The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island

Beautiful Unmatched customer service.

Man, this place has every thing figured out. Never been treated better at a hotel anywhere in the world. Every single employee there always has a smile in their face and goes above and beyond to do anything for you while you are a guest. Special shout out to the pool bar servers?

Excellent stay!! An incredible room upgrade, amazing bed, brand new fitness room, pool area was crowded but great, beach is awesome, staff is top notch, sushi restaurant in the lobby is great, walking distance to Harris Teeter, driving range/golf cart included in resort fee. Great property!

This was my second stay at this property. I had a poor stay a few years ago but figured I'd give them another chance. Bad idea. Basically all of the same disappointments as last time, plus a few more. I do not plan on returning as an individual guest, it's clear the property's real customers are conference organizers. Many of the staff try, but it's clear they are just stretched too thin and haven't been trained on getting the details right. Other than the nice beach, there are simply better properties to visit, with better service, at a much more reasonable cost. Just some of the issues I have with this place: 1) Check in was super rushed. I had to ask questions about the property that should have been proactively explained (e.g., restaurant options). In fact, it wasn't until the last day of my stay when the concierge was finally at the desk (was usually unstaffed), that I found there was an actual schedule of events. Actually, I didn't even know until seeing in another guest's review below that there were smores on the property - would've loved to do that with my son. Similarly, I learned from another guest about that the property has Mercedes that you can borrow for a few hours (I've done this at other properties like Four Seasons and Auberge) - of course, no info about this at check in. How are guests supposed to know about your hotel if you don't tell them!? Small things like this can make the difference between a good and bad stay. 2) I asked and found that the property has a policy where young children dine for free (again, no one offered this info up to me). I happened to eat every meal during my stay at several of the restaurants on the premises. Unfortunately, about 75% of the time I had to ask them to remove my son's meal from the check, even after confirming each time we sat down. It made me feel cheap and I shouldn't have had to ask. They should also have told me about this proactively at check-in or otherwise. 3) The pool was an absolute madhouse. They've crammed so many chairs into that area that it is actually uncomfortable. I've never seen a luxury hotel have anything other than full-flat loungers at a pool. However, at the RC Amelia Island, the first row of seats next to the pool are regular upright chairs that do not lay flat. One of the staff told me they did this to fit in more chairs. 4) F&B service at the pool was sometimes incredibly slow. I learned to just ask them to bring me my check at the same time as my food or drink, however, one time they just never brought the check. After waiting over an hour, I told another server and left. Imagine my surprise at checkout when I found that someone had added a 20% gratuity to the check. 5) I was alone with my very young son. At check in, I inquired about purchase club access and was quoted $600/night. For one adult, that was outrageous and in fact more than the difference if one just bought a club room to begin with. In fact, it was the same price they'd charge for two adults. They refused to make an accommodation for a room with just a single adult (50% of the price for 2 adults? 75%?). I would have bought it. So they both lost out on additional revenue as well as started a stay off on a weird foot. 6) Finally, basically no benefits for having high Bonvoy status. I'm lifetime Titanium, so I've been around the block and do not have exceptionally high expectations at a domestic conference "resort" like this. Maybe a nicer view or a snack in my room. Nada. It was clear they had better rooms because the front desk agent even went to "ask her manager" when I checked in - but nothing for me! They also didn't offer the "alternative amenity" that they're supposed to for charging an amenity fee that includes Wifi (yes, its required as part of Bonvoy's T&C's in section 1.3.c.ii - look it up). Anyway, I don't plan on visiting again. If I do find myself in the area, I'd probably check out the Omni for half the price.

First, I'd like to thank whoever is doing the staff training at this resort, because the service and hospitality was exceptional across the board, from valet and pool set ups to front desk, housekeeping, you name it. Better guest relations than Disney. I'd also like to thank every staff member who made our trip feel special. We used points, so the rack rate is high, yes, but it's really a phenomenal property. Beautifuly landscaping, great food, awesome pool, incredible dunes, and phenomenal beach access. All you can ask for. We ate everywhere--Coquina, Coast, Salt, the coffee shop, got pizza from Tidewater. All terrific. Spendy? Yes. But for resort life, hard to beat great food without getting in the car. Overall, this was an exceptional, 5-star stay. The staff went above and beyond to make my wife's birthday trip super special, including free champagne and desserts on our first night. They really do hospitality well here. We'll definitely be back...on points. We aren't quite rich enoug for the 1000/night rack rates, but I get it. It's a beautiful and fantastically run property.

Luxurious property on a beautiful beach. Came here with my wife and kids for our anniversary. Very romantic place for couples. The Ritz also offers very efficient childcare services for an affordable price. The beach is a great place for family or couples. The resort offers a heated pool, jacuzzis, a pool bar, five restraunts on property, a spa, multiple bars, activity lawns, outdoor games, a coffee shop, breakfast buffet, two gift shops, and over seven clothes and fashion shops, along with an lux jewelry shop. Ritz Carlton also offers daily activities such as s’mores, bacci ball, cornhole, ping pong, and much more. The hotel also offers surf lessons, watercraft lessons/rentals, beach chair and umbrellas, and so much more

Our stay at the Ritz was for 3 nights and we were very disappointed. When we got there the guest name on the TV screen was not ours but the prior guest and it stayed that way our whole stay. We noticed there was no shower gel or body lotion and after 2 days they told us that the maid had never replenished it even tough the maid had been there 2 times already. They finally sent it up. If we never said anything they would have charged us $40 for each, thinking we had taken it. There were no coffee cups in the room and when we asked for them they did not show up after 30 minutes so I went to the front desk. The lady there said "why don't you just buy a coffee".? They finally came with cups an hour later. The food at "The Coast " restaurant was overpriced and very average. The service at breakfast quite bad, asking 3 times for a coffee refill. Overall - they seemed understaffed and poor quality control. For the money, I gave them a 2 out of 5.

The hotel is perfect. Great atmosphere, very nice and quiet beach, very good restaurants in the hotels amazing suite with a large balcony facing the beach. I loved the bonfire for preparing marshmallows. Everything was perfect. I would like to go back with my child next time, it is a very kid friendly hotel.

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to legacy brands, so I looked for any excuse to give 5 stars to this property. Even accounting for the context of a beach culture, the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island, FL, does not live up to the name. The property landscaping was very good, but neither elegantly conceived nor executed. The room was comfortable but far from luxurious. There was fraying of the carpet where it adjoins the hardwood floor, and while it presented no hazard, it was unsightly. “Unsightly” is simply not a possibility at a Ritz Carlton, and yet there it was. Housekeeping was marginal at best; we had to beg to get our room tidied up, which was finally accomplished for our final night of a 4 night stay. The dining experience was uneven, ranging from simply adequate to utterly spectacular. More on that in my reviews of Coast and Salt restaurants. The young executives managing this property need not read up on the brand. Irving Berlin could never have written his song had this Ritz been his only experience of the Ritz. What did make our stay enjoyable was the joyful young professionalism of the staff. From the smiling “good mornings” from both indoor and outdoor maintenance staff, to the beach and pool folks seeing to our needs, we were reassured that a basic culture of excellence underlies whatever is going on here. There is hope for traditional hospitality at the Amelia Island Ritz. We have stayed at several of the great properties in the US and Europe. Perhaps our expectations are misaligned with post-pandemic philosophies of the resort/hotel business.

Great service, wonderful food and amazing views.