Happy rainy Tuesday! It poured here all weekend long which made me long for the previous weekend in Amelia Island when the sun never stopped shining! Take me back! The second part of my trip recap will be even more exciting than the first since it covers our full day on Saturday, so may as well get right to it!

I woke up Saturday very well rested and decided to check out the gym while Robert got a little more sleep. On my way in I passed a personal trainer working with a few guests by the pool which hadn’t opened for the day yet. The gym itself was small but clean and had good equipment so I knocked out a quick arm workout. Thankfully Robert was awake and starving when I returned to the room so we made our way down to breakfast. A southern breakfast buffet was included with our room rate and we had high hopes for what it would entail. I’m happy to report that we were NOT disappointed. It was hands down the best breakfast buffet I have ever seen at a hotel. There was everything from a cereal, yogurt and oatmeal bar, to fresh fruit, lots of different pastries, bicuits and gravy, pecan cinnamon buns, to traditional pancakes, bacon, sausage and veggie fritata. YUM. They also had a selection of meats, cheeses, house smoked lox that was to die for, AND an “omelette of the day” station that served the best omelette I’ve ever eaten…Sunday was Caprese Omelette day – marinated tomatoes, mozzarella and a delicious basil pesto. I will absolutely attempt to recreate this and share it with you! After breakfast we went for a nice long walk on the beach.

Once we finished our walk we showered and made our way back into town to explore.

Downtown Fernandina was absolutely precious. Cute little boutiques, art galleries and a coffee shop were we stopped in for an “Ultimate” iced mocha.

 

I also drooled over these lemon creme cookies but refrained since I watched her put two scoops of vanilla ice cream into my “ultimate mocha”. Most of the shops had a funky, beachy vibe and we also came across this cute art installation.

 

After we had had our fill of walking through the town, we headed back to our hotel to catch some late afternoon sun by the pool.

 

The attendant found us two shaded seats and I enjoyed reading my nook and listening to the live music. It was very relaxing and the perfect way to unwind before our much anticipated fancy dinner! On our way back to the room we discovered a mini gelato bar in the lobby… how did they know ice cream was my favorite appetizer?

We got ready for dinner and got to the restaurant a little ahead of our 8:00 reservations. Salt, the restaurant is not only rated number one on Amelia Island’s trip advisor/yelp but it also happened to be right in our hotel. Win!

I liked the ambiance immediately. The restaurant was decorated tastefully and felt luxurious but there was still plenty of lively conversation and a man playing the guitar in the bar area. We were seated quickly and supplied with an ipad that housed their wine list…impressive! Robert and I both opted to order from the menu rather than the 4 course chef’s tasting, but both agreed we would give that a try if we ever make it back. The service was impeccable and the food was absolutely phenomenal. A bread platter is brought around throughout your meal and is meant to be paired with the unsalted butter and salt tasting at your table (‘Salt’ IS the theme of the restaurant after all). Our waiter described each salt variety, all of which plus more are for sale in the hotel gift shop.

Robert started with the shrimp and grits while I tried the local heirloom tomato salad. Both were outstanding and neither of us wanted to share!

 

For our meals we went with the ribeye (his) and the halibut with gnocchi (hers).

 

Again, two winners. After cleaning our plates we told our wonderful waiter Ryan that we weren’t sure we had room for dessert. He surprised us with a dark chocolate caramel souffle that he insisted we had to try.

 

Then he surprised us again with a small birthday dessert plate complete with macaroons, house made blue truffles and sea salt caramels.

 

Of course we ate every bite of both because are you really ever ACTUALLY too full for dessert? I think not. The meal was absolutely one of the best we’ve ever eaten and we made our way back up to our room VERY full and quite happy. If you are there and get the chance to splurge on a meal, check out Salt, you won’t be disappointed!

Another delicious breakfast and long walk on the beach before checkout the next morning completed our trip in the very best way! I certainly hope we get the chance to return to Amelia someday. Maybe next time we’ll find a pet friendly hotel and bring this cool dude along for the ride!

Have a great week!