Vacation Rentals by Owner

Fanning Island ~ Waterfront Luxury Home Rental [#231586] | View Property

Amelia City
House, 5 Bedrooms + Other (See Description), 4 Baths (Sleeps 14-17)
From $450/nt - $2750/wk
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Traveler Reviews (18)

• On the Website, this house looks great! SHOCKED AT ARRIVAL!

  On the Website, this house looks great! SHOCKED AT ARRIVAL!

  • Guest Byron K.
  • Date of stay 05/16/13
  • Review Submitted 06/10/13
  Upon arriving at this home, both the upstairs, and downstairs air conditioners not working. I spent some of my vacation time to work with the A/C guy, so my family re-union could get a little cooler. The kitchen utensils, pots, pans, dishes were disgusting. Not clean at all. We went out and bought plastic replacements, except for pots and pans which we scrubbed. I read all the rental instructions, including how I would be charged if I left more trash than the 4 outside trash cans would hold. I laugh now, as two cans were totally full when we got there. The condition of furnishings were in a worn out state. Hazardous cracked glass near entry door. I had to fill the empty outside fountain myself. When you pay top dollar for a rental, you should receive quality in return. That was not case with this rental. In business I have found that when you have honest, and valid concerns for lack of service, and or product, generally someone in charge makes things right. After, emailing the owner of this property, basically he thanked me for pointing out his home problems and deficeincies as it will make for a better stay for future guests. Hello, what about my families stay? His response was "come back again, and I will give you a discount". Really, that makes up for a lousy stay in YOUR HOME. Sorry, you only get to stick it to me once. I will never come back again, Period. I wouldn't come back if it was free! Matter of fact, even if you paid me to return, and it was free, I would not come back. I don't know who got paid for posting wonderful reviews, but a lot of what was said, did not equate to what was provided, and what I experienced FIRST HAND. It is a shame as this is a nice size home for a large gathering like a family reunion. It also is in a great location. But, as a business owner myself, I would have made good for the lack of service, and poor conditions. I guess the owner needs the money more than I do. Overall just a waste of my time, and hard earned money!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• 40th Birhtday

  40th Birhtday

  • Guest 40th Birthday
  • Date of stay 11/29/12
  • Review Submitted 12/03/12
  The house had everything we need. Fishing off the dock was fun for the kids .Nice private beach and plenty of deck space and outdoor furniture for entertaining.The kitchen is perfect for large groups, eating and cooking. Plenty of space to stretch out.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Long weekend getaway...

  Guest comment entered by owner

  Long weekend getaway...

  • Guest DeAnna
  • Date of stay 11/02/12
  • Review Submitted 11/14/12
  Thanks so much! We really appreciate it! And we did so love the house and hope we will be able to stay in it again!! We could totally get used to that!! The neighbors were great, they are on my facebook now!! My guy fixed their boat; they got towed in while we were sitting there, so my guy to the rescue!! He does it a lot!! Thanks again, we will highly recommend your house! I have a ton of friends on Facebook that have made lots of comments & some questions, and have all been sent to the link! Hope you get some new people from me!! Thanks Bunches!!! Have a great day!!! :0)

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Can't wait to come back!

  Can't wait to come back!

  • Guest Marni
  • Date of stay 10/22/12
  • Review Submitted 11/03/12
  This house is absolutely beautiful and immaculate! I have no idea what house Tracy from Michigan stayed in, but it couldn't have been this one. We did not see one bug, but did see the stylish decor and lots of amenities. My husband and I visited from Mount Dora and were excited to be so close to St. Augustine, Amelia Island and Fernandino Beach. We were overjoyed with the number of gourmet restaurants we had to choose from in the area and my husband became addicted to the fresh seafood market right across the river. We also enjoyed watching the Pelicans and the Cargo Ships go by. All four bathrooms are updated and in perfect condition. The spacious kitchen is gorgeous. The four L shaped couches, pool, beach, huge outside seating area and pool table make it a perfect house for big families and party animals. I have never seen so many flat screen TV's in one house. We love this house so much, we plan to come back with plenty of friends and family.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• disappointing

  disappointing

  • Guest Tracy
  • Date of stay 10/06/12
  • Review Submitted 10/22/12
  WOW! where to begin. On the VRBO site the house looks fantastic. Upon arrival the first thing we seen when walking into the house were dead cockroaches, palmetto bugs and millipedes. The cockroaches were found every where in the house including the cupboards. The downstairs bathroom had urine spots all over the toliet seat as it appeared not to be cleaned. The pool was dirty with dead millipedes all over the bottom of the pool, the grill was laying on the deck in pieces and the outdoor fridge was taken over by several species of insects. The owner was very kind and tried to rectify the cockroach situation by having the exterminators come out to the house. When we returned there were more cockroaches than before some dead some alive and no one had come to clean the house. I was very disappointed and actually made other arrangements for accommodations while in Florida. If I could give a single piece of advice to people renting houses it would be to always pay with a credit card so that you will be able to dispute charges if necessary. If the owner will not accept credit cards you should look elsewhere.

  Owner response: I am devasted this group decided not to stay in the property for the time they had booked. They notified me 2 hours before their check-in time that they had been in the house and there were some dead bugs in a couple of rooms. I called our pest control service about the issue and they let me know they had completed their quarterly spraying the prior day but would go back over to spray again and clean up any pests that afternoon. The guests called back an hour after check-in to say they wanted the house re-cleaned given the circumstances. I agreed and had my cleaning company go back and do a full re-clean of the house on the day of check-in. I also had the pool company make an un-scheduled cleaning the same afternoon. I addressed each of the tenant's concerns on the check-in day but the guests had left within two hours of check-in. I feel horrible and have not had any experience like this before. We have rented the house for 4 years and have positive reviews. For their inconvenience I offered a discounted stay, but they decided to find other accomodations as the house was re-cleaned. To ensure our house is pest free moving forward, I had the pest company do a review of the house to see what could be improved. My handyman has implemented the suggestions- better weather stripping around the windows and doors. Our property is a beautiful, clean place. We have had 3 guests stays after this group's departure and each has emailed they loved their stay. We always have and will continue to accept credit cards for bookings.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• Once Again!

  Once Again!

  • Guest GiGi
  • Date of stay 08/19/12
  • Review Submitted 08/20/12
  My extended family and I (the grandma) just enjoyed another long weekend at this spacious island home, and--once again--we enjoyed its beauty, its peace and quiet, and all the amenities it has to offer. We noticed none of the problems mentioned by the previous reviewer, and we're planning to rent the house for a third time next summer.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Excellent - exceptions, lights flickering and the cinapieds need to be taken care of.

  Excellent - exceptions, lights flickering and the cinapieds need to be taken care of.

  • Guest Gina
  • Date of stay 06/02/12
  • Review Submitted 06/07/12
  We have a big family, but the Jax River House has been a very relaxing place. All of us were amazed at the room we had.Everything was up to date.Everything we needed was close by. The house was provided with more than a women could ask for, except a electric can opener, witch I gladly perched for the kitchen.......hoping next year we can return to make more memories with our kids and grandchildren.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• OUR "SECRET" FAMILY ISLAND

  OUR "SECRET" FAMILY ISLAND

  • Guest Kevin/Linda B.
  • Date of stay 03/22/12
  • Review Submitted 03/27/12
  Where do I start...WOW what an amazing and spirit filled weekend. This home is so awesome that I don't want to share with anyone else just in case It's not available for our next and next and next and next Vacation Rental. We're local now and recently relocated from NYC...but have rented vacation homes in Ponte Vedra, St.Augustine, Orlando,Kissimmee, Vilano Bch, Daytona etc etc. meanwhile Jax River House is so close and centrally located that I went home for minor supplies. The home is fully equiped and really exceeded our expectations. We celebrated with family and friends from NY,Va,New Orleans and Ga. So much open space indoors and outside on the many decks..it rained a few hours over the weekend but it didn't matter with the covered deck and open and accommodating interior. Even the neighbors left and right of us were friendly and accommodating as we shared our meals with them . Hopefully next time we may venture out if we have time...but we did not want to leave this house with all the amenities too many too mention.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Family Reunion

  Family Reunion

  • Guest Ramsey
  • Date of stay 04/30/11
  • Review Submitted 05/28/11
  My extended family of 13, 8 adults and 5 children, chose the River House for its central location for all of us and its unique setting. We found the house was everything we expected and more. It was clean, large, nicely furnished, and provided river views from most rooms. For active families there are so many things to do--both at the house and in the area. The children especially liked fishing off the dock., I enjoyed sitting with them and watching the huge ships passing--I was really able to unwind. My wife enjoyed the diverse and plentiful wildlife; many dolphins, seagulls, herons, pelicans, ducks, and varieties of fish (quite tasty). We all spent time daily in the large pool and soaking up the sun. The kitchen was a gathering place for the meals and the large gas stove was kept busy making the three dishwashers a big help. A family room open to the kitchen provided plenty of space for everyone in the evenings. When someone wanted to "get away" from the crowd the outdoor and roof top decks were available. We had to flip a coin to see who got the master bedroom wing. It's huge, and the bath's whirlpool tub proved a further relaxation. The Sand Dollar restaurant is a neat "locals" place and provides a wide menu of good food. There's another nearby restaurant that serves a good breakfast menu. A short drive away is Amelia Island with shops, golf, and restaurants. On the way to Amelia Island there is a beach you can drive onto with white sand and shallow waters that we all enjoyed immensely. Our family normally gets together once or twice a year at different locations but we all had such a good time here we're planning to return.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 7/7

• Spring Break

  Spring Break

  • Guest North Ga Family
  • Date of stay 04/02/11
  • Review Submitted 04/08/11
  This is an awesome home for families. The riverfront is both peaceful and entertaining. The unusual boats, massive barges and the occasional cruise ship are an awesome sight. You are literally a few hundred feet from them or less standing at the the end of the dock. The Naval Air base also provides amazing entertainment. My three boys marveled over and over at the fighter jets and helicopters. We found dozens of shark's teeth at low tide - it became a daily ritual! The fishing was good, best at night. A gas station/foodmart, the river ferry and a liquor store are less than a mile away! SafeHarbor Seafood Market across the river has an amazing selection and good food. There are beds everywhere, yet you never feel cramped. While being very contemporary/clean/upscale, this house is 'lived in', so we never panicked over a stray spill or felt like we should not sit on the couch. The upper decks are an ideal place to read a book or soak up the views. The garage was great for coolers and storing our trailer. Our kids 8,9,13 and 14 did not want to leave. We'll be back.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

• Best Value For The Money!

  Best Value For The Money!

  • Guest John M
  • Date of stay 03/03/11
  • Review Submitted 04/22/11
  We loved spending our family vacation in this beautiful home!. The house has lots of indoor as well as outdoor spaces for gathering and entertaining. It easily accommodated our big (extended) family. The house is very clean, comfortable, and beautifully furnished. The owners take great care of this place and they were wonderful to work with in scheduling our stay. We looked at a lot of homes before choosing this one for our vacation - it is by far the most warm, welcoming, and best priced for the quality and space. We were very happy with our choice and we look forward to returning for our next vacation!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Enjoyable vacation home

  Enjoyable vacation home

  • Guest Vacationer
  • Date of stay 01/29/11
  • Review Submitted 02/17/11
  We've stayed at this house more than once. This is a great place to get away and spend time with friends and family since it's very spacious. The master bedroom is really a master suite with bed, sitting area, two closets, and a "fancy" bathroom. All rooms are updated nicely with a modern, but not over the top, touch. The kitchen is well suited for the size of the home -- it's spacious and well equipped for cooking for a large group. The views from the house, pool and dock are terrific. We like that the beach is beautiful and easy to get to

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• A Grandma's Getaway

  A Grandma's Getaway

  • Guest GiGi
  • Date of stay 01/22/11
  • Review Submitted 02/09/11
  My five grandchildren--ages eighteen months through seventeen--and I, along with my son, his wife, my daughter and her husband, and my boyfriend---all of us fit comfortably in this immaculately kept and picturesquely placed house with plenty of room to spare. The kids did their own things--fished, swam, played in the sand and caught crabs, skateboarded, and banged away on their guitars, while the adults chilled (in front of wide screen tv's or out by the pool)--without having to "entertain". When relaxing got old, there were plenty of places to go too: The Jacksonville Zoo (my favorite), Amelia Island, Jacksonville's museums, a nearby Old South Plantation, beaches, and we walked, explored, fished, golfed, kayaked, etc. to our heart's content. And we enjoyed fish and seafood dinners at local hangouts--when we didn't want to cook. Of course, my favorite things to do there are just sit (with a glass of wine) and chat with my family gathered around and watch the huge boats pass by on the St.John's River-- often with dolphins and big birds to accompany them. The sunrises and sunsets are so spectacular and yet so peaceful that the memories of them stay with me even now, and I long to return.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• If you need a lot of room, this is a good place to rent...

  If you need a lot of room, this is a good place to rent...

  • Guest Debi
  • Date of stay 09/24/10
  • Review Submitted 10/06/10
  Plenty of room when you rent this home. If you have a boat, this is also a good place to stay, since it has a dock and is on the river. The location is away from the city, but close to beaches. There are no grocery stores close by, so you will need to shop before you get there. There is a small mini mart down the road, but it doesn't have much. I would not rent this home with small children because of the stairs and teenagers may get bored, unless you have a boat. Of course they have the pool, along with the pool table and foosball machine, TV's and wireless Internet service. Some of the issues we had were some minor plumbing problems and the large refrigerator in the kitchen did not work. We thought the dishwashers (3) did not work, but we found out later the circuit breaker was shut off and never turned back on. The owners put a refrigerator in the garage, but it wasn't very convenient. The day before we left a workman did show up to fix the plumbing problems and someone also came to try and fix the refrigerator with no success. You will experience a lot of noise from the Navy helicopters flying over the house most of the day and sometimes up until 8:00 at night. Not much you can do about that and I guess the people living in that area are used to it. We also experienced an odor in their water...sulfur we guess, but when you have to shower in it and use it as your drinking water...it was pretty bad. Our last day was really awful. Not sure why. We enjoyed taking the ferry over to Mayport Naval Base and we drove up to Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach, which is a nice, quaint town. No matter where you go, you have to drive. Not a good area to ride your bikes. We had a great time, but I would ask if everything was working before you stay there. For the money they charge, I would think it would all be fixed sooner, than later, since it looks like the people who were there Sept. 1st had some of the same issues, and we did not check-in until 9/24. You can ask about the water, as I don't think any of us mentioned this to the owners,and there probably isn't anything you can do about it.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Owner response: We have a double-door stainless GE Monogram refrigerator which is very expensive, high tech, and few appliance repair folks know how to work on it. We had 6 repair visits before GE came in and replaced all the computer boards and interworkings. We were told it was fixed on 4 of the 6 service calls. We do care about our guest's quality of stay and wish this had been fixed earlier. We did buy a refrigerator in the interim while the main fridge was not working. We also have 3 smaller refrigerators- in the pantry, on the deck, and in the master bedroom. In response to our customer issues in September, we hired a property manager who lives close by to assist with any guest issues during their stay. To insure the house is in tip-top shape, he has a 4 page inspection list he goes through after the cleaning company has finished their work between guest stays. We believe these changes have improved our guest's experience at vacation property.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/7

• Had fun with our friends

  Had fun with our friends

  • Guest Bonnie Rincon
  • Date of stay 09/24/10
  • Review Submitted 10/03/10
  There were eight of us staying at the house. We had a great time dispite not having a refrigerator that made ice. The one in the kitchen was broken. The owner did put a new one out in the garage. It was inconvientent when you wanted something and had to keep going to the garage. The pool man turned off the breaker that worked the dishwashers. The owner did tell us to mess with the breaker and we did get the dishwashers working. The owner was wonderful. He addressed all of our concerns. We also had a lot of helicopters flying around. Me being part of a military family was used to the noise. There were some that did not like it. The Sanddollar restauraunt is good. If you take the ferry across there is a place called Singleton's. It is very good. It is going to be on Diner, Dives and dumps on the food network. Fernandina Beach is just up the road on A1A. Great town to visit. There were a lot of cargo ships going up and down the river. That was pretty cool to see. This is a great place for friends to meet at. All of us who stayed there were in our 50's. We came from different areas in Florida and one couple from Pennsylvania.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/4

• Jet Ski Adventure

  Jet Ski Adventure

  • Guest Jet Ski Adventure
  • Date of stay 09/12/10
  • Review Submitted 01/02/11
  We grew up in this area and once a year we pick a place to hang out with friends. We all brought jet skis and had a blast! We were able to put the jet skis in at the boat ramp that is just a few minutes away and then used the lifts on the dock during the rest of our stay. We could within minutes go to Huguenot Beach and jump the waves or head to Fort George and hang out with other boaters. You can easily get to the ocean, the intercoastal or head up the River. The house was beautiful and lived up to its pictures. We are definitely going to return!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• 3 star property

  3 star property

  • Guest Vacationer's
  • Date of stay 09/01/10
  • Review Submitted 09/20/10
  Overall the property was a beautiful place to stay. Just a lot of things not up to date and appliances just not functioning properly. Owners could have maintained it a bit better, but also apologetic. Otherwise beautiful sunsets and sunrise. Bedrooms spacious and Pool is big, but not worth the price tag on the rental. Not the best location for nearby activities.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, pet owners.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/4

• Girls weekend

  Girls weekend

  • Guest girls weekend out
  • Date of stay 03/10/09
  • Review Submitted 03/11/09
  We had book club at this house and it was amazing. The beds were great! nice sheets, pillows and comforters. Plenty of space for large groups. we really enjoyed the sunset sailboat cruise the owners set up for us. They really went out of their way to make sure we had an amazing time!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 13/17