Jacksonville Riverfront Area vs. Jacksonville Beach

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Any opinions on staying in the riverfront/downtown area of Jacksonville versus the beach? There is an Omni in downtown Jacksonville, with riverfront room, but most sites show it as a three star, and given that, I would prefer to stay at either the Hyatt or Hilton on the River, or the Marriott at the beach, all of which have high speed internet access. I have a feeling there is not much to do at the beach but lay out and I might prefer being in town, instead, and simply driving to the beach as desired.

 

Any thoughts or comments would be welcome, particularly from recent visitors or natives.

 

Thank you.