcade where they can play games, great pool, beautiful beach, and if you are a member of their rewards group, you can have access to food upstairs in a private room… Not sure what it costs for that. Also, you have to do valet parking, so there’s another charge for that… Just be prepared to have a number of little charges like that added to the price of the room and you’ll be fine.

*Very expensive — of course the room rate is very high and then they add lots and lots of nickels and dimes. Not worth it (try the Omni maybe?). I think it was $ 14.95 per day for enough wifi to check email; $ 19.95/day for video streaming, web browsing. And oddly, never more than two bars for cell service anywhere in the hotel. $ 40/​day to use the spa sauna/​steam room.
*rooms haven’t been updated since at least the year 2000 (the first year I stayed there)
*the food is horrible. HORRIBLE. Gets worse every year. We ate every meal «off campus» after the first two tries (dinner on arrival; breakfast the next morning) including a nearby diner which was much better for breakfast. We didn’t mind because there are many fabulous restaurants in and around Fernandina Beach.
*front of house staff is friendly and helpful for the most part but they pretty much lose control during the height of the Amelia Island Concours weekend when we visit. The concierge just scowled at anyone who approached. The car valet staff looked like they were all gonna have heart attacks from over exertion. The hotel really can’t handle the crowds, especially the food service.
*housekeeping staff was wonderful.

The food service here is below standard. I ordered fired eggs with hard yolks and they came easy-​over. Not even Waffle House would makes this mistake. Actually a Waffle House breakfast is superior to here except at the Ritz you get to sit on a lovely veranda.
Now if they could actually serve what you ordered …

Got married here over Labor Day weekend (2015) and couldn’t have been happier with the Ritz and the staff there.
This venue is absolutely terrific, and we couldn’t have been happier with how smoothly all the events went and how wonderful all the staff members were at the hotel.
First off, the hotel is absolutely beautiful as are its surroundings. It’s nestled right along the dunes on the eastern shore of Amelia Island, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The hotel’s style is a mix of new and old — the main ballrooms have been recently renovated and are very modern, and the rest of the hotel is in a more traditional, «old school» style, with lots of dark wood. Both are lovely.
Additionally, the staff at the Ritz was fantastic. Erin Bledsoe with the sales team was our first point of contact, and she was great to work with. The majority of our interaction was with Christina Saldana, who was terrific! She was the event coordinator and was really wonderful throughout the entire planning process. We recognize that we were particularly difficult clients, and Christina handled us capably and gracefully! We negotiated many different items, and she was always super responsive, helpful and listened to our needs and came back with proposals that met our needs. The rest of her team was also great, particularly Donna and Christina Walden. Also, the other hotel staff members couldn’t have been nicer the weekend of the wedding. So many of our guests commented that they felt very welcomed and comfortable at the hotel over the wedding weekend!
For our wedding day, we had the grand ballroom for the reception and the oceanfront lawn for the ceremony, and both worked really well. We hosted an after-​party in the lobby bar as well, where there was a live band that evening too. We used an outside florist, and Christina and her team were very accommodating for the florist. In fact, we went a bit rogue and used a lot of vendors that they didn’t recommend specifically but we uncovered through our own research, and Christina was totally fine with our decisions. Also, the food was absolutely amazing! Many of our guests commented on how great it was, and we were really happy that everyone enjoyed it.
A few other tidbits… the hotel was nice enough to upgrade our room not just for our wedding night but for entire stay — made a huge difference! Christina and her team also helped arrange a round of golf for some of the guests at the adjacent course, which was much appreciated. And we lucked out with the weather, which was a little bit of a gamble for an early September wedding.
Overall, the weekend was fantastic at the Ritz and we wouldn’t have done it any other way!

I checked in yesterday excited to finally see my boyfriend who has been deployed for 7 months and have a small vacation with him. We decided to dine in and order room service, HUGE mistake. 4am and I wake up in a sweat, run to the restroom, and puke the only meal I had that day.
So, my boyfriend goes down to inform them, not in an accusatory manner but politely. The lady at the front desk was more than helpful and sends him back with a voucher to redeem at the spa, a map of thing to do around the area, she took off the room service charges, and told us someone would be coming up with tea, honey, and ice packs. My boyfriend came back all smiles and said its gonna be okay. However, moment after he got back we got a call from the same lady saying her request to help us was DENIED by the manager. Denied me tea and ice packs because it may show they’re at fault. I literally couldn’t not believe how petty it was. If they just took care of us properly I would not be writing this because they would’ve solved an issue that they caused. Instead they’re avoiding any responsibility.
UPDATE: Loss Prevention, The Chef, and Food & Drink manager reached out to us and offered to upgrade our room, treated us to breakfast, and even shuttled us to the hotel. Gerry, Lyndsey, Alexandria, are just a few that went above and beyond to help us. Mr. Scott walked us out when we checked out and ensured we enjoyed our stay and ensured that all our customer service issues were resolved.

I mostly only do reviews to share things I think are great, so the truth is I’m not all that interested in even writing this one. The Ritz is a nice hotel, a little stuffy, with plenty of wood paneling and leather upholstery. The location is beautiful and the beach there, with the dunes and the morning fog, is practically magical.
However, what you find out almost immediately is that the Ritz wants your cash, really badly. They want a bunch of it to get in the door and then they want little bits of it regularly throughout your stay. Example: one morning I had a cup of coffee that I brought to my room. My husband popped back downstairs to get cream for it. Instead of giving it to him, (that’s the normal thing to do, right?) they sold him a $ 4 cup of milk. You find that general approach in every aspect of your stay at this Ritz. Lots of little ways to get lots of extra bits of cash.
It’s also worth adding that for all the charges, it’s not up to the standards it should be. The room was a bit dirty. Dust in the corners, in the door slats, just not that well cared for. The bed was also made in a strange way — the bottom sheet came only ²⁄₃ down the bed, leaving our feet to rub against the underlying feather bed and mattress cover. I left it that way to see if at some point during our 4 day stay it would be fixed, but it never was. At least we got some laughs out of it. So thanks for the bed making fail Ritz. You’re funny.

I absolutely loved this place! This is not easy to say for hotels, as many hotels have a glitch here or there that will make your stay less than excellent. But here, no. I mean I really could not find anything remotely negative about this Ritz-​Carlton.
My mom and I decided to take a one day trip down here, as we have been wanting to visit Amelia Island for a while. As you approach the hotel, you follow a driveway through lush greenery, and it is almost like you are arriving at a stately mansion. The valet was very attentive and immediately came to assist us with our bags and to help us to the check in desk. We were greeted with a smile by Kayleigh. She was fantastic and tried her very best to coax us into staying another day. Trust me when I say that if it did not rain the next day we would have stayed. As we walked through the hotel, we noticed there was a very lovely scent in the lobby. Come to find out that it is the signature scent for their particular location and apparently every Ritz has their own signature scent. Of course they sell the scent –in either spray, candle or diffuser form. We purchased some, it smells just that good.
Our room was a partial ocean view, and it was nice! I think each room here has some view of the ocean. The balcony had enough room for a table and chairs and was nice to sit on and catch the fresh ocean breeze. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was very nice, with the toilet situated in its own space behind a closed door within the bathroom. We enjoyed breakfast downstairs in Café 4750, in which they have a buffet, or you could enjoy it a la carte. It is obvious that they have a lot of regulars at this hotel, and I could see why-​they treat everyone like family. From our server to the omelette cook, everyone was marvelous. My mom wanted cheese grits for her breakfast, and these weren’t part of the buffet menu. Our server went out of her way to get these made for her. My mom said she didn’t care for them much, but it was the thought that counted. The sticky buns there are to die for.
On the beach you have umbrella and chair amenities included in your resort fee-​you just let the guys know in the little shack that is there right before you get to the main beach area. There are a lot of jellyfish on this beach, be aware!
All in all, our stay was great, and we can’t wait to come back.

Edit: had to come back to edit at the end of our visit, review your charges carefully! We had almost $ 500 of bogus charges, after 24 hours it was resolved though they still have an additional $ 1,100 hold on our card for «up to a week». We were uninformed of this policy and didn’t appreciate our credit being restricted in such an erroneous way. Additionally we had our second in room dinner and were disappointed by the quality of food (different selections from our first). Having spent nearly $ 5,000 at this resort, we were ultimately disappointed by the time we left. I’d say a shorter visit is necessary to appreciate this location. (We stayed a week while visiting family nearby)
Original: Fantastic staff, service, food and amenities. It’s the Ritz! Spending our Christmas holiday here in Amelia island visiting family, we’re so thankful to have chosen likely the nicest hotel on the island. We walked in today after a long walk on the beach to a free gelato bar with honey made from the bees on site. We’ll definitely be back!

It’s hard not to like a ritz-​carlton! This is only the second time I’ve stayed in one, but it again was a very nice getaway.
Standard parking situation where everything must be valet parked. It’s $ 20 per day, so not terrible, but not great. Make sure to call down well in advance of needing your car as that was the only thing that was consistently less than perfect during the stay. I’m sure it had a lot to do with the fact that I was leaving when other people also wanted their cars, but on more than one occasion I waited for a good 20 minutes.#firstworldproblems.
The rooms here were lovely. The beds are what you would expect from behind hotel, very comfortable and with a delightful number of pillows! All rooms have balconies and plenty of table space for getting things done both inside and outside. It would be nice if there were outlets outside, but again this is obviously not a deal breaker.
The bathrooms are spectacular with tons of room to spread out in the showers are magnificent! The shower heads deliver what I’m sure is not a low Flo approved amount of water, but they were totally boss for a good shower once or twice per day.
The workout facilities were very nice, with plenty of free weights, Nautilus machines and elliptical machines as well as treadmills.
The restaurants were all solid, including the signature spot– Salt. The options included Salt, a bistro type spot, a bar inside and bar outside. All were good, expensive, but good. Well worth checking out, especially is someone else is foot the bill!

Grabbed the Sunday breakfast brunch here as we were staying nearby. Didn’t feel like I got what I paid for. 55+ dollars for some eggs and toast for my wife and I. Totally standard breakfast fair, with nothing exceptional in terms of quality, creativity, service, or atmosphere. The only thing that went above and beyond was the price.

I stayed at The Ritz-​Carlton, Amelia Island for two nights and was underwhelmed. Rather than feeling like a valued guest, I felt like a valued source of revenue. Ritz-​Carlton is a subsidiary of Marriott International. One of the normal perks I get as a Marriott Gold member is a complimentary room upgrade «based on room availability at check-​in.» Checking in at this property I was asked if I wanted to pay $ 100 for a room upgrade. The upgrade was available, it just wasn’t going to be complementary. I declined. This was just the beginning of the nickel and diming. Despite charging very high room rates, the Ritz charges an additional mandatory $ 25 resort fee and a mandatory $ 20 valet parking fee. Both of these fees should be built into the room rate.
Optional valet parking would be a nice touch, but the mandatory valet parking did not add value for me. I was told to call ahead ten minutes before leaving and the car would be ready when I got downstairs. Three times in a row I called ahead and still had to wait 5 – 10 minutes after getting to the valet station. All while looking at the parking garage that was only a 30 second walk away. When I checked out I did not call ahead and only waited a minute or two for the car to be retrieved.
I had reserved «Coastal View» room. The «Coastal View» room did indeed have a view of the coast, but only if standing in the corner behind the desk. From most of the room, the view was of the Summer Beach Resort’s adjoining Ocean Place development and its parking lot. This was disappointing as I had come to Amelia Island for the beach; it was doubly disappointing because every time I looked out the window I could see that Ocean Place had been designed so that every unit has a direct ocean view.
The room itself and the ground-​floor public spaces were nice, as would be expected from the Ritz brand and accompanying price tag. But not any better than at most Marriott-​brand hotels at half the price. The exception was the bed which was soft and left me with a backache. The bedding at Marriott-​brand hotels is much better.

This particular Ritz was nice — mostly because of our room upgrade. Upon pulling up, the valet area was packed because of a wedding. We navigated the area and someone handled the car and we made our way inside. We received an upgrade based on my husband’s status and because we were there to celebrate both of our birthdays, we were given champagne and told we’d have a treat in our room. We went up to our room, 832, and we were pleased with the amount of space, the view, and the cleanliness of the room and bathroom (well, there were three bathrooms that were immaculate). No treat in the room, but no big deal. My husband called down and they said they’d bring it up shortly. We left the room and explored the grounds. Well kept and easy access to the beach.
The major disappoint for me was our $ 75 room service — two orders of pancakes, a side of fruit, and coffee. The pancakes were HORRIBLE. I didn’t finish them, and neither did my husband. They were absolutely disgusting — I would avoid room service here.
The other disappointment was the spa — but I will write a separate review for that.

This is an outstanding resort a maculate grounds very beautiful facility. Rooms are very nicely appointed, pool area is phenomenal very large complex with multiple pools on the grounds. Backs right up to the beach beautiful views. Typical Ritz very nice amenities lots of very nice gift shops inside.

I’ve never stayed at a Ritz Carlton before but I had pretty high expectations.
They were definitely met! I was here for the Zooma half marathon and I really enjoyed my stay.
I did receive a discount because of the race. Amenities were used! Had a massage and ate at two of the restaurants. While the hotel is pricey; you’re treated very very well.
I don’t know how often I would stay here (the Omni is just as nice, but more affordable), but I’m so glad I was able to experience the beautiful view and the attentive staff.
Oh, and the s’mores on the beach… Love it!