Savannah trip report ... and thanks everyone!
 

Thanks to everyone who helped with suggestions and advice for our first trip to Savannah. We were there Wednesday, 9.1 to Monday, 9.6 and had a great time!
I can't remember who recommended the Zeigler House, but you were right -- it was just perfect! We stayed in the Lafayette room, on the lower level, with our own entrance & courtyard. It was beautiful, and the innkeepers didn't miss any details.

We ate some wonderful meals, at Elizabeth on 37th, Savannah Bistro, Garibaldi's, Lady & Sons. Had drinks at the Six Pence Pub, and at a (new?) tapas place called jazz'd --that was a lot of fun, relatively upscale with live music.

Took a horse-drawn carriage ride around town, visited Owens-Thomas House and Telfair Art Museum, Colonial Cemetery, Bonaventure Cemetery and Tybee Island. We even drove down to Amelia Island, Florida, for the day Saturday to visit my husband's family & childhood friends.

And oh yeah, went in & out of Savannah Candy Kitchen several times a day for the free praline samples! We bought a TON of candy, too, so we didn't feel too guilty!

Fortunately for us, we took our vacation prior to Labor Day and left for home just as Georgia was starting to get pounded with heavy rains & strong winds.

I just wanted to express my appreciation again for all of the kind advice I received on this board!

Ahh, I can still taste those free samples :D
Glad you had a good time, I loved Savannah on our visit and look forward to going back when it is much cooler ~

blrn1 -
It was me that recommended the Zeigler House to you. I'm so happy you like it! Isn't Diane sweet? We also stayed in Lafayette room, and would stay no other place when we return to Savannah.

I'm impressed how much you did on your trip! Put us to shame! How was Tybee Island? We did not go because we were told it was "tacky".

Zeigler House sounds like a pleasanat place, but I'm concerned about the noise possibility. When we've stayed in Savannah, we always heard noise at night-- except when we once stayed at the Hyatt on the river. I'd much rather not stay on the riverfront, would rather stay in the historic district-- but how can there not be sounds from traffic on those streets? We also always seem to be there when there's trash pick-up very early in the morning. We've been avoiding Savannah on recent drives to Florida and doing Charleston instead-- just bec. I've found some very quiet inns in Charleston. Would much appreciate if someone would comment on the noise factor at Zeigler. Is it truly very quiet? (we're awful sleepers, esp when we travel) Thank you!

It could not be quieter at Zeigler House. It is on a beautiful quiet street, blocks away from the Riverfront, but convenient to walk to all.

I have a really hard time sleeping period, never mind in an unfamiliar place. I have never - no lie - slept better than I did at the Zeigler House. They have this awesome mattress - you have to experience it yourself. It is SO very peaceful to sit out on your own patio, go into your own studio apartment via a side street entrance. We never heard a word from the street, nor from other guests in the inn. You would have thought we were the only ones there. The walls are very thick old grey Savannah brick, so that may have something to do with it.

Your would not

Thanks for the recommendation, wanderer! I am so glad we stayed there. The area was very quiet...now that I think about it, there was one noisy garbage truck, but that was in the middle of the afternoon. I remember because I was outside reading my book in the courtyard. Other than that, nothing!

Tybee Island was okay. It was just such a beautiful day, we felt we should be outside, near water, and since we'd never been, we wanted to check it out. The beach isn't that large, but because people had sort of panicked and left because Frances was a few days away, it wasn't crowded. I imagine it could get very crowded, though, because there were a ton of condos to rent. There was a big pier, and bunch of little shops and casual restaurants nearby.

Thanks for the reply about noise. I wasn't able to pull up a website for Zeigler House by the way. What is it, please? Also-- another hesitation I have is that I've almost never seen such a "push" for a place as one sees on the Trip Advisor site. It's obviously not a totally legit (disinterested) report. If it's not exactly "paid" advertising, it has to be something of that sort. The "ratings" just simply don't ring true-- nothing but raves. Zeigler House clearly has some kind of "claque" rooting for them. I guess I'll be more convinced if I see some objective reports. There's simply no way that place can be superior to some of the long standbys in that city. In any case, it does sound like an inn we could be interested in, so I hope to hear more. (tho we generally prefer inns to B&B's, and my sense is that Zeigler is more like a B&B?)

Poss:
Here's the Ziegler House web site. I had the same concerns as you did. When we were looking for a place, it seemed everything nice was pretty pricey. We also knew we liked places where we could get up and get our own coffee, etc., and not be forced to sit at a table with 12 others for breakfast at a set time. The fact that Ziegler offers a living room, kitchen and outside patio in addition to the bedroom and bathroom, and also a private entrance really appealed to us. Diane - the owner - also asked us what we wanted to eat and drink in the AM, and then shopped for our food, and stocked the frig prior to our arrival, along with setting our fresh flowers.

It is this attention to detail that really sets Ziegler apart. They are neither an inn nor a B&B, but sort of a collection of 4 high-end apartments, with a common area where you can sit with the owners if you wish to go over suggestions, directions, etc. That is where you meet them when you arrive, to go over maps, and they tell you the history of the house, give you a sense of the area, etc.

When we were brought to our room at Ziegler, we had 2 nights planned there and 3 in Charleston. I immediately wanted to reverse that. We stayed at a beautiful Inn in Charleston, but nothing matched our experience at Ziegler. Quiet, relaxing, great hosts, perfect location - and that great bed.

I was very, very hesitant to book Ziegler, as I could not find them in any guidebook. However, I do trust tripadvisor, as I often find really bad reviews on there for properties, and so we took a chance. I am so glad we did. For the $$ you pay, relative to other places, nothing even comes close.

I am not a "plant". My husband and I love to travel, and since I found this only on tripadvisor, I thought it would be helpful to others to share my experience.

I hope you go - I think you would love it! We stayed in Lafayette, which we loved, but all the other apartments looked equally nice. There was nothing like sitting out on our back patio at night with a glass of wine, reading until dark, and then retiring to our living room to watch TV, or walking to a restaurant for dinner.

http://www.zeiglerhousesavannah.com/