On a recent return trip to Amelia Island, on the northern end of the Florida coast, I was delighted to find that my favorite barrier island remains the quiet, leafy paradise it has always been. Rimmed on the Atlantic side by powdery sand beaches and criss-crossed by thousands of acres of salt marshes and water channels, the glories of Amelia lie beneath a dense canopy of ancient live oaks and palms--70% of the original flora remains, creating a bird-lover’s mecca. Wood storks stalk the golf courses, herons and egrets hide in the reeds, cormorants dive for fish, and roseate spoonbills are pink perfection in the mangroves. On the same latitude with the temperate Canary Islands, Amelia is warmer in winter than most of the Florida coast, and cooler in the summer.
The Amelia Island Plantation resort claims the lion's share of the island, encompassing the Amelia Inn--249 all-oceanview rooms and suites on the beach(I like the top floors, from where you get zowie views of the tree canopy and the ocean). In addition, the Villas of Amelia are comprised of 1-, 2- and 3- bedroom units at the beach, at the tennis complex and on the golf course. On Segway, bike and golf cart drives around the island, I came across an absolutely charming clutch of boutique shops around a large pond, and the huge, tournament-status tennis complex of 23 tree-shaded, Har-Tru® clay courts.
Of the four championship golf courses, Longpoint Golf Club is my favorite, a Tom Fazio-designed track that rambles through beautiful wetlands and the Amelia River, and out to the ocean.
I took a sports massage in The Spa at Amelia Island Plantation, where the therapist, Dave, told me that the resort has primarily long-term employees who are kept on staff, no matter the ups and downs of the economy—which is likely one reason why everyone I encountered was as Southern-fried-friendly as they could be. The island is so close to Georgia (you can see it from here) that Georgia accents and Southern hospitality are rampant. (As quiet and as laid-back as the island was during my February visit, be advised that holidays and high-season summertime are busy with vacationing families.)
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