Jacksonville Travel Forum

Hello!

Three questions, really:

1) Are the beaches at Amelia Island as good as those of Sanibel Island, neither of which we've visited, in terms of having water which is low, warm, good for kids?

2) Any great, inexpensive places to stay that you know about? e.g., 100/night?

3) How long does it take to get to Amelia Island from Jacksonville Airport, and do we need to rent a car?

Thanks for your help!

All best,
Ella

WELL I used to lived in Ormond Beach, and visit the area a few times but that was a while back,i think amelia has nice beaches too, but Sanibel is better, in my opinion. you get a bit more waves in amelia than at sanibel. here is some info on amelia, which is very close from Jacksonville airport, there is a shuttle but rental cars is better in my opinion.
http://www.amelia.com/whereis.asp

this is sanibel
http://www.sanibelisland.com/
http://www.sanibel-island-hotels.com/

Good luck!

Beaches are nice but water is not near as warm as south florida, and gulf coast. most jax beach hotels and amelia hotels are around $150 per night. You can find deals. try hotels across the street from the beach. On Amelia the best western and the Hampton inn on Sadler are a few blocks from the beach and in that price range. There is also the Amelia Inn and suites that is across the street from the beach, not sure of the cost though. The trip takes about 35-45 minutes, no need for a rental car on the island, Southern Comfort Transportation is a great inexpensive car service to get you to and from Jacksonville international airport (approx $45 to either Amelia or Jax Beach)