Jekyll, Tybee, St. Simon, Cumberland....OR???
Jan 9th, 2015, 10:14 AM
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Jekyll, Tybee, St. Simon, Cumberland....OR???
I would love to drive to this part of the country for our summer vacay in July. We would have about 7 days to relax with our family (ages 10, 8 and 4). We love the beach, nature, a few activities for the kids and some charming shopping (nothing high end luxury, just cute home decorating stores!) Not knowing much about what each of these islands offer and how they differ, which would you recommend and why? And, what part of that island is best? Can you take day trips to each island? We will have our own car. Should we rent or bring our own bikes? Thanks so much for the info!
Rachel
Rachel
Jan 9th, 2015, 10:34 AM
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I have been to Jekyll and Tybee and I prefer Jekyll. There was just more to do and see there. Tybee was kind of sleepy and other than the beach not much there. For Cumberland you have to take a ferry to get there from St. Mary's Ga. There is one inn on the island and that is it. Very natural and you have to bring all your supplies with you. Have not been to St. Simon so can't offer anything on that.
Jan 9th, 2015, 12:20 PM
#3
They are all barrier islands and all up the coast from one another. Most of the barrier islands were privately owned at one time.
Cumberland is an almost deserted island. Visitors today have two options. If you want to go for the day and/or camp, take the park service ferry from St. Mary's GA. Miles of beaches and wild horses. Remnants of mansions left over from former owners. There is a mansion still operating as a high end inn. All inclusive and $500 a couple is about the least you can stay there and that's in a shared bath room. That's the Greyfield and their private ferry leaves from Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island in Florida.
Up the coast are Jekyll and St. Simons. You get to both via bridges from Brunswick on the coast. They are very similar and very different. SSI is "fancier" with more shops and restaurants. Beaches aren't great. Off SSI's coast is Sea Island with the very exclusive Cloister resort.
Jekyll used to be the winter resort of the world's wealthiest. When they were on island in their "cottages", 1/10 of the world's wealth was on this little island. The historic cottages are still there on the marsh side, next to the historic Jekyll Island Club. It's a nice little area to tour and they are buggy rides and always a wedding going on over weekends. Fairy tail setting. There's a very good restaurant on the marsh and then the rest of the island is pretty much residential. On the sea side of the island are the hotels. When the island was sold to the state in the 50s, the design was to create a getaway for the middle class. All of the hotels were built at the same time and they have aged. A few years ago, there was an optimistic plan to revamp Jekyll and a lot of folks (including me) weren't that happy with that plan. Thanks to the recession, the original plan was downsized considerably. There is a new roundabout as you come onto the island and a brand new gorgeous conference center. A new Westin has just gone up. The little shopping center that held the handful of stores was torn down and some of the stores are in modular in a former parking lot (isn't as bad as it seems). My favorite hotel has been gutted and is being transformed into a new Holiday Inn. The old HI has been torn down. The first "new" hotel built was the Hampton Inn. The other hotels that are there are older and basic but all are clean and good for families. A lot of people rent houses on the island. The island is small and no matter where you stay, you are not far from the beach. Most folks walk or ride bikes to the beaches. The Jekyll beaches are long and stretch forever. There's a gorgeous Driftwood Beach. There's a fishing pier. One family runs a horseback riding concession there. There's a tabby ruin. You can bike all over the island safely and the total gain in elevation is 4 ft. There's a little mini-golf for families and a nice golf course. There's a new Sea Turtle Rescue center that's great! There are only a handful of restaurants and they are scattered around the island, next to the hotels. My favorite one in the shopping center (Zachary's) has moved to the mainland. A lot of the hotels have kitchenettes. I love going to the seafood market in Brunswick and do shrimp boils in my efficiency (that I hope will still be an efficiency as a HI room). There's a 4H center than most of GA school kids go to in 4th or 5th grade and they do a great marsh kayak tour. There's a summer waves park open in summer and there used to be a summer theater production (don't know if they still do it). The ocean water at Jekyll is brownish. It's not dirty, it's "stained" by the tannins from the marsh. Think "tea water". Beautiful beaches, low waves for bodysurfing but not gorgeous water. It's one of my favorite places on earth. We'd come back from vacations in Hawaii or the Caribbean and still do our week in Jekyll.
Tybee is a funky little island about 20 miles from Savannah. It's small and has a few hotels, a lot of rentals and plenty of restaurants. The beaches are nice. You can still bike around, but it's far "busier" than Jekyll.
The OR??? could be the SC barrier islands that continue the line of islands up the coast. The other islands off the coast of GA are privately owned or have limited access, such as Sapelo.
Have fun!
Cumberland is an almost deserted island. Visitors today have two options. If you want to go for the day and/or camp, take the park service ferry from St. Mary's GA. Miles of beaches and wild horses. Remnants of mansions left over from former owners. There is a mansion still operating as a high end inn. All inclusive and $500 a couple is about the least you can stay there and that's in a shared bath room. That's the Greyfield and their private ferry leaves from Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island in Florida.
Up the coast are Jekyll and St. Simons. You get to both via bridges from Brunswick on the coast. They are very similar and very different. SSI is "fancier" with more shops and restaurants. Beaches aren't great. Off SSI's coast is Sea Island with the very exclusive Cloister resort.
Jekyll used to be the winter resort of the world's wealthiest. When they were on island in their "cottages", 1/10 of the world's wealth was on this little island. The historic cottages are still there on the marsh side, next to the historic Jekyll Island Club. It's a nice little area to tour and they are buggy rides and always a wedding going on over weekends. Fairy tail setting. There's a very good restaurant on the marsh and then the rest of the island is pretty much residential. On the sea side of the island are the hotels. When the island was sold to the state in the 50s, the design was to create a getaway for the middle class. All of the hotels were built at the same time and they have aged. A few years ago, there was an optimistic plan to revamp Jekyll and a lot of folks (including me) weren't that happy with that plan. Thanks to the recession, the original plan was downsized considerably. There is a new roundabout as you come onto the island and a brand new gorgeous conference center. A new Westin has just gone up. The little shopping center that held the handful of stores was torn down and some of the stores are in modular in a former parking lot (isn't as bad as it seems). My favorite hotel has been gutted and is being transformed into a new Holiday Inn. The old HI has been torn down. The first "new" hotel built was the Hampton Inn. The other hotels that are there are older and basic but all are clean and good for families. A lot of people rent houses on the island. The island is small and no matter where you stay, you are not far from the beach. Most folks walk or ride bikes to the beaches. The Jekyll beaches are long and stretch forever. There's a gorgeous Driftwood Beach. There's a fishing pier. One family runs a horseback riding concession there. There's a tabby ruin. You can bike all over the island safely and the total gain in elevation is 4 ft. There's a little mini-golf for families and a nice golf course. There's a new Sea Turtle Rescue center that's great! There are only a handful of restaurants and they are scattered around the island, next to the hotels. My favorite one in the shopping center (Zachary's) has moved to the mainland. A lot of the hotels have kitchenettes. I love going to the seafood market in Brunswick and do shrimp boils in my efficiency (that I hope will still be an efficiency as a HI room). There's a 4H center than most of GA school kids go to in 4th or 5th grade and they do a great marsh kayak tour. There's a summer waves park open in summer and there used to be a summer theater production (don't know if they still do it). The ocean water at Jekyll is brownish. It's not dirty, it's "stained" by the tannins from the marsh. Think "tea water". Beautiful beaches, low waves for bodysurfing but not gorgeous water. It's one of my favorite places on earth. We'd come back from vacations in Hawaii or the Caribbean and still do our week in Jekyll.
Tybee is a funky little island about 20 miles from Savannah. It's small and has a few hotels, a lot of rentals and plenty of restaurants. The beaches are nice. You can still bike around, but it's far "busier" than Jekyll.
The OR??? could be the SC barrier islands that continue the line of islands up the coast. The other islands off the coast of GA are privately owned or have limited access, such as Sapelo.
Have fun!
Jan 9th, 2015, 01:46 PM
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I haven't been to Tybee, but I've been to the other 3 islands. I think Cumberland Island is too isolated with too little for a family to do. I think St. Simon's Island is too built up. But I think Jekyll Island is "just right".
We've been going to JI for the past 30 years and it became a favorite family vacation spot once we had kids. Starrs has given you a very good description of the island. As you can see there's lots to do for a family--going to the Summer Waves waterpark, riding bikes, swimming, fishing, touring the millionaire mansions, visiting the little shops, kayaking, playing minigolf, and just hanging out on the beach.
Since you plan to be there a week, it would make sense to take your own bicycles if possible. A week's rental for your family would run into $$$. And you are likely to want to ride your bikes somewhere everyday.
For a family, you might want to look into renting a condo at Villas by the Sea. These are privately-owned vacation condos which they rent out on behalf of the owners. We have always liked staying there because it gives us a full kitchen, living room and either patio/balcony in addition to our separate bedrooms. We are able to save money by preparing some of our own meals. (It's best to pick up groceries in Brunswick before you drive onto the island.) The pool is really nice at Villas by the Sea and it is located under trees so you can avoid being in direct sunlight. They also have a little playground for the kids and a small fitness room for the adults.
We've been going to JI for the past 30 years and it became a favorite family vacation spot once we had kids. Starrs has given you a very good description of the island. As you can see there's lots to do for a family--going to the Summer Waves waterpark, riding bikes, swimming, fishing, touring the millionaire mansions, visiting the little shops, kayaking, playing minigolf, and just hanging out on the beach.
Since you plan to be there a week, it would make sense to take your own bicycles if possible. A week's rental for your family would run into $$$. And you are likely to want to ride your bikes somewhere everyday.
For a family, you might want to look into renting a condo at Villas by the Sea. These are privately-owned vacation condos which they rent out on behalf of the owners. We have always liked staying there because it gives us a full kitchen, living room and either patio/balcony in addition to our separate bedrooms. We are able to save money by preparing some of our own meals. (It's best to pick up groceries in Brunswick before you drive onto the island.) The pool is really nice at Villas by the Sea and it is located under trees so you can avoid being in direct sunlight. They also have a little playground for the kids and a small fitness room for the adults.
Jan 10th, 2015, 07:36 AM
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Thank you all sooo much. Extremely helpful. If we stayed on Jekyll, which seems the thing to do, could we day trip to SSI or Cumberland and would you recommend? Or instead hit Savannah?
Jan 10th, 2015, 08:00 AM
#6
All three.
SSI is not a day trip. It's "next door".
18 miles and 26 minutes (use google maps to see the route)
Coastal Kitchen is my favorite restaurant.
St. Marys, GA is 47 miles and 54 minutes but you need to check in for the ferry 30 minutes before to go to Cumberland (make reservations)
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisi...servations.htm
Savannah is 93 miles and 1.5 hours and interstate most of the way.
If you are going to be on Jekyll for a week and have a place to cook, even if it's just a grill, stop at City Market in Brunswick to buy seafood -
http://www.citymarketseafood.com/
SSI is not a day trip. It's "next door".
18 miles and 26 minutes (use google maps to see the route)
Coastal Kitchen is my favorite restaurant.
St. Marys, GA is 47 miles and 54 minutes but you need to check in for the ferry 30 minutes before to go to Cumberland (make reservations)
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisi...servations.htm
Savannah is 93 miles and 1.5 hours and interstate most of the way.
If you are going to be on Jekyll for a week and have a place to cook, even if it's just a grill, stop at City Market in Brunswick to buy seafood -
http://www.citymarketseafood.com/
Jan 10th, 2015, 08:05 AM
#7
I have no idea if you are a reader or interested in history, but a writer (who moved to SSI) incorporated SSI history in a series of novels -
http://www.amazon.com/Eugenia-Price/...0909506&sr=1-1
http://www.gacoast.com/navigator/ep2.html
http://www.amazon.com/Eugenia-Price/...0909506&sr=1-1
http://www.gacoast.com/navigator/ep2.html
Jan 10th, 2015, 08:27 AM
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We love Tybee but is very sleepy, great beaches though. Cumberland is a good day trip and the ferry ride is nice. Best thing is you are close to Savannah so if you get bored you can be there in 20 min from Tybee.
Jan 12th, 2015, 06:17 AM
#11
I know a lot of people like Villas by the Sea, but I don't. Good friends have gone for decades too. The entire complex is too "dark" for me. Can't believe I'm saying that, because shade is usually good at the beach, but I really don't like it. IF you know the rental you want/like, I might rent there. But the quality of the rental condos vary so widely.
I always stayed at the Oceanside Inn and Suites (and the various names before it). It's now a Holiday Inn property. The hotel stretches out along 1/4 mile of the best beach on the island with grassy lawn between the hotel and the beach. Access across the dune via stairs. Just absolutely gorgeous. Most of the rooms are ocean view, with either a patio opening to the grass on the lower level or a balcony on the second level. The last building in the complex has room facing away from the beach but 80% (guess, may be higher) or oceanview (really oceanfront). Pool in the middle. Great sidewalk to walk/bike. I can't wait to go back to see what IHG has done with the reno. It looks like they have taken out most of the efficiencies (full kitchen) but the rooms have microwaves and refrigerators. The Westin is also brand new and the Hampton Inn was the newest before now. Both are on the good beach side of the island.
http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnresorts...ji/hoteldetail
I always stayed at the Oceanside Inn and Suites (and the various names before it). It's now a Holiday Inn property. The hotel stretches out along 1/4 mile of the best beach on the island with grassy lawn between the hotel and the beach. Access across the dune via stairs. Just absolutely gorgeous. Most of the rooms are ocean view, with either a patio opening to the grass on the lower level or a balcony on the second level. The last building in the complex has room facing away from the beach but 80% (guess, may be higher) or oceanview (really oceanfront). Pool in the middle. Great sidewalk to walk/bike. I can't wait to go back to see what IHG has done with the reno. It looks like they have taken out most of the efficiencies (full kitchen) but the rooms have microwaves and refrigerators. The Westin is also brand new and the Hampton Inn was the newest before now. Both are on the good beach side of the island.
http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnresorts...ji/hoteldetail
Jan 12th, 2015, 09:19 AM
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The beach at Villas by the Sea is unaccessable at high tide when the water comes up to the rocks. If we want to swim at high tide, we just drive down to another beach area. At other times, the beach at Villas by the Sea is very nice.
I have to say that we have rented many different condos at Villas by the Sea during our 30 years of going there, and we have always been happy with the condos they assigned us. (We don't choose particular ones.) We have never been in one which was dirty or had uncomfortable beds--things I can't tolerate. Also, we like having all the trees and shade around Villas by the Sea (especially when we went there with our fair-skinned kids), but it's not for everyone.
I have to say that we have rented many different condos at Villas by the Sea during our 30 years of going there, and we have always been happy with the condos they assigned us. (We don't choose particular ones.) We have never been in one which was dirty or had uncomfortable beds--things I can't tolerate. Also, we like having all the trees and shade around Villas by the Sea (especially when we went there with our fair-skinned kids), but it's not for everyone.
Jan 12th, 2015, 09:27 AM
#13
longhorn, my friends who love Villas by the Sea alternate between there and the Ritz on Amelia Island, so I'm sure it's nice and your repeated experience speaks very highly for it. They have asked to switch condos after check-in so I'm not sure of the details. The rooms at the Oceanside were getting "worn" so constant use = wear and tear.
I adore the expansiveness of the Oceanside. We have literally come back from Maui or St. Croix and still felt "ahhhh" when we return to the Oceanside's lawn and view and palm tree and pool. I can't wait to see what the IHG has done to spruce it up!
It's all just personal preference. I'm sure rfrank will enjoy whatever they choose.
I adore the expansiveness of the Oceanside. We have literally come back from Maui or St. Croix and still felt "ahhhh" when we return to the Oceanside's lawn and view and palm tree and pool. I can't wait to see what the IHG has done to spruce it up!
It's all just personal preference. I'm sure rfrank will enjoy whatever they choose.
Jan 13th, 2015, 05:10 AM
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Thank you both. I'm really torn. IHG seems to be more expensive ($250/night versus $200 at Villas) and not having my own washer/dryer and kitchen with 3 kids is really what's throwing me. I like the convenience of being able to do laundry and cook meals in as it can get quite expensive to eat out with 5 people every meal. The description on IHG's site says nothing about a fridge or micro so guess I'll call later today and find out more info. Again, thank you both for the great information
Jan 13th, 2015, 05:30 AM
#15
Calling is a good idea. I found the micro/fridge info on the room descriptions. Most of the rooms were efficiencies and I was curious if they kept the small kitchen with full fridge in the renovation. It appears not. It was a great place for kids because you could cook the basics in the room. They also had washers and dryers to use. Not in the room but in an area between the buildings. Call and ask those questions.
I always chose a 2nd floor room with balcony, but families often chose the ground floor rooms. There were often little red wagons parked on the patio, outside the door, loaded up with beach toys on ready. Big grass lawn for the kids to play. There was sand volleyball, pool, bikes to rent, all on that beautiful grassy stretch between hotel and ocean. There was a restaurant and sometimes the room fare included a free breakfast. Ask about that too.
Here are some pics -
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...te-balcony.jpg
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...m-our-room.jpg
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...inn-suites.jpg
http://cdn3.agoda.net/hotelimages/46...231119_STD.jpg
This is the far end building. There's one more hotel behind this building, then a residential area and the Villas would be around the curve of the island. The pretty long stretch of beach pretty much ends at this point.
http://squadblogdotcom.files.wordpre...3/dscn3720.jpg
The big white tent is the wedding/reception tent for the last hotel on that stretch. The Oceanside is on the left side of the picture -
http://squadblogdotcom.files.wordpre...3/dscn3769.jpg
Rooms at the end of the complex -
http://media.merchantcircle.com/2510..._pan_full.jpeg
^^^ pretty picture
Hotel, grass, sidewalk, dunes with beach below -
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...lcony-view.jpg
Theses pictures are pre-reno -
http://www.hotels.com/ho112649/holid...united-states/
I always chose a 2nd floor room with balcony, but families often chose the ground floor rooms. There were often little red wagons parked on the patio, outside the door, loaded up with beach toys on ready. Big grass lawn for the kids to play. There was sand volleyball, pool, bikes to rent, all on that beautiful grassy stretch between hotel and ocean. There was a restaurant and sometimes the room fare included a free breakfast. Ask about that too.
Here are some pics -
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...te-balcony.jpg
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...m-our-room.jpg
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...inn-suites.jpg
http://cdn3.agoda.net/hotelimages/46...231119_STD.jpg
This is the far end building. There's one more hotel behind this building, then a residential area and the Villas would be around the curve of the island. The pretty long stretch of beach pretty much ends at this point.
http://squadblogdotcom.files.wordpre...3/dscn3720.jpg
The big white tent is the wedding/reception tent for the last hotel on that stretch. The Oceanside is on the left side of the picture -
http://squadblogdotcom.files.wordpre...3/dscn3769.jpg
Rooms at the end of the complex -
http://media.merchantcircle.com/2510..._pan_full.jpeg
^^^ pretty picture
Hotel, grass, sidewalk, dunes with beach below -
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...lcony-view.jpg
Theses pictures are pre-reno -
http://www.hotels.com/ho112649/holid...united-states/
