Susan

Can't decide which...would like good beaches, a hotel on the ocean with kid's program. Would like something nice. Anybody have any opinions?

Melinda

I stayed in Jekyll Island for 4 nights/5 days in 1995. There is not much to do on the Island, however the beaches are very nice. Stay at the Clarion, it is the nicest hotel on the Island. We arrived at 10:00 in the morning and could not check into the hotel until 3:00. During the wait, we covered the whole island, St Simons, and the other island where the Cloisters reside in this time frame. If you want a nice relaxing vacation with little to do, this may be for you, however, it was not my cup of tea!

steve

I would suggest you try Amelia Island Plantation. Most of the accomodations are in condos which might be nice for a family. The ocean front units are best. The grounds are very beautiful and there's lots of biking, tennis and golf on the property. The food in the plantation restaurants is nothing exciting, but otherwise everything is quite nice.

Pam

We visited Amelia Island Plantation two years ago.
We were very dissatisfied. The accommodations are very old. They are actually condo's that people own and they hire a management company to rent them out like a hotel. Our room was very dirty, some of the lightbulbs were burned out and the lock on the sliding door did not work. When we asked to get moved to a different room, they were very rude. They finally moved us and that room was just as bad. We asked to check out and the girl told us that we could not get a refund even though we had only spent 2 hours at the hotel. We asked to talk to the manager and they had to call her at home. We finally got our refund after we wrote a letter to the VP of the management company. We drove down the road and stayed at the Amelia Island Ritz Carlton. The rates were actally less than Amelia Island Plantation. They have the "Ritz" kids program for children--the rooms are clean--the beach is nice--you can rent bikes etc.... My girlfriend got married at Little St. Simon's Island--it is more of an adult place--the same with Jekyl island--not much for kids to do.
Have a great trip!! Pam

Lisa Schmidt

I live on Amelia Island. The Plantation has done alot of renovating and does have a great kids program. So I think it would be nice. The Ritz also has a kid program, so either would be great. I own a restaurant in between the 2 resorts, so if you need any other info, just e-mail me.

Jessica

I've spent LOTS of time on Jekyll Island (one trip a year for over 20 years). There are several things that you can do with kids. First, there's a big waterpark. Second, you can rent bikes and ride on scenic trails across and around the whole island. Third, you can tour "Millionaire's Village"--very beautiful old mansions. Fourth, you can play miniature golf. Fifth, you visit numerous different beaches (some with boardwalks, some with crowds, some without crowds, some with nice picnic areas). As far as hotels on the water, I can't give you much advice. Some hotels are definitely prettier than others. Villas by the Sea (very attractive) has condo-type apartments which I would recommend if your stay in long-ish. Overall, Jekyll is great, but very quiet. Great place to relax. Not much in terms of constant tourist-geared activities (except for the things I mentioned above).

I don't know anything about Amelia Island. St. Simons is worth a visit (good shopping), but is much busier than Jekyll.

If you have more questions, feel free to email me at: [email protected].