9 Reasons to Visit Jekyll Island Club during the Holidays

Did you know there are only 20 18 Fridays left until Christmas? I just heard this fact last week and can’t really believe it. But, I’m excited…because I LOVE the holidays! I started to think a little bit about the trip we went on spontaneously last winter to Jekyll Island Club in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

If you have never been to coastal Georgia, you are in for a treat and the Jekyll Island Club is such a fun place to base your trip.

The whole place was built in the late 1800’s and was a holiday paradise for the uber-rich–think the Rockefellers, the JP Morgans–those guys. I have been there for work conferences and then the last couple of years have gone up for pre-Christmas relaxing time. Here are my favorite things about the beautiful place:

1. It is Southern, coastal Georgia, so even though it is December, the weather is still beautiful. Last year, we were there the week before Christmas and the air was clean and crisp–and around 75 degrees during the day. It cooled down at night–but we cozied up to the fire place in our room.

2. Breakfast in the Grand Dining Room. There was just something special about getting up each morning and heading to the Grand Dining Room for over the top hot chocolates. (Although the picture doesn’t do it justice…..this was one GRAND chocolate-y drink.)

3. It is the perfect place to ride a bike! Actually, embarrassingly, Sawyer had not learned to really feel comfortable on a bike until last Christmas. We rented bikes at the Jekyll Island Club and rode all around their property until he felt comfortable. Then, we took a longer ride to the beach, which was only about 3 miles away along a nice bike path. It was a great introduction to bike riding and we all loved it!

4. They decorate for the holidays! Everywhere you turn, there were gingerbread houses, decorated trees and beautiful smells of pine and other Christmas-y type trees. So beautiful and really gets you in the holiday spirit.

5. Like I said, this resort was built a long, long time ago and all of the buildings maintain their history. Our room had a beautiful sunroom with windows that opened out to the main entrance. We loved just hanging out in the sunroom—watching people come and go, drinking wine and loving the holiday decorated trees.

6. The Beach! The resort is located on an island (duh!)–surrounded by the intercoastal on one side and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean on the other side. We rode our bikes to the beach (about 2-3 miles) from the resort. We didn’t get in the water although it would have been warm enough to. And, look at that beach—there was no one there. It was so beautiful and we had it all to ourselves.

7. It really is just beautiful! Look at the architecture of these buildings. We had a lot of fun just roaming the grounds of the resort. Huge, beautiful lawns to run around on and nice wide bike paths for walking. If you are a golfer, there is a course right there as well.

8. The Sea Turtle Hospital on the Jekyll Island Club is really well done. Lots of great exhibits for hands on interaction.

9. We have a stand up paddleboard business (which I seem to talk about ALL the time) and we brought our boards along and did some really nice paddles in the salt marshes. It was really beautiful and such a different environment than the one we normally explore.

It really is such a beautiful place and the holidays are such a great time to explore the area. It is laid back, low key and festive. I highly recommend it. Actually, that reminds me, I need to make our reservations.

For more information visit: Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post. I just really love the place and want you all to love it too.