Omni Amelia Island Resort
Cliff Drysdale Tennis School

Fernandina Beach, Florida

• REVIEWS
• RATES
• WEBSITE

Amelia Island has roughly the same dimensions as Manhattan Island—13 miles long by 2 miles wide—but any similarity ends there. Situated off the extreme northeast coast of Florida, this southernmost of the large Atlantic barrier islands has fewer inhabitants than a square block of the Big Apple, many of those in the tiny historic town of Fernandina Beach at the northern tip. The Omni Amelia Island Resort cuts a 1,350-acre swath across the center, from the dune-lined Atlantic to the tidal marshlands bordering the Intracoastal Waterway. Forest and shade abound, and so does bird life.

---

---

Sponsor

Overview

The resort has always paid more than the usual attention to its tennis. For 29 years, the 23 clay courts at its Racquet Park were home to the annual Bausch & Lomb Tennis Championships, a major stop on the women's tour (the event has since been dropped from the calendar). Attractively and spaciously laid out among the moss-bearded live oaks, the courts border a large pro shop and a splendid indoor fitness center—complete with a lap pool in a greenhouse-like enclosure. Wicker chairs await on the outside decks, providing a place to relax and watch the action on the nearby courts. One of these is the Stadium Court, an intimate venue framed by a few rows of terraced seats. It is available for any guest who wants to play on the same court where the pros used to compete each spring.

Otherwise, Amelia stands out for its multiple dimensions. Lodging options include the 402-room Omni Amelia Island Resort, a hotel that Omni refurbished and expanded both to provide better lodging for the adjacent conference center and to give vacationers the option of full hotel services as an alternative to a condominium rental. The resort also has three golf courses within its borders —all of them certified Audubon bird sanctuaries. Kids can look forward to their own island, home to a well-run children's program. There is also an excellent nature program, miles of bike lanes to supplement its free on-property shuttle, Segway tours (those one-person motorized pair of wheels), and a gourmet market and a dozen or so shops in the village at the entrance and adjacent to The Spa. That attention to tennis is only one aspect of its appeal.

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 904-277-5145
Email:

When Omni hotels took over the resort, they immediately sought to revitalize the tennis and to do so brought in the Cliff Drysdale Tennis group both to run the day-to-day tennis programs for adults and juniors and to stage tennis camps.

Tennis Staff & Programs. The Drysdale group installed Rob Wright as director. Originally from Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, Wright is an LTA-certified teaching pro with more than a decade of coaching experience. Since joining CDT in early 2016, Wright has held key roles at resorts across the country, including The Inn at Perry Cabin in Maryland, Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in California, and Sand Valley in Wisconsin. Since arriving, he has increased activity, beefed up the game matching and introduced daily themed instructional clinics followed by a drills session. There are also Cardio sessions and social round robins, both of which run three times a week, as well as Quickstart programs for kids, after-school junior programs, and a summer junior day camp. As a guest you can also take advantage of the staff's game matching services and participate in round robins. Finally, the resort runs 2- and 3-day tennis packages for individuals, couples, and families and for teams—all with the option to customize—and on selected dates runs special Ladies Only retreats and Doubles Retreats. Courts. Racquet Park has 23 clay courts (3 with lights) and 7 pickleball courts laid out through a forest of live oaks. Many of the courts are thus in shade—a significant benefit during the hot, steamy summers. One of these is a sunken stadium court, which has a few tiers of seats.

Ratings (385 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall Tennis Staff Instruction	Game Matching Junior Tennis Pickleball	Cuisine Lodging Spa & Fitness	Dollar Value Other Recreation Setting	Kids' Programs Romance Solo Travelers
Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Amelia Ratings ( 285 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall	Tennis Staff	Instruction	Junior Tennis	Pickleball

Sponsor

Ratings (385 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall Instruction Tennis Staff Lodging Spa & Fitness Dollar Value Kids' Programs Solo Travelers	Game Matching Junior Tennis Pickleball Cuisine Other Recreation Setting Romance
Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Amelia Ratings ( 285 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall Instruction Tennis Staff	Junior Tennis Pickleball

Other Recreation

Beach. This broad corridor of grass-tufted sand extends along the length of the island, though it is at its most beautiful within the resort, where it borders natural dunes that rise as high as 50 feet in places. All of the construction took place behind the primary dune line, with strategically placed boardwalks over the dunes providing access to the beach and Atlantic.

Golf Courses. Amelia now has 36 holes of golf, all of them certified as Audubon sanctuaries. Coquina shell cart paths predominate (asphalt has been used only when necessary to prevent erosion), and the fairway edges have been flared to prevent runoff from entering adjacent lagoons and creeks. Only organic chemicals known not to adversely affect bird life are used and colorants are avoided entirely. There is also a 10-hole Little Sandy course, arrayed around Red Maple Lake, with holes ranging form 70-125 yards

Spa & Fitness Center. The Spa & Salon, a 13,000-square-foot island of tranquility designed by noted spa architect Bob Henley, backs up to Red Maple Lake not far from the reception center. Taking its cue from Lowcountry style, this low-slung building has gray clapboard walls, lighter gray trim, and a tin roof. Inside Douglas fir pillars support rough redwood beams in a simple but handsome entrance foyer and then floors paved with slate from China lead north and south to treatment rooms, some of which open onto balconies on the lake. Treatments include massage, hydrotherapy, facials, herbal wraps and more supplemented by retreats and personal growth programs.
The fitness center, whose location in Racquet Park makes it extremely convenient for tennis players, contains a broad selection of Cardio equipment, Cybex stations, and free weights. There's also an indoor lap pool and whirlpool in a greenhouse-like building with windows on the courts. Both men's and women's lockers have sauna, steam, and whirlpools. Personal trainers are available and so are classes in aerobics, Pilates, and body sculpting.

And ... In addition to everything else Amelia has more than 7 miles of biking and nature trails, superb guided nature tours, kayaking, and horseback riding.

Children's Programs

The resort runs an award-winning children's program called "Kids Camp Amelia" for children ages 4 or potty trained to 10. It operates year-round. The younger the child, the lower the counselor:kid ratio. Kids are divided by age group (3-4, 5-7, and 8-10) and entertained with a variety of activities, including tennis. Full-day sessions cost $70/day, with discounts available for extended stays.

Lodging

At eight stories tall, the 402-room hotel exists first and foremost to provide bedrooms for meeting groups drawn to the adjacent conference center, though it is also luring vacationers happy to trade a condo's space and the kitchen for easy access to room service, a mere elevator ride to a living-room like lobby lounge and two excellent restaurants, and the most central location in the resort.

Parked behind the dunes lining a 3-mile-long beach, the narrow, flowing 402-room hotel provides every guest with a full-width balcony and sweeping views of the Atlantic. The entrances to all the rooms are on the back side from open, covered walkways with views westward across the live oak and pine forests.

The alternative to the hotel is any of the extensive array of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom villas in various locations around the resort including oceanfront, the Racquet Park, and in wooded neighborhoods beyond. That includes a set of Tennis Villas immediately behind the courts. All of the condominiums are individually owned and decorated, so you can never be sure the owner's taste will jibe with yours.

Restaurants

Among the 10 choices, my top two picks are the Verandah at Racquet Park for its seafood and a Southern style market and deli called Marché Burette in the Village. For variety, it's worth the drive into Fernandina Beach to dine at the Beech Street Grill, at once delicious, informal, and very reasonably priced for the high quality of the food.

See Also

Among the similar resorts along this coast are:

• Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
• Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, South Carolina
• Sea Pines Resort, South Carolina
• Wild Dunes, South Carolina

For something in the mountains look at:

• Wintergreen, Virginia

Rates and Reservations

Omni Amelia Island Resort

39 Beach Lagoon Road
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 904-261-6161
Toll-free: 888-444-6664
Visit the website for current rates
Web Link: Omni Amelia Island Resort

Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Amelia

Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort
6800 First Coast Hwy.
Amelia Island, FL 904-277-5151
Visit the website for current rates
Web Link: Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Amelia

Travel Essentials

Seasons. The resort is open year-round, though the winter months do not invite a dip in the Atlantic. Their lower rates make them good bargains if you're interested in golf or tennis, however.

Travel Instructions. Amelia is 29 miles from Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), which is served by all of the major airlines.

General Tourist Information. For information about Amelia Island specifically, visit the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council website or contact them at 102 Centre Street, Amelia Island, FL 32034. Phone: 904-277-0717. For broader background about the attractions of Northeast Florida, check out the Visit Jacksonville and the Beaches website or contact them at 800-733-2668.