Things to do / Travel Guide
Great, a trip to northeast Florida and the Panhandle! Just imagine: the beautiful setting in the lap of nature at Amelia Island, the shopping opportunities and additional fantastic beaches of Jacksonville Beach, and the emerald-tinted waters and white sands of the Panhandle's Emerald Coast. Pamper yourself at the spas, relax and live it up at the resorts, golf your heart out next to the beautiful beaches. Have an luxuriously good time in northeast Florida and the Panhandle and see yourself coming back to the Emerald Coast again, and again, and again.
Luxurious Accommodation in Northeast Florida and the Panhandle
Where to stay? Well that depends on whether you want a room with a view of the Atlantic Ocean or of the Gulf of Mexico. You'll be dazzled wherever you go, though. Nearly all the rooms at the region's luxury resorts in Jacksonville Beach offer oceanfront views of powder-white, arrow-straight beaches for as far as the eye can see. The Ponte Vedra Inn and Club leads the pack in this regard, boasting a state-of-the-art spa and several swimming pools.
For a really great time, in the twin laps of luxury and nature, make Amelia Island your vacation destination. The two resorts on this paradise, the Amelia Island Plantation and the Ritz Carlton, specialize in class and forays into beautiful and not daunting nature. The airy rooms and top-notch service on this secluded oasis provide the perfect setting to forget your cell phone and your appointments, and focus on just having a carefree and luxurious time.
For the golf aficionado, the Plantation's Long Point Course combines ocean, marsh, woods, and water hazards throughout for many dramatic views along the Nassau Sound estuary. This resort is the ultimate choice for a northeast Florida and Panhandle golf vacation.
On the region's other beachfront, unscientific studies have proven that the bright sun, white sands, and emerald-green waters of the Emerald Coast together yield a potent formula for fun and luxurious relaxation. The WaterColor Inn in Santa Rosa looks like an oversized version of your best friend's beach house - after the full treatment, you'll decide this beach house is your best friend! At WaterColor's InnSpa, the art of rejuvenation is venerated, while outdoors activities include playing tennis, golf, and boating, and just lazing on the beach. This family luxury resort is as good as it gets!
Over in Destin, live it up at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa, which also features a fitness room and children's activities among other amenities. This Florida luxury resort's prime attraction, the Burnt Pines Course, is as beautiful as it is difficult. You'll be taken through pine forests and wetlands, where sand and water abound across the horizon. But heading down to the beach and the marina is also a rewarding experience; the ideal place to rent a yacht for an afternoon fiesta. Indoors, the salon and day spa will treat your body and put your mind at ease.
When in Tallahassee, you can stay at the DoubleTree Hotel, where politicians reside when paying their respects to Florida's capital. It's in the middle of downtown, a stone's throw from Adams Street Mall, with plenty of shopping opportunities, and the Federal-style Capitol Building on Park Avenue.
The style of many of the region's luxurious hotels and resorts is a curious mix of Southern and Spanish. Southern hospitality is the thoroughly-achieved byword, while the Spanish influence is visible in the colorful architecture.
Luxurious Dining in Northeast Florida and the Panhandle
Similar fusion is achieved in the region's selection of high cuisine and gourmet. You can get chicken and dumplings, fresh-baked empanadas, and Caribbean favorites all in the same region. Of course, in such a water-friendly region as northeast Florida and the Panhandle, seafood is on most of the menus and savored on everyone's palates.
Many of the best restaurants throughout the region are supplied with catches from the coastal waters by their own private anglers. They scour the seas for the best catches, which often include such succulent favorites as grouper, swordfish, and shrimp. Jacksonville can take first place for quality dining establishments. For the city's trendiest eateries, located in the heart of a beautifully-restored historical district, head to San Marcos, along the St. Johns River.
On Amelia Island over at the Plantation, you can treat the family to splendid international cuisine at the Amelia Island Dining Room, or spoil yourself with the local catches at Verandah Restaurant. From pan-roasted lobster to the shrimp cocktail with avocado and a crabmeat salad, prepared in a host of different cuisines, including Southern and Caribbean, the best way to experience the sea is at the table of one of these fantastic restaurants, overlooking the water.
High cuisine isn't lacking on the Emerald Coast. Oh no, in fact, this strip of sand the color of rich sugar and water the color of sweet dollar bills is lavished with it's own stock of celebrity chefs. They cook up, fry up, and roast up some of the tastiest seafood dishes in the state. The party scene mellows and the lights dim at restaurants like Boatyard and Captain Anderson's in Panama Beach. Try a conch fritter lathered with hot pepper jelly, or a crispy-fried lobster sandwich. Then head over to your hotel's spa or pool, and venture out again for the frozen treat of creamy Key Lime pie on a stick, dipped in dark chocolate. Delish!
Luxurious Activities in Northeast Florida and the Panhandle
Northeast Florida and the Panhandle is the perfect region for those vacationers who like to experience a tamer, more casual view of nature, or to just have a good afternoon sailing the seas on a rented yacht. There are plenty of opportunities for both. Take a riverboat cruise up the lazy St. James River from Jacksonville, where you can see the likes of a sleepy alligator in the noonday sun, or a family of happy manatees cooling under a saw palmetto.
Amelia Island is like one, huge, manicured botanical garden and arboretum. The lofty live oaks will remind you that you're in the opulent South. One of the best and trendiest ways to tour the island is on a rented Segway. With one of these, the paved bike paths that traverse the island can be explored effortlessly.
There's a wide range of shopping opportunities in Jacksonville Beach, from Ponte Vedra Beach to Atlantic Beach, where you'll find all sorts of boutiques and art galleries as well as antique shops. The wares are distinctly Floridian, and distinctly high quality.
It's your turn to experience the flowering resort scene of northeast Florida and the Panhandle. Let the waters entrance you, the sand caress your toes, and the Southern style pamper you until you don't ever want to leave.
Luxury Vacation Ideas in Jacksonville, Destin, Daytona Beach, Pensacola, St. Augustine, Northeast Florida
Luxury-Vacations
The Spa at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island
The Spa at the Ponte Vedra Inn
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