When it comes to the destination wedding of a good friend, you simply go with the flow and hope for the best. Such was the case with a destination wedding in Atlantic Beach, Florida. That was, until I saw where the wedding was being hosted: One Ocean Resort & Spa. I’ll confess – I’m not a huge beach person, but in scrolling through the website and TripAdvisor reviews, I started to get pretty excited. With a great gym, spa and plenty of local shops and restaurants within walking distance, I hoped this could be a nice mini getaway.
Getting There
Traveling from Boston to Jacksonville couldn’t be easier. JetBlue has one to two direct flights a day from Boston to Jacksonville and it’s usually a really early morning flight (e.g. 7:00 a.m.) and a late evening. Although painful to get up so early, it’s really nice to not waste time connecting and arrive early enough and enjoy most of your day. From the Jacksonville airport, I did have to rent a car and would recommend having a car at your disposal, as it was about a 25 minute drive to the resort. Also, having a car is nice should you want to do a day trip.
My Rental Car Scheme
I ended up scoring a great deal on a rental car by bidding on Priceline. I have a little game that I like to play where I look at what all of the established rental car companies are charging per day on their websites and then I cut the rate by a little more than 50 percent and try my luck with Priceline’s bidding system. As a city dweller, I prefer small cars anyway, so this system tends to work well with the budget option. However, a source of humor on this trip was the electric blue Ford Fiesta Budget Rental Car gave me. The car itself was great and easy to drive….but boy the color!
The Arrival & Rooms
Upon arrival, my electric blue chariot was whisked away by the valet and I walked into the calming Oasis that is One Ocean Resort & Spa. There was just something about this hotel that felt grand, but relaxing at the same time. The front desk staff was very friendly and welcoming – and they get bonus points for having my room immediately available upon check-in.
And what a room it was! I selected a King-sized bed room with beach views and it did not disappoint. In addition to a massive bed, the room had a comfy chaise lounge, full desk area, dresser and snack bar. As this is a resort, a daily resort fee is charged – but as part of the fee you get to fill out a questionnaire and select your favorite snacks and beverages pre check-in. Although I am not a fan of resort fees, the snacks were a nice touch and I’m not going to lie – I ended up bringing a lot of them back with me to Boston! Haha!
One plus of the resort fee, however, is the level of service. For example, the staff kindly and promptly offered to steam the dresses I bought for the wedding at no charge. Of course, I tipped the staffer, but wow – what service!
The only small con to the room was that the bathroom was a tad small in comparison to the massive main room, but that’s more a nit pick than anything. It would not deter me from staying here again, as the experience was an incredibly positive one.
View from my room
Around The Resort
A spacious property, there are a number of dining options, a spa, gym, pool and of course, the adjacent beach. On the day we arrived, we checked in, scurried off to lunch and then enjoyed a long walk on the beach. In case you were wondering, the beach is literally steps from the resort. It couldn’t be more convenient! Plus, it’s a very nice beach with flat, wide expanses of soft sand and sea shells for collecting. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t warm enough to lay out, but I really enjoyed being able to roll up my jeans and enjoy a long walk. It’s a good thing we did, as the next day was a complete wash out with rain and thunderstorms!
Although I did not get a chance to enjoy the spa, or dine at the hotel, I did spend some time in the gym on our rainy day. The gym was small, but well appointed with windows that look out onto the pool area (pictured below). The free water bottles and fruit were also a nice touch inside the gym. Another one of my great travel tips is to always take a peek at the hotel gym when you travel. Even if you’re not going to use it, hotel gyms most often have purified water and many also have free apples or oranges. There’s no shame in filling up a re-usable water bottle, or grabbing an apple for later ;)!
The beach
Pool area
Stunning entrance to the hotel restaurant
Dining Options Adjacent to the Resort
One of the reasons I liked One Ocean so much was that you could walk to quite a bit. A city girl to the core, I love walking and don’t find vacations relaxing when you have to drive everywhere. While the area around One Ocean isn’t huge, a tiny village of shops called Beaches Town Center, restaurant and necessities (e.g. CVS) was easily accessible. Recommendations include the Ragtime Tavern for a low-key, yet hearty lunch of comfort food and over-sized salads. If you go to the Ragtime Tavern, ask to sit next to the massive indoor fish tank! I also enjoyed Lillie’s Coffee Bar for simple, delicious sandwiches and coffee. I ended up on my own for an early dinner one night and this was just right – casual cafe service, free wi-fi and they were setting up for live music as I finished my meal. I also tried M Shack, a more gourmet quick-serve burger joint, which impressively boasts kale salad on the menu, in addition to the typical burger and fried faire. Also worth noting is Bio-Max, a health food store, which also serves up great smoothies and fresh-pressed juices. Like any juice/smoothie place, there are on the pricey side, but I found mine to be quite delicious!
Hearty grilled chicken salad at Ragtime Tavern
Pressed Ham, Apple, Brie Sandwich at Lillie’s Coffee Bar
Kale, Avocado, Apple side salad at M Shack
An Unexpected Surprise – The Batmobile!
And, just when you least expect it, your vacation takes a turn for the, erm, interesting. While walking back to One Ocean one day, we ran into…the Batmobile! I have no idea what it was doing parked near our hotel, but it was a thing of beauty. It’s the random encounters like this that make for great vacation stories!
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah..batman!!! And yes, there was a bat scanner and bat phone inside!
The Wedding
So, how was the wedding? Ya know, the real reason I was down in Atlantic Beach, Florida? It was just lovely! Here’s a phone of me below at the wedding and one of the gorgeous nod’s to Boston!
Table centerpieces