One Ocean: The Art of Luxury in Jacksonville, Florida

Your airport limousine rolls up to the impressive front doors. No need to register. You are welcomed by name as your bags are whisked away. Here every guest has VIP status.

You are escorted to your room by your docent, an unique sort of concierge/butler who is there to anticipate and attend your every need, from pressing your garments to reserving a private plane or drawing your bath.

Your favorite beverages and snacks are concealed in the cabinetry of your personalized refreshment cabinet. Service is expected to be seamless and intuitive, something that is accomplished by careful planning. Your preferences have been requested and fulfilled prior to your arrival. Every effort has been made to insure that you need only relax and enjoy.

The accommodations

As you enter your room, your eye is drawn to your floor to ceiling view of the Atlantic Ocean. The color palette of your room– neutrals and blues—is an extension of the colors of the seascape. Accent pieces may exude the iridescence of mother-of pearl or the sparkle of sunlight on rippling waters. Sculptures replicate the fluid movement of the sea. This cool, sophisticated elegance is an idyllic setting for relaxation, rejuvenation, and romance.

There are 193 ocean view guestrooms and suites, all with floor to ceiling windows, and many with a balcony. The John Grisham suite is named for the writer who brought his family and his children’s baseball team here for spring break.

Room numbers are engraved in marine hued art glass. Doorbells are deactivated by a privacy setting. Your tranquility is never disrupted and housekeeping maintains your room when you want.

Controls are at your fingertips. Master lighting switches and the thermostat are conveniently located by the door. Bedside lamps are designed for reading in bed and nightstands have built in plugs. Wireless internet is available throughout the hotel, and each guest room has a 42” LCD entertainment center.

Sleeping is an experience in being enveloped in a luxurious cocoon. The sumptuous bedding includes custom-designed mattresses and sheets that were selected only after extensive testing for quality by the owners.

Attention to detail is perhaps most apparent in what isn’t there. No collateral material disrupts the view. Service directories and stationery items are discretely tucked away in a drawer in an elegant business box. The safe in another drawer is spacious enough for a laptop and has a plug for recharging while you are away.

CD players are set during nightly turndown service to sounds of waterfalls or ocean waves. Phones were specifically designed for One Ocean with a One Touch button for all your needs. Both have been carefully selected for ease of use and as part of the tapestry of sea hues.

The resort

This one-of-a-kind property is named One Ocean for its location on One Ocean Boulevard. It is in the seaside community of Atlantic Beach in the often less discovered Northeast Florida.

One Ocean is the first luxury resort in Remington’s new signature Gallery Collection, each designed to be unique and authentic to its region. This is a place a place to be pampered, to indulge your yearnings, and to expand your creative horizons.

THE ART OF LUXURY

Creative experiences

Photography is at the center. The signature gallery features works that capture the natural beauty of the area by American lifestyle photographer Greg Whitaker. Different combinations of his beach scene photographs are hung in each guest room.

Jennifer Brum, certified professional photographer, is the One Ocean Photography Docent. She offers classes and workshops on camera and Photoshop basics and photo safaris for all ages and group sizes. Enhance your photographic skills, test your creativity, or learn to make the most of your new camera.

Culinary delights

All tables have an ocean view at the resort’s signature restaurant, Azuréa, named for the color of the sea. Chef Ted Peters, a magna cum laude graduate of Johnson and Wales in Providence, RI, is the Executive Chef. His work has taken him from the Ritz-Carlton in Boston and Amelia Island to the Savoy in London and Auberge de l’Abbaye in France.

His elegant and sophisticated dishes are presented as works of art. It’s an eclectic Contemporary Coastal Cuisine that fuses the cultures of the Florida coast—European, Caribbean, and the Americas.

Chef Peters uses the locavor philosophy, designing his ever-changing menu around the freshest and most healthful local ingredients available. Meats are all natural and game is from prestigious U. S. farms.

A five or seven course tasting menu, The Adventurous Palate, is available by advance reservation for those, Chef Peters says, with “an open mind and an empty stomach.” Groups of six may reserve the Chef’s table. Wine pairings complement the menu.

Breakfast is on the oceanfront terrace, and toast is accompanied by jelly made fresh every day. A favorite is a fresh fruit plate with scrumptious dried fruit compote tossed in honey.

Casual fare is available at the poolside Bar & Grille or the Lobby Bar and Lounge, where the mirror above the bar reflects television programs. In-room dining is available 24 hours a day.

There is also a veterinarian-approved pet menu and a pet amenity consisting of a placemat, two bowls, dog treats, and toys.

Want to recreate your dining experience at home? Interactive cooking classes are offered.

The Spa: Salus per aquium

The $2.1 million 5-star spa is designed, according to Resort Spa Director Alia Trickey, to create “a cocoon of tranquility and oceanfront relaxation”. There are special areas for meditation, relaxation and wellness treatments and separate lounges for men and women.

Massage therapy, body treatments, facials and skin care and salon services are offered in luxurious treatment rooms, each named for a life cycle of the turtle. All tables are heated to your preference, and each room has individually controlled air conditioning.

The relaxation area for men features a big screen television, and the one for women includes a salon for hair and nail care and a whirlpool bath. Suites with Swiss steam showers cater to couples, bridal parties, or other groups. Continue to relax after your treatments in the meditative lounge, which overlooks the ocean and features a refreshment bar with complimentary anti-oxidant-rich organic juices and a smoothie of the day.

The Phytomer skincare products, in keeping with the spa’s marine surroundings, are in hues of blue, aqua, green, sand, and pearl. They are all-natural and derived from seaweed, algae, and pure seawater harvested from the Brittany coast of France. With the principle of salus per aquium, health through water, the spa treatments are part of seawater based therapeutic program known as thalassotherapy.

Several packages are offered, and no one should leave without trying at least one of the signature treatments. Treasures of the Sea is a relaxing and refreshing lymph drainage style massage. A silky concentrated seawater gel drenches and moisturizes the body as targeted serums relax tight muscles and drain congested areas. It’s sheer bliss.

The Seashell Massage reinvents an ancient art of healing with smooth heated tiger clam seashells. It is designed to relieve sore muscles, joints, and stress, and a portion of proceeds benefit Sea Turtle Atlantic.

Outdoor Activities

Be as active as you choose. The beach and pool are just outside the door.

Play in the ocean, relax by the pool, or collect seashells on the seemingly endless white sandy beach. Bask in the sun and watch for frolicking dolphin.

The state-of-the-art Fitness Center is open 24 hrs a day. It features personal viewing screens, free weights, and a personal trainer. The physical fitness menu includes Sunrise Yoga, Breath and Mindful Meditation, Tai Chi, and the One Ocean power walk, all on the beach.

The colorful Kids Club has an ocean story book theme, and offers adventures and beach activities for those aged 2-12.

One Ocean partners with tour companies and recreational centers and your docent will tailor your adventure or rental to your interests Go deep sea fishing or sailing, join a tall ship cruise, or go horseback riding on the beach. Take a helicopter, bicycle, or eco- tour. Go birding or visit an alligator farm. Go on a shopping excursion for works of art. Boat, Jet Ski, or kayak. Learn surfboarding or try surf fishing. Test your Olympic aspirations in a game of beach volleyball.

Golf more to your liking? Your docent will press your golf shirt and schedule a tee time. Queen’s Harbour Yacht & Country Club is built around freshwater yacht basin on 1,000 acres of woodlands and is just four miles from the hotel.

It features an 18-hole, par 72 championship Mark McCumber Royal Course and a private club experience. Golf instruction is offered.

One Ocean is also a romantic setting for weddings. Many couples opt to have to ceremony on the beach.

Footsteps away

Atlantic Boulevard’s Town Center begins just outside One Ocean’s front door. It’s a great place to browse for books, art, jewelry, or resort wear. Try a new flavor of ice cream. Indulge in fine chocolate. Dining options range from hot wieners to elegant continental cuisine. By night, the area is a nightlife hub.

A free trolley system began as a pilot project for the 2008 summer season making stops at points of interest between South Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Town Center in Atlantic Beach every 15-20 minutes.

Fans of John Grisham may want to venture farther to Pete’s Bar, a pool hall and the oldest continuously operating bar in Northeast Florida. The novelist hung out here and mentioned the place in The Brethren.

Farther afield, if driving, head east and sample some of the local catch from the shrimp boats in the coastal village and naval base of Mayport.

An ultimate getaway

Beyond serene and elegant setting, there is the opportunity to explore your surroundings and to expand your horizons, to savor fine wines and cuisine, and to discover a new interest or talent. You may choose to simply sit back and indulge in the pampering, comfort, and luxury as an art form. In any case, you will leave One Ocean relaxed, renewed and ready for your next adventure.

One Ocean is about 25 miles from Jacksonville International Airport. A variety of package plans are available.