Stilettos & Diapers

by Molly Wey

Family· Southern City Travel Guide· Spring Break· Travel

Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips

Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
Over spring break, we took the best Amelia Island family vacation! We’d never been before, but it’s an easy drive from Charlotte and we really wanted to do something new. I did a lot of research on east coast beaches and I was drawn to the southern charm of the area. 

Where To Stay

We stayed at Omni Amelia Island Plantation. Now, if you’ve read my blog before, you know my biggest tip for traveling with kids, is to get a room that has a separate space for them to sleep in. I don’t want to mess up our routines, or have kids that stay up too late and are grumpy the next day. I also love being able to relax with The Hubs after they go to bed. I was really impressed with the Omni’s selection of rooms that fit the bill, from suites in the main building to a variety of villas. We ended up with a 3 bedroom villa with an amazing view, in a building away from the hotel’s main building. It was perfect for our family!

Omni Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Omni Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
After driving through the property to get to our room, we decided to head to Amelia’s Wheels to rent an Island Hopper. I literally think my kids would have been happy if we did nothing but drive around for the whole trip! It was a total blast and we didn’t get in our car one time until we left. (That in and of itself was a vacation from having to strap kids into carseats!)
Amelia Island Omni Island Hopper, Stilettos and Diapers

The main building was absolutely gorgeous, with restaurants, poolside cocktails, hammocks by the ocean and my kids favorite…the froyo shop!

Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
Omni Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
Omni Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
Omni Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
Omni Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Beach & Activities


We went to the beach right in front of our villa and I literally couldn’t believe how empty it was. A lady I was chatting with at the pool was telling me that because the beaches are private, they’re really never crowded, which is amazing. I can’t tell you how happy Lincoln was to run free! 
Omni Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
I will tell you, I’d like to move here! There are actually homes on the plantation that people own and live in. (#goals) The grounds are absolutely gorgeous, with not only the beaches, but miles of trails, hidden playgrounds, beautiful marshland and incredible golf courses. We did a lot of exploring!
Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers





While this resort itself is very luxurious, there was so much for kids to do. And not just things to occupy time. You can tell that they really thought out making this place perfect for the whole family. One of my favorite things was the splash pad. My kids were so happy in there and I was on cloud nine since I was sunning on a lounge chair with a cocktail about 6 feet away from them. 

Omni Amelia Island Plantation Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Omni Amelia Island Plantation Splash Pad, Stilettos and Diapers

 

My boys had asked to go into a souvenir shop at one point, but we were headed to dinner. The next day at the pool, they had an art station set up and they painted their own souvenirs! 
Omni Amelia Island Family Vacation Tips, Stilettos and Diapers
We took some time for giant checkers, mini golf and playing in the arcade. 

Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers
Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers

Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers

I had grand plans to check out downtown Fernandina Beach, but we had so much to do and didn’t even get to it all! The resort also offers shopping, fishing, bike rentals, beachside fire pits and so much more. 

Where to eat
 
We arrived in Amelia Island around lunch time and stopped to eat at Sliders Seaside Grill. There were tables outside with great views of the ocean as well as a parent’s dream…a playground! They boys played while we waited on our food, which was awesome after being in the car! 
Amelia Island vacation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers
I snuck out our first morning (in the Island Hopper!) for sunrise coffee from Marche Burette Deli. I couldn’t get over how dreamy the sun looked through the moss covered trees! The entire grounds were covered with these trees and it reminded me so much of Savannah, where my grandma lived. 
Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers

Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers

The deli was such a cute little spot that we went back for lunch one day and sat out on the patio. 
Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers, where to eat
Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers

 

Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers, where to eat

For dinner one night, we ate at Verandah. The menu looked delicious so I called to see if they were kid friendly. They had the most impressive kids meals I’d ever seen! The restaurant was on the quiet side, but there were other children there and everyone was very accommodating. 

Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers, Where to eat

 

Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers, Where to eat

 

Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers, Where to eat

 

As we were finishing our meal, they brought over nitrous popcorn, which they give everyone before they leave. It was impressive and my boys thought puffing the smoke out of their mouths with every bite was very entertaining! 

Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers, Where to eat
We’re pretty big breakfast fans around here. (We served breakfast for our wedding reception!) We ate one day at Sunrise Cafe, which has an amazing view of the ocean and an outdoor eating area. They have a buffet option and it’s far beyond any breakfast buffet you would normally have. They offered omelets made to order, an entire gluten free section and meats and cheeses in addition to your classic breakfast foods. (I loved the chef’s special blueberry sausage!)
Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and Diapers, Where to eat

 

My trip tips:

 

Get a Villa at Omni Amelia Island Plantation – In addition to having the closed rooms I love when traveling, we had a separate pool in front of our building. It wasn’t as fancy as the main one, but the baby monitor worked down there and it was great to sit by the pool while Lincoln snoozed.  I also love that I had the option to cook. Which I didn’t. Because Momma needs a break! But if you were to do week-long trip, it would be great to have the full kitchen and washer/dryer! 
 
Rent an Island Hopper – This was just tons of fun, for us and the kids! 
 
Order Room Service – If you were to rent a house on the beach, you typically wouldn’t have that option available to you, but you do at Omni AIP. It was amazing to be in a room that was basically a house, but still have the luxuries of a nice resort. On the night we arrived, the boys were just tired of being in the car and we didn’t feel like sitting at a restaurant was a good idea, so we ordered in! 


Drive before daylight – We like to leave by 5 and then the kids will sleep for the first 2-3 hours. It makes driving so much easier! 


Relax – Maybe it’s having 3 kids, or the 9 years of motherhood, but I’ve really noticed when I don’t get uptight about vacations with planning and rushing around, our entire family has a better time. We did very little planning while we were there and just lived in the moment. I think that’s perfect way to vacation on a southern plantation! 
Omni Amelia Island Plantation with a family, Stilettos and DiapersWe have the boys rate each vacation on a scale from 1-10 and they gave this one a 10. Well actually a 400. But it was a trip loved by all and a destination that we will be visiting again!
Thank you Omni, for hosting us!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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