In 2024, our team at Destination Amelia Vacation Rentals held our 2nd Amelia Island Photo Contest to celebrate another year of incredible guests and their experiences on Amelia Island. The annual contest, which launches in the fall, invites travelers to share their best trip photos from their recent stay with us before the new year arrives. Our team loved receiving so many excellent entries and is now thrilled to announce the winners!
1) Beach Scenes Category
The first photo contest category was Beach Scenes: images of Amelia Island’s pristine coastline. We received entries featuring our guests walking in the sand, their children and grandchildren splashing in the waves, seagulls soaring, and golden sunrises. Without further ado, Maureen Beytagh of Ohio is our Beach Scenes Category Winner with this classic scene of a soft Amelia Island sunset with pink hues. Beytagh shared, “I walk to this location every day, as it is one of our favorites on the island. We were happy to share this photo with all of you!”
2) Landmarks Category
The second photo contest category was Landmarks and guests were welcome to send their photos of recognizable Amelia Island landmarks such as historic homes and sites. We received some stunning entries of the marina in downtown Fernandina Beach and of Walker’s Landing in the Amelia Island Plantation, which is home to an ancient burial mound dating back to the Timucuan Indians. Congratulations to Bess McCall of South Carolina for this submission of Fort Clinch! In her snapshot, you can see the large scope of the fort’s design and its positioning on Cumberland Sound. A row of cannons points across the St. Mary’s River into Georgia and are silent testimony to the strategic importance of Fort Clinch during the Civil War.
3) Enjoying A Destination Amelia Rental Category
The third photo contest category was entitled Enjoying a Destination Amelia rental! Our favorite entry was a peaceful image entered by Steve Dubanoski of his view while “enjoying the sunset from the rear patio of 2129 Beach Wood.”
All three of these category winners receive a $100 gift certificate that’s applicable towards a stay anytime with Destination Amelia.
4) Grand Prize Winner!
Now we are thrilled to announce the Grand Prize Winner of our 2024 Amelia Island Photo Contest …. Crystal Thomas of Connecticut with this sunrise image! Our team loved how her photograph captures that quiet, breathtaking time of day when the first morning light is cresting the horizon. We love the warm orange and yellow glow and how the boardwalk directs your eyes up the path, past the dunes, to the ocean. Crystal will now get to enjoy a 3-night vacation at one of our Destination Amelia vacation rentals for free! Major congratulations to Crystal!
Eager to make your own Amelia Island memories? Are you ready to sink your toes into the appalachian-quartz sand and linger along our 13 miles of pristine beaches? Don’t delay and book one of our Amelia Island vacation rentals today!
This week our team was happy to welcome over 30 of our monthly winter guests to our first Snowbird Social! The local and delicious Meal Ease Market catered breakfast sandwiches, a gluten-free casserole, and huge chocolate chip cookies, which all paired nicely with Starbucks coffee and orange juice as guests and staff mingled.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, we not only wanted to “show the love” to our guests, many of whom have returned to enjoy extended stays at our Amelia Island vacation rentals multiple years, but we also wanted to ask what they love about Amelia Island too. They were happy to share the love for Amelia Island and listed the following reasons why our coastal retreat has captured their hearts:
“I love Amelia! The weather, amenities, restaurants in Fernandina, shopping downtown, & bike trails too!” ~ Chris F. from Maryland
“Amelia River Cruises! We take all our family out when they visit!” ~ Tom M. from Michigan
“Amelia Island has great places to walk the dog! Beautiful beaches AND marshes!” ~ Anonymous
“I love the PEOPLE on Amelia Island! They are very friendly and totally inclusive. Feels like home.” ~ Susan M. from Virginia
“The beautiful walking trails and also the beaches of course!” ~ Anonymous
“The people here are just amazing, and there are lots of bike trails that are well maintained.” ~ Anonymous
“We have been coming to Amelia for 16-18 years because we love it so much! We appreciate the dog-friendly policy and all the people! Destination Amelia has been more than kind to us!! We hope to return to these beautiful beaches.” ~ Wendy and George P. from Michigan
Perhaps our guest Cheryl S. from Georgia summed up what many other guests felt: “Everything!”
Amelia Island has been a beloved destination for visitors and residents alike for centuries, receiving countless travel awards. Just last year, Global Traveler Magazine “shared the love” by ranking Amelia Island the #1 Best Island in the U.S. Also, it ranked #2 in The Best Islands in the Continental U.S. in the 2024 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards and #1 of Florida’s Best Small Beach Towns in Travel Curator in 2023.
Come experience it for yourself and book a stay at one of our Amelia Island vacation rentals today!