The Georgia Islands
Apr 23rd, 2003 | 02:01 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 24
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The Georgia Islands
We are beginning to plan a trip to the Georgia coast, probably in late August or early September. Have never been there before. We are hoping our son and his girlfriend will accompany us. Are there cottages to rent? We have rented cottages in Maine for years and would like advice on finding something on the water. Opinions?
Apr 23rd, 2003 | 04:45 PM
#2
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 230
Likes: 0
I hope you like heat and humidity because you'll definitely find it in abundance! 
Cumberland Island is really an interesting place. You reach the island from St. Marys, Ga and one other destination who's name escapes me at the moment. Theres a wonderful, albeit overprices IMO inn called Greyfield. This had been an original Carnegie estate and is still run by the family. The Island is protected and thus undeveloped so you really get to see nature and uspoiled beaches. You can also visit the island just for the day which many people do.
Jekyll Island is probably the most historic of the islands and has a plethora of rental properties, motels, and the venerable Jekyll Island Club which is owned by Radisson. Lots of activities, biking, swiming, walking tours of the island and some of the "cottages" built by Carnegies, Goulds, Morgans etc...
Sea Island I am most familiar with because my Grandparents had a place there for years, so when I was a kid we'd usually all get together there once a year. The island is beautiful and dominated by the elegant Cloister resort; truly first class the Cloister has more of a..... mediteranean look than southern. I love this island, picture Nantucket with alligators and humidity
St. Simons, to me, seemed like a larger Jekyll Island and possibly your best bet for a rental property. Probably any realtor in Brunswick or St. Simons can help you with rentals.
Enjoy the Coastal Empire!
Cumberland Island is really an interesting place. You reach the island from St. Marys, Ga and one other destination who's name escapes me at the moment. Theres a wonderful, albeit overprices IMO inn called Greyfield. This had been an original Carnegie estate and is still run by the family. The Island is protected and thus undeveloped so you really get to see nature and uspoiled beaches. You can also visit the island just for the day which many people do.Jekyll Island is probably the most historic of the islands and has a plethora of rental properties, motels, and the venerable Jekyll Island Club which is owned by Radisson. Lots of activities, biking, swiming, walking tours of the island and some of the "cottages" built by Carnegies, Goulds, Morgans etc...
Sea Island I am most familiar with because my Grandparents had a place there for years, so when I was a kid we'd usually all get together there once a year. The island is beautiful and dominated by the elegant Cloister resort; truly first class the Cloister has more of a..... mediteranean look than southern. I love this island, picture Nantucket with alligators and humidity
St. Simons, to me, seemed like a larger Jekyll Island and possibly your best bet for a rental property. Probably any realtor in Brunswick or St. Simons can help you with rentals.
Enjoy the Coastal Empire!
Jul 3rd, 2003 | 12:28 PM
#5
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
My husband and I and our best friends vacationed in the Islands about 4 years ago and it is one of our best memories so far. We had been to the east and west coasts of Florida and knew about the humidity but we are from Dallas area so heat and humidity we are used to.
Flew into St. Augustine and drove up the coast. We stayed at the Jekyll Island Club for three nights---a great place--historical hotel decorated like a 1920s resort with buildings on site from when it was built as a winter retreat for the mogul robber barons. Lovely grounds, big CLEAN pool, and the nicest staff you could hope for. My husband had to fax paper work back and forth to his office and the desk staff were extremely patient and did not even charge for the final 12 pg fax==maybe they were just glad he was leaving. There are other places to stay on Jekyll but this place has romantic atmosphere that makes it special--their hotel was used for part of scenes in the movie Bagger Vance --the big party scene.
The beach along this coast has lots of silt from coastal lands so it is not the same clear water at Amelia or further down the coast - my friend is very finicy and would only wet her legs walking on the beach - the temp was fine but it is a little scary to swim in the ocean when it is more like swimming in a river.
We stayed 3 nights on St. Simons Island at a golf resort I would not recommend but we enjoyed sightseeing and eating locally. The beach on St. Simons is washing away when we were there so swimming is a tad difficult -- great places to eat though. 5th of May which is a breakfast/lunch place in town square we ate at almost every day--Crab Shack for seafood was worth a long wait.
Drove up to Savannah and spent one night on Tybee at a nice bed and breakfast--that beach and water is better but still cloudy. Took a tour of Savannah--just driving around the squares--but would like to go back.
On the drive back toSt. Augustine we stayed on St. Simons at King and Prince Resort--in a condo unit--very glamorous with beautiful view of the ocean.
Enjoyed our time in the Island--guys played golf (a sweaty experience)and we shopped and stayed by the pool. Nice people for the most part.
Hope this post is not too long--
Have a good trip
1Travelfan
Flew into St. Augustine and drove up the coast. We stayed at the Jekyll Island Club for three nights---a great place--historical hotel decorated like a 1920s resort with buildings on site from when it was built as a winter retreat for the mogul robber barons. Lovely grounds, big CLEAN pool, and the nicest staff you could hope for. My husband had to fax paper work back and forth to his office and the desk staff were extremely patient and did not even charge for the final 12 pg fax==maybe they were just glad he was leaving. There are other places to stay on Jekyll but this place has romantic atmosphere that makes it special--their hotel was used for part of scenes in the movie Bagger Vance --the big party scene.
The beach along this coast has lots of silt from coastal lands so it is not the same clear water at Amelia or further down the coast - my friend is very finicy and would only wet her legs walking on the beach - the temp was fine but it is a little scary to swim in the ocean when it is more like swimming in a river.
We stayed 3 nights on St. Simons Island at a golf resort I would not recommend but we enjoyed sightseeing and eating locally. The beach on St. Simons is washing away when we were there so swimming is a tad difficult -- great places to eat though. 5th of May which is a breakfast/lunch place in town square we ate at almost every day--Crab Shack for seafood was worth a long wait.
Drove up to Savannah and spent one night on Tybee at a nice bed and breakfast--that beach and water is better but still cloudy. Took a tour of Savannah--just driving around the squares--but would like to go back.
On the drive back toSt. Augustine we stayed on St. Simons at King and Prince Resort--in a condo unit--very glamorous with beautiful view of the ocean.
Enjoyed our time in the Island--guys played golf (a sweaty experience)and we shopped and stayed by the pool. Nice people for the most part.
Hope this post is not too long--
Have a good trip
1Travelfan
