I was fortunate to be able to visit Jekyll Island for a meeting I put together for work and fell in love the minute we pulled into the long drive. Many of the most influential people of the early 1900s (JP Morgan, The Rockefellers, The Vanderbilts) built this getaway and vacationed here. And it is chock full of history–the Federal Reserve system was basically created here and the first intercontinental phone call was placed here by the president of ATT. The service was exceptional and the food outstanding and affordable (even our group dinner buffet was fresh and delicious). All in all the entire property was a real hit with the attendees — what’s not to love about staying in a beautiful landmark resort, surrounded by huge live oak trees covered with spanish moss blowing in the warm Georgia breeze, magnolia trees with flowers the size of plates, sweet tea and peach cobbler, rockers on every porch, croquet on the front lawn, and of course plenty of Southern hospitality.

 

Beautiful and aromatic magnolias….

We only made it to the beach once for a morning pre-meeting walk and it was clean and not crowded. Jekyll Island itself is largely underdeveloped and really laid back. There are a few cute cottage shops on site for sundries and souviners, an ice cream parlor and general store. And, it did appear that they were putting in a new shopping area with some nice dining options along the beach. I expect in years to come the area surrounding Jekyll Island Club will be built up and will lose some of its charm. I’d love to get back there for a personal vacation before that happens.

 

We ate dinner one night at Latitude 31, a seafood restaurant right on the river and within walking distance of the hotel, and while the food was not as good as the hotel restaurants, the dock location was very nice and there were no complaints. Just beyond the restaurant is Rah Bar – a laid back spot for live music, peel and eat shrimp, and a great sunset.