Amelia Island has roughly the same dimensions as Manhattan Island—13 miles long by 2 miles wide—but any similarity ends there. Situated off the extreme northeast coast of Florida, this southernmost of the large Atlantic barrier islands has fewer inhabitants than a square block of the Big Apple, many of those in the tiny historic town of Fernandina Beach at the northern tip. Amelia Island Plantation cuts a 1,350-acre swath across the center, from the dune-lined Atlantic to the tidal marshlands bordering the IntraCoastal Waterway. Forest and shade abound, and so does birdlife.

Overview

The Plantation has always paid more than the usual attention to its tennis. The 23 Har-Tru courts at its Racquet Park are home to the annual Bausch & Lomb Tennis Championships, a major stop on the women's tour. Attractively and spaciously laid out among the moss-bearded live oaks, the courts have the added asset of bordering large pro shop and a splendid indoor fitness center—complete with a lap pool in a greenhouse-like enclosure. Wicker chairs await on the outside decks, providing a place to relax and watch the action on the nearby courts. One of these is the Stadium Court, an intimate venue framed by a few rows of terraced seats (they add bleachers during the tournament). Except during the tournament, it is available for any guest who wants to play on the same court where the pros compete each spring.

Otherwise, Amelia stands out for its multiple dimensions. Lodging options include the 250-room Amelia Island Inn, which opened in April 1998 both to provide better lodging for the adjacent conference center and to give vacationers the option of full hotel services as an alternative to a condominium rental. The resort also has three golf courses within its borders —all of them certified Audubon bird sanctuaries— and a fourth half a mile away. Kids can look forward to their own island, home to a well-run children's program. There is also an excellent nature program, miles of bike lanes to supplement its free on-property shuttle, Segway rentals (those one-person motorized pair of wheels), and a gourmet market and a dozen or so shops in the village at the entrance and adjacent to the spa. That attention to tennis is only one aspect of its appeal.

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 904-261-6161, ext. 5238

Apart from private lessons, the staff at the Racquet Park has put together a more varied than usual menu of tennis options. That includes running one or more clinics or social events daily and some game matching. Next to the pro shop at the Racquet Park this is an ice machine, water, and a supply of large cups.

Tennis Staff. Tracy Smythe, who first took up tennis as an intern here in 1991, now directs the program. She is joined through the fall and winter by Kelly Gunterman, who brings his tennis school and years of teaching experience to Amelia, and his wife Joan Teaford.
Tennis Programs. The staff ostensibly invests time and effort in finding guests games, often by drawing on local members, but to judge from the comments of those who've vacationed there that game matching can be spotty. The tennis club also runs a daily drop-in tennis, so that anyone who shows up at the appointed hour is sent out onto the courts for singles or doubles, though the number of people who turn out for that is very erratic and unpredictable. On weekends, there is a mixed doubles round robin, again with uncertain turnout. More consistent are the various weekly clinics. These aren't just your perfunctory "stroke-of-the-day" sessions, but a thoughtful series that may work on groundstrokes one day, serve and return the next. There are also sessions for beginners and intermediates, doubles clinics, and a drills clinic that focuses on combination and placement.
Gunterman Tennis Schools. Each fall and spring, the Gunterman Tennis Schools (see Stratton Mountain, Vermont, for details) bring their clinic program to Amelia Island for a series of Wednesday-Sunday camps. These packages run 3 hours a day and include a ½-hour private lesson, lunch daily, free court time, a welcoming cocktail party, and use of the fitness center.
Courts & Fees. Racquet Park has 23 Har-Tru courts (3 with lights) laid out through a forest of live oaks. Many of the courts are thus in shade—a significant benefit during the hot, steamy summers. One of these is a sunken stadium court, which has a few tiers of seats except during the annual Bausch & Lomb Championships when bleachers are added. Court Fees: $9/person/hour singles, $6/person/hour doubles.

Your Call

Here's what others have had to say about Amelia Island Plantation and Gunterman Tennis School at Amelia.

• "This is not the place for a tennis vacation unless you bring your own tennis. I will return to watch the Womens professional tournament but never again as a tennis vacation very very disappointing. The drills were boring , they had about 8 students to one pro and the pros seem less than thrilled to be there.
  Beautiful resort but tennis very disapointing."—T.B., Adv., April 2008

• "The overall setting and amenities remain constant and very good. However the reviews have varied depending on the pros working there at the time. They had a GREAT pro working there named John Watson, but he has since left and gone to the Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton.
  One thing I'd like to point out is that you can stay at the Inn where you are on the beach (read my previous review), or book a vacation rental from one of the agencies. I've found that booking through an agency allows you to rent a townhome/condo for about the same price but get a much larger place. It all depends on your budget as you can rent a huge house or a small condo. The one reviewer who complained about road noise must have booked poorly because you can get secluded oceanside as well.
  The bottom line with this resort is that you will enjoy yourself with all there is to do, but the actual tennis experience will greatly depend on which pros are there and their availability. The details of restaurants, the spa and other amenities can be read in detail from my previous reviews."—J.M., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "The tennis facilities were first rate. Private lesson instructor was very knowledgable. Courts were easy to reserve during our Feb stay. The maintenance staff was constantly grooming the courts during our visit. The "tennis package" accomodations were above average in quality, yet the location was by the highway and seculded from the remainder of the resort.
  Other resort facilities were beautiful and well maintained. Cost of meals at the resort were $$$ to $$$$. There were numerous off resort places to investigate and reasonable dining opportunities."—J.B., Int., February 2008

• "I recently stayed at the Amelia Island Plantation Tennis Villas and was very disappointed. While the room was very clean and the bathroom very spacious, the room was located off a very busy road. These villas are the outskirts of the resort. Sitting in my room I listened to cars and trucks going by - this was not the "resort" or "beach" experience I was expecting. The high end restaurant served only a salad bar (very limited) and cold cuts for lunch. Meals were very disappointing."—E.H., Low Int., February 2008

Other Recreation

Beach. This broad corridor of grass-tufted sand extends along the length of the island, though it is at its most beautiful within the plantation, where it borders natural dunes that rise as high as 50 feet in places. As at Sea Pines, all of the construction took place behind the primary dune line, with strategically placed boardwalks over the dunes providing access to the beach and Atlantic. Midway along is a Beach Club at the Amelia Island Inn, a complex of swimming pools and restaurants and a place to rent umbrellas, beach chairs, or boogie boards.

Golf Courses. Amelia now has 72 holes of golf, several of them certified as Audubon sanctuaries. Coquina shell cart paths predominate (asphalt has been used only when necessary to prevent erosion), and the fairway edges have been flared to prevent runoff from entering adjacent lagoons and creeks. Only organic chemicals known not to adversely affect birdlife are used and colorants are avoided entirely.

Long Point: Tom Fazio's scenic if tight course winds through marshes, thick oak and pine forests, and oceanfront dunes. Par: 70. Length: 4,927-6,775 yards.
Oak Marsh: The first course and still most demanding course at Amelia Island Plantation, Oak Marsh was designed by Pete Dye—his signature bulkheads outline numerous greens—and is notable for its natural rough and use of existing features. Water hazards riddle 14 of these holes. Par: 72. Length: 4,983-6,580 yards.
Ocean Links: Designed by both Pete Dye and Bobby Weed, the latter noted for his TPC courses. It runs parallel to the beach. Five of its holes border the ocean as they wind along a ridge of dunes. Expect small greens, narrow fairways, shifting winds, exhilarating scenery, and a far greater challenge than its modest length suggests. Par: 70. Length: 4,341-6,108 yards.
Royal Amelia: Open to the public and located three miles from the resort's main entrance, this Tom Jackson designed 18-hole layouthas been sculpted around a forest of majestic live oaks, sabal palms, pines and wax myrtles. Par: 72. Length: 5,417-6,843 yards.

Spa & Fitness Center. Spa Amelia, a 13,000-square-foot island of tranquillity designed by noted spa architect Bob Henley, backs up to Red Maple Lake not far from the reception center. Taking its cue from Low Country style, this low-slung building has gray clapboard walls, lighter gray trim, and a tin roof. Inside Douglas fir pillars support rough redwood beams in a simple but handsome entrance foyer and then floors paved with slate from China lead north and south to treatment rooms, some of which open onto balconies on the lake. The signature treatment is "Watsu®," a version of shiatsu that takes place in a pool of salt water (for buoyancy), while lotions and other products used elsewhere contain only natural ingredients.
At the same time the spa opened, the resort expanded the fitness center, whose location in Racquet Park makes it extremely convenient for tennis players. It contains a room with LifeFitness workout stations, another with a dozen or more pieces of cardiovascular equipment (including an elliptical trainer), and a third mirrored room filled with new Keiser machines. There's also a racquetball court and an indoor lap pool and whirlpool, those last two in a greenhouse-like building with windows on the tennis complex. Both men's and women's lockers have sauna, steam, and Jacuzzis. Personal trainers are available and so are classes in water aerobics, Pilates, and body sculpting.

And ... In addition to everything else Amelia has more than 7 miles of biking and nature trails, superb guided nature tours, kayaking, paddleboating, the horseback riding.

Children's Programs

The Plantation runs an award-winning children's program called "Kids Camp Amelia" for children ages 3 to 10. It operates year-round from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. midweek and Saturday mornings. The younger the child, the lower the counselor:kid ratio. Kids are divided by age group (3-4, 5-7, and 8-10) and entertained with a variety of activities, including tennis. Full-day sessions cost $25/day, with discounts available for extended stays.

Lodging

At eight stories tall, Amelia Inn exists first and foremost to provide bedrooms for meeting groups drawn to the adjacent conference center. But it also abuts the redesigned two-tier Beach Club, which has two freeform swimming pools, outdoor whirlpools, a children's wading pool and playground, and broad sundecks. Thus, the Inn is also luring vacationers happy to trade a condo's space and the kitchen for easy access to the club, room service, a mere elevator ride to a living-room like lobby lounge and two excellent restaurants, and the most central location in the plantation.

Parked behind the dunes lining a 4½-mile-long beach, the narrow, flowing 250-room hotel provides every guest with a full-width balcony and sweeping views of the Atlantic. The entrances to all the rooms are on the back side from open, covered walkways with views westward across the live oak and pine forests. Bird prints decorate its beige walls, a reminder of the abundant wildlife that calls the plantation home.

The alternative to the inn is any of the extensive array of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom condos in various locations around the plantation including oceanfront, the racquet park, and in wooded neighborhoods beyond. That includes a set of new (ca. 2007) Tennis Villas immediately behind the courts. All of the condominiums are individually owned and decorated, so you can never be sure the owner's taste will jibe with yours.

Restaurants

Located in the Amelia Inn, the main dining room, dubbed the Ocean Grill, looks across the dunes at the Atlantic. Cuisine there is exceptionally good, particularly such local fish as seared snapper with clams and mussels or sautéed black grouper with savoy cabbage; however even a modest dinner can set a couple back $100. The alternatives are PLAE (which stands for "People Laughing and Eating") and gets rave local reviews, and the Verandah at Racquet Park, which has a bar and specializes in seafood. Otherwise, there is good if predictable fare at the Beach Club Grill and the golf clubhouses. For variety, it's worth the drive into Fernandina Beach to dine at the Beech Street Grill, at once delicious, informal, and very reasonably priced for the high quality of the food.

See Also

Among the other plantation style resorts along this coast are:

• Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
• Palmetto Dunes Resort, South Carolina
• Sea Pines Resort, South Carolina
• Wild Dunes Resort, South Carolina

For something in the mountains look at:

• Wintergreen, Virginia

Travel Essentials

Seasons. The Plantation is open year-round though the winter months do not invite a dip in the Atlantic. Their lower rates make them good bargains if you're interested in golf or tennis, however.

Rates.

Reservations:

Amelia Island Plantation
6800 First Coast Hwy.
P.O. Box 3000
Amelia Island, FL 32034
904-261-6161
Toll-free: 888-261-6161
Fax: 904-277-5945
Web Link: Amelia Island Plantation

NEW!

Book Online: Amelia Island Plantation

Gunterman Tennis School at Amelia
Amelia Island, FL
802-867-0382
Toll-free: 888-261-6161
Fax: 802-867-0382
Web Link: Gunterman Tennis School at Amelia

Travel Instructions. Amelia is 29 miles from Jacksonville International Airport, which is served by all of the major airlines.

General Tourist Information. Visit the Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau web site or contact them at 3 Independent Dr., Jacksonville, FL 32202; (904) 798-9148 or (800) 733-2668.

Links: Home | Index | Search | Specials | Calendar | Juniors | Join Our Mailing List | Contact TRO | Site Map | Rate This Resort

Maps: Northwest | Southwest & Hawaii | Midwest & South | Northeast | Mid-Atlantic | Southeast & Caribbean | Europe & North Africa

©Copyright 1999-2008 Roger Cox