Hi,
We are planning a long weekend in mid September for our 25th anniversary. We will be flying into Jacksonville and will have a car. We want to spend most of our time on the beach relaxing with maybe a day or two for a short day trip to St. Augustine, Amelia Island. I'm having a hard time trying to narrow down which area to stay in. We are willing to drive about a hour or so from the airport. We are looking for a hotel on the beach, casual restaurants are great. The places on Amelia Island (Ritz) are out of our price range right now. I've been looking at Jacksonville Beach or St. Augustine Beach area. How are the beaches there? Are they nice and sandy and are they safe? I've been reading to stay off the beaches at night. Is it that bad? We really enjoy walking the beach at night. Would you recommend either of these areas or another area within a hour or hour and a half the most away from the airport?
Another possible option would be to fly into Miami and stay somewhere there on the beach within an hour from the airport. We want someplace not very crowded and I don't know if there is such a place in the Miami/Lauderdale area that would be laid back and relaxing with great beaches.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You!

St. Augustine beaches are nice and there a lot to choose from, some you can drive on, others you can not. But Cresent Beach is the best (that is just south of St. Augustine) I do not believe there are any hotels right on Cresent beach, but it would be a short drive from a St. Augustine hotel. There are a lot of things to do in St. Augustine along with a lot of wonderful restaurants.



Amelia Island also known as Fernandina Beach, we usually stay in the historical city end on the river, so I am not sure how the beaches in this area are. There is not as much to do here as there is in St. Augustine, but there is a ferry (45 minutes, not a car ferry) that you can take over to GA for more things to explore. The ferry takes you by an island with wild horses and you can see a lot of wildlife including dolphins. There are also several other ferry rides. There is a lot of good food in Fernandina as well. To me this area is slower paced and a little more low key which is what we enjoy, but both cities are great!

Thank you eeyorelvr for the information. Would you pick St. Augustine beaches area over Jacksonville Beaches? I was looking at the Best Western in Jacksonville Beach, it had good reviews. I'm just not sure how the beach and area is.

Depends on what you are planning on doing. Jacksonville beach has a boardwalk and is much more crowded than most St. Augustine beaches. The city itself is large and there is a lot to do, but not vacation type things. St. Augustine is a more laid back experience in my opinion.

I seen that were also considering Miami, I have not been to MIami but did go to Ft. Lauderdale, LOVED the hotel we stayed in, it had it's own fake beach and pool, and it was on a waterway with a river boat you could take to other locations, and it was about 3 blocks from the Ocean, which was a nice beach. Hotels in that area are going to be more than Jax or Ameila in my opinion.

Agree with eeyorelvr that Crescent Beach is the best of the St. Augustine area beaches. To find it, look for the intersection of A1A and SR 206 and then find the public access about 2 blocks south. The only (and best) decent hotel in the Crescent Beach area is Beachers Lodge http://www.beacherslodge.com/ which is oceanfront! Lack of safety on the beaches at night is a non-issue, so don't worry.

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

I love Anastatia. Here's a unit in the condo we stayed in for years (condo complex, not this unit) -
http://www.vrbo.com/122411

It would be perfect for what you describe.

Thank you everyone for all the info. I think we decided to stay at the Best Western in Jacksonville Beach. What I'm not sure about is that I've been reading different forums about Jax beach and it's been said it's a younger crowd with kids in the streets being loud and drinking all night. Is that how it is and especially in Sept? We want to spend a long weekend relaxing on the beach and enjoying some resaurants and drinks but don't want to be overrun by kids. We are in our late 40's. The hotel and area seem to offer what we want but now I'm unsure if it's the place for us to go. Advice please. Thank You!

I live in Jacksonville and only occasionally go to Jax Beach,so I can't answer about kids drinking in the streets all night, but the beach IS crowded during the day, especially in the summer. I don't know how it will be in September. I would think during the week, with school in, the beach wouldn't be crowded. The area you've chosen (Best Western Hotel) is a good area. The beaches are beautiful. There are lots of casual restaurants. There are lots of families in the area, both young and old, so you should be fine.

There's lots to do both near the beaches and in Jacksonville...shopping, movies, museums, and you're only minutes from St. Augustine. I think you'll enjoy!

Thank you khern. You've made me feel better about the area. It's so hard to pick a place when you've never been there.

I stay @ Amelia Island several times year & it really depends on what you are seeking. For romance, I would try any of the B & Bs in Old Town. Many will have bikes you can use & it is a short ride to the beach. By the same token, that time of year, you can probably rent a Condo right on the Beach (I use vrbo.com). The Ritz or Plantation are actually the last places I would advise anyone to stay as they are removed from the Old Town & other amenities. Your also only an hour or so from St. A & maybe 45 minutes from JAX. Many posts on here if you want specifics. If you are seeking something cheaper, The Hampton Inn is also right in Old Town. Jax Beach, while serviceable, lacks the charm & amenities of either of the other places.

I agree with SanParis2's post.

I'd go to St. Augustine or Amelia (as SanParis2 suggested, look at the B&Bs there) over Jax Beach, and I definitely wouldn't fly to to go to Jax Beach. I think, even on a budget, you can find a nicer, more memorable destination for your 25th anniversary.

http://jacksonville.com/community/sh...aches-shooting

Padams421 that article is an eye opener! This is what I'm afraid of being stuck in the middle of. I think I will try to stay out of Jax Beach. What we want is to stay on the ocean but I'm having a hard time finding a place like that especially on Ameila Island. I don't want the Ritz or Plantation they are a little out of our price range. We considered going toward St. Augustine Beach or Crescent Beach but again there are not many ocean front places. I really didn't think it would be this hard to find a place for a long weekend down there. LOL! I guess that's why I was looking at Jax Beach because I could find places but it doesn't seem like its worth it. Thanks for all the info and if you have any suggestions for places on the beach, oceanfront either north of Jax Beach or south please let me know. It should be within a hour or so drive from Jax airport. Thanks!

There are tons of rentals on Amelia. Did you take a look @ vrbo ?

St. Augustine has several hotels on the beach, but VRBO.com might be a better bet for you to look at for right on beach locations for a week, there are plenty of Condo's on St. Augustine and Cresent beach, I bet VRBO will have plenty to choose from.

Shell, I searched for St. Augustine Beach hotels on Expedia and there are quite a few in the price range of the Best Western at Jax Beach (I found $130 per night for mid-September). You can also find many places to stay in that price range south of St. Augustine down to Daytona Beach.

Again thank you everyone but now I need more advice from all you experts! I searched VRBO and vacationrentals.com and was able to find some very nice condos. Now the choice is St. Augustine Beach,Crescent/Anastasia Island area or Ameila/Fernandina Beach area. Is one area better than the other. We are looking for a nice beach not rocky. I've read that some of St. Augustine Beach is rocky and you can't swim there. Anyone know about that? Does one area have more as far as restaurants and things to do? It doesn't have to be a busy area just a couple things around. Thank You again!

I love Anastasia - and the condo complex I linked above a few days ago. Great beach. Not crowded.

One tip - use google. Put in an address or city, then do a search for "restaurants" to see what's nearby

I am partial to Amelia, I just think you have more to do there in closer proximity + the restaurants are better (too me).

I love Fernandina Beach, but I live in the St. Augustine area. If I was picking a beach, the most beautiful and least crowded would probably be Crescent, and I have never encountered an area that was rocky and not swimable that was public beach. As far as things to do and food, it really depends on what you like to do. If you like to mingle in shops and walk and see the city, and old Fort (when you are not on the beach) then I would choose Fernandina, if you like to visit Fort's, mesuems's, and state parks, oldest house, ligt house alligator farm then St. Augustine is probably better. To me Fernandina is more laid back, because there is less to do, and I think there is great food in both locations, from little hole in the walls to upscale.

There is more to do in St. Augustine off the beach but Amelia would be a great, quiet spot for mid-September. Plenty of dining options in both places. IMHO, Crescent is probably the prettiest beach but I really like Amelia too. I think you have some good choices and don't think you can go wrong now that we've steered you away from Jax Beach.