Kingston recently started school on a Thursday, and we decided the best way to celebrate was to bust him out at lunchtime and head down to Hammock Beach Resort for one last weekend hurrah! Located in Palm Coast (just about an hour south of Jacksonville), the oceanfront resort features first-class amenities and has become one of our favorite weekend getaway spots. We stayed in a HUGE 3 bedroom ocean view suite and loved that it offered all the comforts of home, plus the amenities of a luxury resort. It’s really hard to beat coffee on a balcony overlooking the ocean each morning!

We love that Hammock Beach offers so many activities for the whole family to enjoy! If relaxation is at the top of your vacay priority list, you can sit by a pool, float down the lazy river, spend a morning at the luxurious spa, or simply relax on the private beach and enjoy the Florida sunshine. The resort provides beach chairs, umbrellas, and towels to make your time in the sand as relaxing as possible.

Golf enthusiasts can practice on the 9-hole putting green or play at one of the resort’s 2 courses designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. The Ocean Course has six holes that run along the coastline, and the Conservatory Course sits on 140 acres of land and features several lakes and waterfalls. It’s also the longest course in the state! And even though we don’t golf, we get why people are so excited to come from all over the world and play at Hammock Beach!

If you like to stay active even during your downtime, you can enjoy a friendly game on the beach volleyball courts (Anderson played a few games!) or take it up a notch at the state-of-the-art tennis complex. Take a bike ride with the resort’s bike rental services, explore scenic hiking and jogging trails, or work out in the state-of-the-art 24-hour fitness center. Also, you’ll probably want to venture out to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. It’s only a few miles north of the resort and absolutely beautiful!

With 4 on-site restaurants, you don’t even have to leave the property to eat! We had an incredible dinner while overlooking the ocean one night at the Atlantic Grille and grabbed quick bites by the pool throughout our stay at the Ocean Bar. It was so nice to eat right by the pool without having to leave the area.

We spent most of our time at Hammock Beach enjoying the Fantasy Pool Complex, a 2-story water pavilion at the center of the resort that features 6 pools, a 65-foot slide, 30-foot waterfalls, hot tubs, a lazy river, 2 splash pools, and a kid’s pool with a sandy beach area for digging and castle building. There’s also an indoor pool that comes in handy during those Florida summer afternoon showers. Kingston absolutely loved the water slide and spent an entire afternoon sliding over and over again! This pool area is perfect for families with kids, because they can run around to the different areas and have a little freedom while mom and dad relax by the pool!

We love having a resort of this size so close to Jacksonville that has a true “beach vacation” vibe, and we don’t even have to leave Northeast Florida! And get ready for this: right now, you can enter to win a 3-night family getaway in a 3-bedroom ocean view condominium at Hammock Beach Resort!