The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

We had professional photos taken by Donna at Photography Concierge. They have an appointment desk in the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island. Donna was so nice. She paid attention to the different shots and groups we wanted (there were 10 of us including grandparents, parents/siblings, and grandchildren). The wind that night was a huge challenge and she was willing to try some different spots suggested to cut down on that plus promised we’d still get those beach pics we really wanted. We were so pleased with all the photographs.

It’s a lovely hotel about 1 hour north of Jacksonville. Valet car service. Excellent greeting and met with a glass of champagne upon checkin. We had a king size room with partial ocean view. 2 patio chairs on the balcony. Onsite stores such as Lily Pulitzer and other high end palm beach type of apparels. A couple restaurants onsite. Beach side umbrellas, chairs and towels at your disposal. Loved being able to walk out to the beach! Also enjoyed the pool and hot tub.

First With over 50 + people on the beach , how is there zero beach service ? Theres even a bar ….but closed Have to walk 500 yards to the pool to get a drink Rooms are small , decent condition , but avg Good service , friendly people . Baffling no beach service If you have the $$ budget ….go 30 min North to cloister at sea island

We were disappointed with our stay at this hotel. It certainly did not live up to the standards that you'd expect from a Ritz-Carlton property. For example, right after we checked into the room we went to wash our hands in the bathroom sink and there was no bar soap for the sink - we had to call to ask them to bring some to our room. This is a little thing, but at a high-priced supposedly "luxury" hotel like the Ritz-Carlton you would not expect them to overlook details like this. The hotel's premier restaurant, Salt, was closed for the two nights we were there (it's closed on Sunday and Monday nights). So on the first night of our stay we ate dinner at the hotel's Coast restaurant, which was OK but not outstanding. The next morning we had breakfast at Coast and it was truly awful. The room itself was fine but small. We of course loved the ocean view from our balcony. However, the hotel insists on piping out annoying music into the outdoor areas all day long, so you can't even sit on your balcony and relax while listening to the sounds of the ocean waves - they're drowned out by the music. The only thing we really liked about the hotel was its gym, which is quite large and well-equipped. We will not be returning to this hotel. It was definitely not worth the price we paid and not a four-star hotel experience.

If I could give 10 stars out of 5 here, I would. My wife and I had the pleasure of staying here over labor day weekend, celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary. In spite of travelling frequently to luxury hotels we were astonished at just how Ritz is on a completely different level. While this was our first visit to the Ritz, we have been to Amelia many times so for us, the hotel really WAS the destination and we took full advantage - gym, pool, shopping, beach and even biking up and down the dedicated biking trails. Everything was A+. Of course the Ritz on Amelia a venue of singular beauty but the thing that struck us was just how great the staff were. It wasn't just managers either: from the woman running the clothing shop to the valets to the manager of events - everyone was just amazing. We wanted to mention Carilyn in particular who manages food services as we had the pleasure of meeting her at a manager social for marriot rewards members. Carilyn made sure we had an incredible dining experience and even left a special dessert treat for us in our room that night. You can tell when a place is being run by good leaders and it shows here in every aspect. In spite of it being labor day weekend and there being a wedding taking place, nothing felt hurried or crowded. Staff were plentiful, engaging, energetic, friendly and always hoping to help but also knew how to leave you alone when you were trying to relax. We ran into Carilyn one last time on our way out at Sunday brunch - there she was helping staff field the busy morning rush at Coast. Smile on her face, rolling up her sleeves to help out her staff and of course, finding a way to make us feel special one last time. To the staff there we wanted to say thank you again for making our anniversary so special. We will see you again soon!