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

My husband and I stayed at the Ritz the weekend of July 5th to celebrate our anniversary. We had the most amazing weekend! The hotel room and resort were gorgeous and immaculate. We enjoyed the beach and pool every day. The staff was so helpful and friendly. We had dinner one night at Salt which was delicious and loved the BBQ event put on by the Ritz over the weekend as well. We can’t wait to go back!

Ritz in name only and not remotely as kid friendly as advertised. The room and facilities are in need of an update. Cracks in the room ceilings, walls, wear are very noticeable. Cleanliness of room is average at best, particularly the bathroom. The biggest disappointment though was the service (or lack thereof). The primary reason we chose this resort was the many advertised kids activities, kids club, and kids facilities. These highly touted activities include nature walks, shark tooth hunts, scavenger hunts, camping in the room, etc. None of the activities took place. During a holiday week almost every kid's activity was cancelled without explanation. The one activity that took place was drawing with crayons in a windowless conference room while the TV blared in the background. The service was inconsistent. The front desk, concierge, telephone operator frequently contradicted each other in providing information, and were less than helpful in making reservations. One got the sense that the staff did not have much awareness on what was happening on the property nor the engagement level to find out or solve issues. Two of the five restaurants were closed. Housekeeping was woefully inconsistent and occurred very late. Service at the open restaurants was quite good. They offer the use of a house car. The staff was friendly if not competent. If this were a 3 star resort with 3 star pricing, the rating in this review would be different. However, it is (allegedly) a 5 star resort and certainly has 5 star pricing. There are better places to spend ones money and stay.