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Old 06-29-2013, 03:57 PM
 
285 posts, read 606,152 times
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Hi there! My hubby and I live in St. John's, and we are planning a weekend getaway for this October. We'll be bring our kids (age 4-6), and we're looking to just get away from it all, relax and just try to enjoy each other . I was wondering if anyone could advise which place might be better for what we're looking for, Amelia vs St Simons? Or any other suggestions? We realize in October it might be pretty cold at the beach, and that's fine, we're not looking for a beach weekend neccesarily. We'd just like to go to a pretty place with nice restaurants and some outdoor activities.

Thanks in advance for your advice!!

Ps. Specific hotel or restaurant recommendations would be awesome!
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Old 07-09-2013, 08:41 PM
 
542 posts, read 701,611 times
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Well either island would probably fit the bill. Amelia has more stuff on it, more hotels a bigger town. More shops, bars and restaurants. Not sure if that matters much if you have a 4-6 year old in tow. If your trying to just relax and just sit on the beach they both would work, St. simons does have a nice little downtown area also. October should be nice, plan on enjoying the beach. I am not familiar with hotels on st simons, I also don't know what your budget is. On Amelia the cheapest place to stay is the Days Inn. I have stayed there and it will cost somewhere between $55-$80 a night depending on your dates. I can not recommend the place it is dirty and worn, nasty really but it is the cheapest. If your looking for less expensive places spend a bit more if you can and go to the Hampton or any other hotel on the island as they are all pretty good aside from the days inn. I have stayed at the residence inn which is a short walk to the beach. This is a bit pricey but really very nice, you will get a full kitchen so if you have kids this could be a good deal in the end, they also have a full breakfast every morning included in the price, they have a pool too. Highly recommended. I have also stayed downtown at the Hampton, again nice a bit cheaper then the residence. They do have efficiencies if you need it. Town is a couple miles from the beach but you have all the restaurants there if your going to eat out. Aside from those places if you want luxury and have the dough there is the ritz. Bring your wallet. If it is more then a weekend you could always rent a condo. lots of rentals available. Hope that helps, best of luck
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Old 07-10-2013, 09:01 PM
 
Location: Braves Country
194 posts, read 317,265 times
Reputation: 155
Amelia by far! St. Simons is beautiful with quant downtown and plenty of places to stay for all budgets. The only problem is that the beach is considerably smaller. Especially at high tide. Amelia has larger beaches and a great little downtown also. The Amelia Hotel across from Sliders is nice and close to the beach. (across the street). The Beachside motel (on the beach) is reasonable and clean also. Don't worry about it being too cold for the beach in October either. We go to Fernandina each year in October and the weather has been perfect. (the water might be a little chilly but daytime highs are usually around the mid to low 80s typically). Have fun!
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Old 07-15-2013, 07:49 AM
 
Location: in the southwest
13,395 posts, read 45,008,871 times
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Either place is nice, but I do favor Amelia (I live here.) I prefer our beaches.

I like Squarpeg's suggestion of the Residence and also the Hampton. There are actually two Hamptons, one downtown, and one on Sadler Rd within walking distance of the beach.

October is actually a very nice time of year to visit here, it will likely still be swimming weather, but fewer tourists.

Ft. Clinch is an old fort and a beautiful state park. The kids might like the putt-putt golf course on Sadler, and if there is a rainy day (perish the thought) they could also hang out at the Party and Play nearby. Walking along the Greenway (the South entrance is right at the Residence Inn) you can see gators, turtles and other critters.

If you take a boat ride with Amelia Island river cruises, you can see frolicking dolphins and the wild horses of Cumberland Island.
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Old 08-13-2013, 02:25 PM
 
16,550 posts, read 8,584,349 times
Reputation: 19384
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shannon4426 View Post
Hi there! My hubby and I live in St. John's, and we are planning a weekend getaway for this October. We'll be bring our kids (age 4-6), and we're looking to just get away from it all, relax and just try to enjoy each other . I was wondering if anyone could advise which place might be better for what we're looking for, Amelia vs St Simons? Or any other suggestions? We realize in October it might be pretty cold at the beach, and that's fine, we're not looking for a beach weekend neccesarily. We'd just like to go to a pretty place with nice restaurants and some outdoor activities.

Thanks in advance for your advice!!

Ps. Specific hotel or restaurant recommendations would be awesome!
I am biased, but to me Amelia Island far exceeds just about anywhere for a relaxing get away. We use to go to Hilton Head regularly, but once we went to Amelia Island Plantation, we never went anywhere else. The reason is that there are tons of things to do if you like, but it is very laid back in it's pace if you know what I mean.

This is the place we rented for a week around last Thanksgiving, and it has a heated pool even though the weather was not too cold, except one day.

Amelia Island Resorts Vacation Rental - VRBO 22258 - 3 BR Amelia Island Villa in FL, Luxurious Oceanfront Condo on the Amelia Island Plantation

As for restaurants there are a bunch on the Plantation where we stayed. There are also some nice places in town such as Joe's 2nd Street Bistro.

Joe's 2nd Street Bistro, Fernandina Beach, Florida

Order the corn wrapped Grouper, you wont be disappointed.
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Old 08-14-2013, 01:42 PM
 
1,214 posts, read 1,695,172 times
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Never been to St.Simons before, but Amelia Island is nice! It's located off the shore of Fernandina and many people that visit it say it's an island paradise. I think it's a very fun place and people are ALWAYS raving about it. It also has a nice historical district but keep in mind things can get a little pricey there.

If you're interested in going to Georgia I recommend Jekyll Island. Very beautiful place, went there once and I didn't want to leave it.
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