Omni Amelia Island Resort Weekend Getaway

My boyfriend and I had our one-year anniversary coming up and wanted to plan a vacation to celebrate. When the opportunity to bid on a 2-night stay at the Omni Amelia Island Resort arose, we jumped. Lucky for us, we won the auction and claimed our prize! We locked in the closest weekend to our anniversary date and began planning (or I began planning I should say). We had a couple of “must-do” items on our list but we wanted a more relaxing vibe for this getaway. Here's what we ended up doing with our long weekend trip to Amelia Island.

Oceanside

It was a two and half-hour drive to Amelia Island from Orlando. We left around 10:00 am to make sure we had a good amount of the day to hang out in town. We arrived at the Omni and were surprised to hear our room was ready. We quickly dropped off our stuff and threw on our bathing suits and headed down to grab lunch by the pool. We ate at Oceanside which was recommended by the hotel desk. Overall, lunch was just okay, and we only ate there because we were starving and didn’t want to waste time searching for a place to eat. If you have time, a spot for a bite to eat at a local restaurant on the way.

We grabbed some chairs close to their adult-only infinity pool. It was surprisingly so packed that we couldn’t get a spot near it. We were finally able to move over once we saw an open space. We then ordered a few drinks from the sever walking around and unfortunately, that took a bit longer than expected. They were understaffed and struggling to keep up with everyone’s orders. We ended up only ordering a few drinks from the pool server but walking up to the bar or their taco stand nearby ended up being a lot easier. We were understanding of this issue and found a nice workaround. Some families and couples even brought their own food and drinks down to the pool, which is what we ended doing as well.

Shuckers Oyster Bar & Grill

We ventured off the property and stumbled on this waterfront restaurant a few miles from the resort. The parking was packed, which is always a good sign of a local hotspot. We started with raw oysters and got the Combination Basket, which included a taste of everything. The food and service were excellent and the quantity of food we got compared to the prices was awesome. We had a great time and there was a great live artist playing outside as well. 10/10 recommend stopping into this place if you’re visiting and enjoying seafood.

Sunrise Cafe

We woke up and had breakfast at Sunrise Café on the property. We ordered The Morning Table, which brings the buffet table to you. We thought we could try a little bit of everything that way. We received free breakfast during our stay, so we decided to go all out. Overall, the presentation was top-notch, but the food looked better than it tasted. I wouldn't recommend spending the money on breakfast here, but at least it made a good photo.

Marché Burette Market & Deli

After breakfast, we headed towards their shopping village. Not a far walk but they offer a shuttle, bikes, and golf carts for easy convenience around the resort. They have a few little shops to pop in, but we didn't spend more than an hour browsing around. We spent most of our time at Marché Burette Market & Deli. It was the cutest market and brunch spot and I was all for it. This market offered an all-day brunch (yes, please) and was also a grocery store. We loved it so much we went back twice during our stay. We even skipped our complimentary breakfast to go to the cafe before we left. I recommend the Bloody Mary with the Ham and Gruyere Melt. You'll thank me later.

Fernandina Beach

If you have time, I recommend exploring Fernandina Beach. It's a short 15-minute drive from the Omni and totally worth it. It has tons of shops, restaurants, cafes and, bars. It's hard to pick one but we tried the Mermaid Bar inside the Florida House Inn and the Green Turtle Tavern. Both were great options and they are right next to each other so you didn't have to worry about driving to one or the other since parking can be tough around the area. It was the best way to end our vacation!

All and all, we truly enjoy our long weekend in Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach. We will be traveling back but we may spend a little extra to stay at the Ritz. Well, maybe if I'm lucky!

Where to next?

Cheers,

Baccerina