We spend a lot of our beach holidays in Florida, and neither my husband nor I had ever been to coastal Georgia. We kept hearing great things about it, so we booked a family vacation to Sea Island for Labor Day 2019.
If you remember Labor Day 2019, you may recall a small disturbance called Hurricane Dorian. Sea Island was smack in Dorian’s projected path, so the kind folks at Sea Island allowed us to post-pone our trip.
So after a mis-fire, we headed to Sea Island in early November. While it wasn’t purely a beach trip anymore, we found tons to do with Bebe and fell in love with Sea Island. It was great to discover (inadvertently!) a destination that is more than just a beach – it has so much to do year-round.
How Do I Get to Sea Island?
If you don’t live driving distance from Sea Island, I would recommend flying into either Jacksonville, Florida or Savannah, Georgia. Sea Island is approximately an hour away from either airport, so I would rent a car. We did a hybrid – we flew into Jax and out of Savannah and both were equally fine.
Where We Stayed
Sea Island has a wide range of accommodations with various price points on property, from standard sized hotel rooms to hotel room suites to full houses. You can also select which area of the (large!) property to stay on, such as the Cloister itself (the main building), the Lodge (close to the golf courses), and the Beach Club (close to the main pools). We stayed in a suite-style room in the Beach Club, which was perfect for our family of three. We had a huge living room with a small kitchen, a separate bed room, and two full baths.
We stopped on St. Simon’s Island before entering Sea Island for groceries for our room (and wine for after Bebe went down). I like to buy frozen broccoli and peas, some fruit, and dairy so I always have healthy options to compliment restaurant food for Bebe when we eat out.
What We Did and Where We Ate
The first night we had dinner at The River Bar. Note: there is a dress code at River Bar after 5! I actually love this, and think it is a so fun to get cleaned up and ready for dinner on vacation. They had great meal options for Bebe too.
The next morning Mr. LOTG played golf, so Bebe and I put on our rain boots (it rained in the morning) and explored the Cloister and the property. It is just magical with all the gorgeous trees and Spanish moss. We also had a great breakfast at Tavola.
We met Mr. LOTG for lunch at the Sea Strike Pub, which is a fun bowling alley and casual restaurant. I can’t wait for Bebe to be able to bowl there- it looked so fun! In the afternoon Bebe and Mr. LOTG swam in the heated pool. We tried to go to dinner at the Oak Room but it was too full, so we ate on St. Simons instead.
The next day, Mr. LOTG again played golf (he loved the courses!) and Bebe and I had big plans to go to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on nearby Jeykll Island. We had a quick breakfast (delicious egg sandwiches and a latte for mama) at the Market at Sea Island, which also has the cutest store attached.
The drive to Jeykll was gorgeous, with incredible marshy areas and dunes. Jekyll itself also looked very cool and I wish we had more time to spend there! The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is actually a rehabilitation hospital for sea turtles, so we were able to see many turtles actively being cared for by the staff. Bebe also loved the interactive parts of the museum side of the Center, and we spent all morning there.
After meeting up with Mr. LOTG at the Davis Love Grill (and letting Bebe chase golf balls on the putting green, a huge hit), mama had a spa day.
Sea Island’s spa is on another level. I have done some spas in my day, and this was easily a top contender for best spa I’ve ever been to. The waiting areas were impeccable, snacks were delicious and varied (including granola homemade by the Sea Island nutritionist), and there were a variety of pools. When I pay for a spa treatment, I definitely want my money’s worth: I want to stay all day and use all the amenities! I had an excellent massage, and then a glorious afternoon of reading a book, taking a soak, eating snacks and sipping infused water. Actual heaven. We had dinner reservations at Tavola so eventually I pulled myself away from my perfect spa day for a nice dinner with the fam.
On our last day, we realized Bebe had never had his feet in the Atlantic. (When we visited Bermuda, Bebe was only 4 months old.) But at 15 months, he was at a great age to enjoy the beach! The day was too cold for a true swim, but definitely fine to play on the beach and get a little water and sand in your toes. Bebe loved running around on the sand and testing out the water. And then he decided he really loved it, sprinting into the waves, tripping, and promptly falling face down into the water! Bebe wasn’t too alarmed though, aside from being a bit wet.
A change of clothes later, we packed up the car and headed for our last lunch at the Oak Room. For those who often visit Florida beaches, this area of Georgia gives such a different experience but with similar Southern hospitality. It’s also so easy to access, being about an hour from Savannah and an hour from Jacksonville.
Bebe is also a little too young for all the kid and youth activities, but there are so many! Camp Cloister begins at 3 and they offer so many additional activities like cooking classes, tennis, golf, fishing, hiking, canoeing, birding, and just so much more. We can’t wait to participate in the iconic bingo nights, and try out some of the fancier dining options. This is a destination that our family can grow into, and I’m really looking forward to that! We can’t wait to return to Sea Island.