The Villas Of Amelia Island

The villa felt like a little apartment, with plenty of space, a king bed, kitchen, and living area. There was a slight musty smell at first, but airing it out with the windows open helped. I was there for a conference at the Ritz and enjoyed my stay.

The gate security guard was rude and spoke to me in a nasty tone, saying I wasn’t on the list. That delayed me by several hours. The white boy with the thick accent lied when he said the manager was in back, then ignored me. When I asked again, he said the manager wasn’t there. He only gave me a map, not the unit address, so I had to keep driving around. My card wouldn’t open the unit door. I went to the office several times, and the white female kept giving me the runaround. She told me to go back to the unit and call her, which made no sense. When I asked to change units, she ignored me and talked over me. She said she’d change the cards, but I saw that she hadn’t activated one. She was also watching to see if anyone else was looking. I was told someone would come fix the door, but I waited outside for hours until dark and nobody showed. The front desk put me on hold for a very long time. When a manager finally answered, she first said she could cancel the reservation and refund me, then changed her story and said I had to contact the third party. She hung up rudely. These people were very unprofessional and ruined my experience and the holidays.

The facilities were decent, but the room felt old and had a strong musty smell that never went away, making it uncomfortable. For what we paid, it fell short. It was also disappointing that there was no designated beach area for guests, or even basic things like chairs or umbrellas at this Florida property.

The location is great, and having an apartment with a kitchen is a nice option compared with a hotel room. But ours was very dated and smelled mildewy. The units are privately owned and rented through the hotel, so the condition depends on the owner. Look at the photos before booking.