The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

We received Ritz-Carlton gift certificates and chose to stay at the Amelia Island location for some R&R. As expected, our $5K didn’t stretch very far. We stayed four nights with a Bed and Breakfast package, which was over $1K per night. For a Ritz, we expected better service. The only standout was Lauren our server at Coast, who greeted us every morning even when she was not serving us. Watch out for dingy bathroom floors, mold and rusting bathroom features. The pool deck was a mess with leftover food, drinks and towels strewn all over the place. We had an issue with the valet team throughout the stay - they were indifferent and caught up in their own world. They ignored my husband to the point that we recommended unconscious bias training. TIP: Ensure your room is not an adjoining room because you will hear everything from the room you adjoin. For us, this was four days of four children under the age of six.

For the price, there were some frustrations that could have been preventable. I had a back to back reservation and it took 4 trips to the front desk to be able to get room keys for the duration of our 2 night stay. The hotel also added sham charges for a refrigerator even though one was never requested nor provided.

I recently stayed at this hotel for a work conference and overall had a pleasant experience. The property itself is beautiful—the grounds are well-kept, relaxing, and give the place a charming atmosphere. The service was definitely a highlight; staff were consistently friendly, attentive, and eager to help... a special Shout-out to Michelle and Heather at the lobby bar for going above and beyond to provide good- friendly service. Where the hotel fell a bit short was the food. While it wasn’t bad, it didn’t quite match the quality of the rest of the experience and certainly didn’t feel five-star. The options were somewhat limited and the flavors didn’t stand out. In summary, it’s a lovely place with excellent service and gorgeous surroundings, but the dining could use improvement to truly reach a five-star standard.

Despite a few surprising lapses in service that were quickly and expertly corrected, we had a wonderful get away at the Ritz. The hotel location is simply beautiful in the dunes on a pristine beach, there are many cozy alcoves to sit in outside and inside, the restaurants are lovely and food was always deliciously prepared and service great. The staff really made our stay so special, we were spoiled for our anniversary everywhere we went in the hotel! Some standouts were Lisa the concierge, Lisa the greeter at the front desk, Gina and Kevin at the sushi bar and Rush at Cocchina. A special thanks to the gentleman manager at the spa who really went out of his way. I would def rent a car as its out of the way, Courtesy cars are available for a night only. Salt was an experience and very elegant.

The hotel is very pretty! Our meal at Salt delicious and the staff was very impressive! The Spa was a highlight! I had a deep tissue massage with Destiny and she was AMAZING! Highly recommend her!

Our family departed today after a wonderful long weekend at the Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island. The resort itself was beautiful, but the staff was the reason our trip felt truly special. We started our first morning with a Nature Walk with Eric who was informative, kind and so great with my kids! He continued to be a friendly face throughout our stay, leading craft time and giving helpful recommendations. Mikey was another standout who was great with our kids and told us about cool local spots! The Pirate and Princess tuck in was a highlight of our stay too - big thanks to Princess Amelia and Captain Macgregor. The ladies at the coffee shop were patient and friendly faces to start our days off right. Finally, Michelle was beyond kind and helpful with some special finds in the shops! The beach was beautiful and we enjoyed the pool too. Overall, we had such a lovely stay and can’t wait to come back.