Amelia Island Plantation

Well-known throughout the United States and the world as Florida's premier vacation destination, the Amelia Island Plantation is a triple A-four Diamond island resort located in the Amelia Island, Florida. It is just 29 miles north of the Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) and is now highly noted for its great blend with nature. One of the proofs of this is the fact that this 1350 acre property overlooks the blue water of the Atlantic on the east and the green marshland and Intracoastal Waterway on the west.

A Brief History

The Amelia Island Plantation's early history dates back to 1971 when the place is meticulously preserved. The master developers of this were Charles Fraser and the Sea Pines Company of Hilton Head, South Carolina and Ian McHarg of the Wallace, McHarg, Roberts and Todd firm. They were the ones who set upon a mission to locate the optimum suitability between the human habitat and the existing natural environment, including the plant ecology and animal life. From their ideas, there came a master aim to shield the tidal marshes and conserve the oceanfront dunes, grassland and savannahs. Finally, an extraordinary 40 feet wide strip of natural vegetation was added as a buffer to all the waterways allowing them to remain a wildlife habitat, travel corridors and food sources.

As the group further aims to protect all the standards they set upon, covenants were put into place that the resort company and property owners would have to adhere to so that they can establish and live within its wonderful setting. Each building in the Amelia Island Plantation, including the courtyard, terrace and boardwalk were placed with the natural environment in mind. They even made sure that every structure in today's Amelia Island Plantation is set within nature's arms instead of distracting from it.

It is interesting to know that until these days, the early philosophy which holds that each entity on the Amelia Resort Plantation "embraces its site and becomes one with it" is still the mission and the primary reason that the Amelia Island Plantation has remained the pristine environment that it is since 1971.

Accommodations

The Amelia Island Plantation currently manages two great places for the visitors to stay. There is the ocean view Amelia Inn and Beach Club, which offers 249 luxury hotel rooms and spectacular two-tiered pool deck. All of the private balconies in this property face the ocean, making it a delightful place for an early morning breakfast, while enjoying the sunrise.

There is also the Villas of Amelia, which provides guests with special features, room configurations, as well as amenities. In this property maintained by the Amelia Island Plantation, 418 hotel rooms face the ocean and resort, and one, two, or three bedroom villas are available and attentively maintained. It is worth noting that every villa of Amelia Island Plantation is unique. Most of them highlight fully equipped kitchens, dining areas, spacious living rooms, private bedrooms, and multiple baths. And, most villa complexes at Amelia Island Plantation have at least one pool.

Today, Amelia Island Plantation offers more than just wonderful accommodations. There is also a lot of dining and nightlife spots within the area, and perhaps what is best about the resort is that it offers a wide variety of guided environmental tours with staff naturalists give a hands-on experience to all ages.