The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

Rated a 3 out of 5 since we stayed 6 nights during the week of July 4th, 2024. This was our second time at the hotel, and we returned because we loved the relaxed ambiance and welcoming atmosphere. We purposely booked during this week at this hotel to decompress. We had rented a car to drive into Fernandina Beach as well, since we enjoyed the casual vibes, shops and the Salty Pelican restaurant. The first few days were exactly what we had hoped for. Friendly staff in the halls, pool attendants with welcoming conversation, excellent meals at the restaurants and lovely spa employees. Calling down to the valet to have our car brought around worked well. Love the open spaces for kids to play just off the outdoor dining area, Our son is older now, but what a great layout for parents to be able to sit and relax while watching the kids play ping pong and mini golf. We talked about whether we should stay at the hotel for the 4th Barbecue or go into town. Sounded like a lot of fun activities, especially for kids. The later afternoon of July 3, we started to notice a change. People in lines in the lobby to check in and more people sitting and waiting. The desk and valets were overwhelmed. The day of the 4th, I got breakfast sandwiches and coffee from the coffee shop (truly excellent selection!) and headed out to the pool to read the paper on my tablet. My husband had gone out ahead of me to get chairs set up and when I brought our things out, he let me know that he had gotten on the wait list for pool chairs. ??? Walking out to the pool, I passed LONG lines of kids and hot parents waiting for the one face painter and one person to twist balloons. The pool attendants suggested that there might be chairs out at the beach. We walked out to the beach, got set up with chairs and an umbrella, excellent morning. In the early afternoon, we packed up at the beach; husband went back to the room for a nap, I was hoping for some pool time. The pool attendant let me know that there was a chair available in the "overflow" area. ??? This was a raised concrete area with few umbrellas for any shade and older mesh lounge chairs that did not meet Ritz Carleton standards. Totally understand having an extra area for larger hotel capacity, but would expect that any chairs and umbrellas pulled out of storage would match the comfort of the existing pool area. Also, towels were hard to come by at this point. It really appeared that the hotel pool area, cabanas, pool bar, etc were tremendously over crowded. I also saw families going in and out through a side gate, in back of the hot tub area and restrooms, so it appeared that more than just hotel guests were invited for the big 4th of July celebration. Condos next to hotel? July 5th morning was much more typical. I was talking with a couple at the pool, hot tub area. They had planned to host friends at the Ritz for the long weekend, but were checking out due to the chaos of the 4th. It was their first time staying at the loc

The highlight of our day was at Coast Restaurant. The food was wonderful and prepared with excellence. What really made our visit was our waiter, Sebastian. He was knowledgeable, wonderful in service and made our experience memorable. We will be back!

There are aspects of this place that I truly enjoy but others that are disappointing. We arrived here in July for 3 nights stay after leaving the Waldorf in Orlando. Upon arrival there were major gaps beginning with the fact there wasn’t anyone there to take my car and I had to go to the front desk and wait. Upon checking into the hotel I was told my lifetime platinum status wasn’t eligible for an upgrade because they can sell those rooms. Then I got to my room and was surprised by the absolute negative condition, which I will show in my pictures attached. There was water damage from the shower on the wall, discolored walls from damage, hand prints on the glass, hair on the bed and in the shower, food pieces on the patio and stains. This is an $800+ per night room. The staff wasn’t friendly, whatsoever when I discussed the issues. What I do love is the hotel lobby sushi bar, the smoked old fashions, the pool area and how attentive they are in making sure you’re comfortable and the poolside service. The poolside chairs are very nice and the exercise room is excellent. I will say when I had dinner at the lobby bar sushi and three old fashions for me and two glasses of wine and Asian for my wife the waitress said “ I didn’t realize you were going to sit here so long”. That’s after I gave her over a $100 tip. The friendliness between this hotel and other high end, especially the Waldorf was noticeable. All in all, the property has positives to offer but it was a real let down.