I was feeling nervous driving to a family wedding at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida, with my three-year-old and seven-month-old in the back seat. Would a luxury hotel room feel like a prison cell with our family of four crammed in? Would a gourmet dinner induce an anxiety attack as I tried to keep a baby from wailing and a pre-schooler from singing “Old McDonald Had a Farm”? Would an expensive weekend be more torture than vacation?

The answer to all my worries: No! We had a wonderful time. The bride, a mother herself, did a great job of including the kids in everything. But it was more than that. This hotel is extremely kid-friendly. There were things for kids to color at every meal, bonfires on the beach at night with roasted marshmallows and a storyteller (my daughter is still talking about a pirate tale she heard), and dance lessons in the lobby that children were encouraged to join. There is a great playground and kiddie pool. There are plenty of other activities that we didn’t have time to join (shark tooth hunt, anyone?), but we will definitely try them next time, because we are already planning a family vacation there.

The rates are reasonable, as luxury hotels go. And as far as all of us being in a hotel room, it was no problem. There was a crib for my son. My husband and I put both children to bed and sat on the balcony enjoying the view and a quiet bit of conversation until they fell asleep, which didn’t take long. They were tired from all that fun!