Plasencia Group has announced Amelia Island Plantation resort will be sold at auction on August 23, 2010. The four diamond resort has continued operations during its reorganization and pending sale, and the summer season has been busy at the Amelia Island resort. One “preferred” bidder has already emerged but reports indicate additional potential buyers are anticipated to bid.
Visitors continue to enjoy this amenity-rich oceanfront resort that covers much of the southend of Amelia Island, Florida. Recently sold out for the July 4th holiday weekend, the luxury resort with four golf courses, spa, and 23 clay tennis courts reportedly could have record bookings in July 2010. Located in northeast Florida, July and August are the height of the tourist season on Amelia Island. Northeast Florida destinations have also been drawing some business lost from the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of the BP oil spill which has not entered east coast Atlantic waters.
Having a presence on Amelia Island since the 1970s, Amelia Island Plantation is an expansive property, with 1,350 acres crossing the island from beach to riverbank. A self-contained world of its own, AIP features a shopping village, several restaurants and resort transportation system. Amelia Island Plantation is one of the largest employers in Nassau County, Florida.
Many would agree that it was Amelia Island Plantation that put Amelia Island on the map. Summer Beach Resort followed, developing oceanfront property and building a golf course, Golf Club of Amelia, in the 1980s. Then came the Ritz-Carlton around around 1991.
According to Plasencia Group’s news release, “Amelia Island Company retained The Plasencia Group to maximize the value of the company’s assets for all stakeholders by conducting an auction pursuant to section 363 of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Through this process, Noble Hospitality Fund Acquisitions, LLC has emerged as the stalking horse bidder with an offer of $47.4 million.”
Amelia Island Plantation is not just a vacation and corporate meeting destination. The property offers resort-style living at the seaside and opportunity to join an exclusive golf club. Many people live behind the gated entries on Amelia Island Plantation. Considered an exclusive address in northeast Florida, Amelia Island Plantation’s luxury waterfront real estate offers over 3 miles of beachfront plus marshfront property. From the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast to the Amelia River/Intracoastal on the west coast, people can choose from living along the dunes on the ocean, on the river with deepwater dockage, or fronting lush green golf fairways and lakes. For those who want to buy a view, take note. There are some villas where you can watch the sunrise over the ocean and also see the sunset over the river to the west by just walking across your living space. (Since the southern tip of Amelia Island narrows, some of the villa buildings toward the south end of AIP offer this amazing view.)
As mentioned previously on Amelia Island Living’s FACEBOOK page, it appears Amelia Island Plantation may have several potential buyers bidding for the resort property. (See Florida Times-Union article…)
ABOUT THE ATLANTA FIRM, NOBLE INVESTMENTS, AIP’S “PREFERRED BIDDER”
The “preferred” bidder and “potential new owner” of Amelia Island’s largest luxury resort, Amelia Island Plantation — an Atlanta firm, Noble Investments — reportedly is “cautiously optimistic” it will win the auction process. (Amelia Island Plantation has been operating under Chapter 11 since the fall of 2009.) Nobel, who reportedly had been interested in AIP before the bankruptcy filing, expects the resort to come out of the process and be successful. SOURCE: Florida Times-Union.