We will be in Charleston and Savannah in mid-May and would like to spend 2 or 3 days in one of the nearby islands. We like to bike, kayak, swim and enjoy the beach. We'd prefer a place not too touristy, but with reasonable accomodations.
How do Jeckyll and St. Simon compare with the South Carolina islands? Any info/suggestions would be appreciated.

Hilton Head, SC is much more developed and has more of a manicured, upscale look than Jekyll Island.
There is more to do on Hilton Head, more recreational opportunities, more restaurants.
Jekyll is much less crowded.

I wasn't considering Hilton Head.
I was thinking of one of the less commercial South Carolina islands like Kiawah, or one of the Georgia islands.
The South Carolina islands would be more convenient but I dont know if there's much in the way of reasonable accomodations. Also, I thought the Georgia islands might be more interesting.

Kiawah has more upscale development than either Jekyll or St. Simons.

Actually, for what you are looking for, biking, kayaking and swimming, Hilton Head would probably be your best all around bet. You can easily do all three there--miles of bike paths and plenty of rentals, and plenty of kayak rentals as well, with back water kayaking through beautiful marsh, both on your own and guided. It is possible to find condos there that are reasonable but of course overall, yes, it is touristy.

We used to live in Savannah and in my rollerblading quest we would often go to Hilton Head where you could skate for miles and miles. We made one trip down to Jekyll to rollerblade and the path (bike as well as rollerblade of course) was not well maintained nor nearly as nice as Hilton Head's.

Hilton Head is beautifully developed. Yes there are crowds...worse at some times than others..(you have just missed one of the worst times to be there), but they have gone to great pains to tuck things away behind landscaping...no glaring golden arches...in fact, one of the drawbacks for people unfamiliar with the island is that it's sometimes hard to find the places you are looking for, they've been so well concealed.

I used to live on St. Simons island but I haven't been there in the past couple of years. The island isn't really touristy - there's only a couple of hotels on the beach although there are several on the island. The beach is fine for walking on but I never liked swimming in the ocean there. There's no waves and the water is sorta murky. Jekyll Island has a number of hotels but it never seems crowded because the beach is so long and wide. Regardless of which island you stay on you'd want to visit the other - they're only about 20 minutes apart.

We were on Kiawah last June and stayed at the Inn. The entire island has a definite resort feel and it is very upscale. There are lots of bike paths and the beach is very nice. I think they have kayaking or canoeing on some of the rivers around the island, and they have done a good job of preserving natural habitats of plants and animals. Three years ago we stayed at the King & Prince Resort on St. Simon's. It was very nice too but the beach is very small. Great pool areas - I think they have 3 or 4 pools. St. Simon's feels more like a small town rather than a resort. It's probably not as good for biking but it definitely has better restaurant selections. The restaurants on Kiawah are mediocre and overpriced, and we ended up driving the 30 minutes into Charleston for dinner most nights. I don't think you could go wrong with either, though.

Jill mentioned that the water is murky on St. Simons. Is it better on Jeckyll Island? Or would I be better off going to the So. Carolina islands if I want to swim. Are their reasonable accomodations on any of the less developed So. Carolina islands?
Thanks for your responses!

It's me again. We stayed at St. Simons May 8-11 in 1997. The weather was beautiful - warm but not hot, but the ocean water was so cold that I just put my toes in. There were a few people swimming, mostly kids, but not many. Now that I think about it, the pools were really cold too. Last year we were in Kiawah June 10-14 and the ocean was a comfortable temperature and so were the pools. But as far as the water being murky, I don't remember that. The Atlantic is never crystal clear like the Caribbean but it didn't strike me as murky. And I don't remember there being a difference in appearance between the water at Kiawah and St. Simons.

Sally...I recall having lunch at a beachside restaurant at Jekyll and being amazed at the muddy looking waves. Asked the wait staff if that was normal and she said it was, but we've been since and it certainly wasn't that bad...but cloudy water still.

Much depends on the time of year, most recent storm, etc. When we lived in Savannah, our son hated going in the water all summer as it was always murky then. Marine biologists will tell you that's a sign of healthy water, (organisms that cause murkiness grow as the water warms up--they won't grow in polluted water). That's the story we got anyway.

Have you looked into Sullivans Island, Folly Beach or Wild Dunes, all just outside Charleston? Though Kiawah is quieter than Hilton Head, I think you'll find it's priced just about the same.

Another thought is Cumberland Island, GA. It's reached only by ferry or private boat. There is one hotel out there, but very very expensive. Otherwise...you camp. It's beautiful though....miles and miles of unpopulated beaches, pristine sand dunes, the remains of some old summer mansions owned by the Carnegie family, wild horses grazing everywhere. This is where John and Caroline Kennedy were married. Remote, wild and beautiful...and you'd have to love camping. It can be visited for a day only if you prefer, with ferry leaving early in the morning from St. Mary's, GA and returning in the evening. Don't miss that last ferry out though or you are there for the night!

cmc- I would consider all those So. Carolina islands but havent been able to find out too much about them, especially reasonable accomodations. Are you familiar with them? what about Isle of Palms? it looks like they have some motel accomodations.
Is the water any better in So. Carolina? I've been in the Atlantic from Maine to Virginia and wouldnt call it murky, so I dont know if it's worse in Georgia.
As far as Cumberland Island, it sounds beautiful, but I dont think it's practical for this trip (we're flying in so dont want to carry camping gear and it would be even more out of the way)...unless we forget about staying on an island and just do a couple day trips.

After visiting many beaches along the East Coast, we decided that probably the reason the water seems murkier off (some of) the South Carolina and Georgia coasts is due to the lowlands and many shallower rivers that flow into the Atlantic. Folly Island is very pretty, we drove out there one afternoon. It seemed pretty exclusive, so I'd never call it "touristy"

About the murky water: It is just not crystal clear. It is PERFECTLY swimmable, not trashy and fun to romp in. You just can't see your feet in it if you are more than a yard or so from shore. I grew up near the Georgia Coast and this is the only ocean I knew for years. The Atlantic Ocean just doesn't compare with the Gulf Coast or the Carribean...never has...never will...but one can have fun in it without a feeling of compromise.

Am very familiar with Isle of Palms. May is just before the heavy tourist season. Consider staying at Boardwalk Inn in Wild Dunes. Easy walk to beach & restaurants. Lots of bike paths. E-mail me if you need more info.

We did your trip the beginning of March, and had some of the same questions. We made a quick daytrip to St. Simons and liked what we saw - it seemed a decent balance between development/ and pleasant. The chain motels, however, were nowhere near the beach. (I do have some condo/cottage rental brochures, etc. that I picked up. E-m if you'd like more info). We were based for part of our trip on Tybee Island...quite undeveloped in comparison to, say, Hilton Head (which we abhorred). The beach was beautiful though and expansive...and we saw folks in the water, tho we did not venture. (I can give you info on a nice condo complex there, as well that we looked into, thinking of 'next-times.' It was very reasonable compared to rates discussed here for Kiawah, etc. and had a nice, ocean-front setting). Tybee is a less- than-30 minute drive out of Savannah. (food choices on the island seemed limited). We heard great things about Cumberland, so you might want to try and plan on it for a picnic-daytrip. It really is a puzzlement...there are so many islands to choose from, and you don't want to go wrong. Good luck to you.
(There've been some great Savannah/Charleston recommendations here in recent weeks...Hope you've done a search...)

Bringing to top

We will be staying at the King and Prince Resort on St. Simon in July, also 2 nights on Jekyll Island at the Sea Villas. Any recommendations about where to eat or what to do and see?

On St. Simon's you should try Allegro -- it is one of the best restaurants in town.

I am a native Georgian and still live here, but I can tell you that the beaches near Charleston are heads and shoulders above our islands offering the kinds of accomodation you are looking for. With all due respect to the posters who mentioned Hilton Head, it is a TRAVESTY of overdevelopment that spits in the face of what barrier islands once were. Isle of Palms, though residentially developed, will give you what you seem to be asking for. Cumberland Island in Georgia is indeed a treasure, and if you have time to take a side trip, I'd highly recommend a day ferry over. At all costs, JUST AVOID HILTON HEAD. Talk about a tourist trap!!!