Bayous to Beaches Oct 19. Day 8 Islands in the Stream (or Atlantic). Jekyll, Tybee and Hilton Head

[WileyCoyote]

Tuesday 8 October

Yesterday is HERE

As a reminder, we are now into the non Florida leg of this trip. We will return to the sunshine state at the end of this week. Today we look around Jekyll, visit Driftwood Beach, Have lunch at Tybee and arrive at Hilton Head Island

We were awake at 6.30 and a bit disappointed to see the sky was still overcast

And we had scored yet another dismal view of a/c units and the car park.erm:

Undeterred we headed for the free breakfast which was pretty typical Hampton Inn fare.

Andy had scrambled eggs and sausages with toast.

I made my own cinnamon waffles and was v pleased with the result

I didn’t partake of the smoothies - a bit too green for my liking

There was cereal and fruit on offer too

We thought this was a pretty good set up

On the way back to the room I picked up some brochures in the lobby for Dibber smithlane and had a read about the turtle hatching.

If you do stay around here they supply special red light torches for night beach walks so that the turtles aren’t startled by bright phone lights. I would like to come back one day during turtle season.

We loaded up the car

and then doubled back to take a look at the beach

Passing the hotel pool

And along the wooden walkway

It was really windy - still warm though - and it was a shame it was overcast as I am sure it would be beautiful on a sunny day.

My glasses go dark in the sun and wind and I thought this was a tiny turtle - turned out to be snails on a stone

We finished off with a windswept selfie

All checked out , it was time for a drive round to see some of the sights.

Our first stop planned was Driftwood Beach but we initially drove straight past it and ended up at the pier via the Tabby House

Jekyll was so named in the late 1700's by an English General in honour of his friend( the financier Joseph Jekyll) .

Said General was Sir James Oglethorpe and he was clearly a very busy boy back in the day as his name pops up quite a bit around the Georgia and S Caroline area.

The Tabby House (Tabby is local construction material) belonged to Major William Horton who was stationed there to protect the Fort on St Simons and the Sea Cotton and barley/hops trade.

The house is listed as one of the oldest buildings in Georgia and is apparently a big wedding venue too ! They put up marquees alongside it ...

There are a lot of bike trails on the island and that would be a great way to explore this and the other historic sights.

Completely out of character, we took a wrong turn and ended at the pier

There we saw the recovery effort for the container ship that had keeled over in St Simon Sound. It was certainly a windy day for the rescue helicopter.

Edited to say ... the ship is still there

We turned back and made it to Driftwood - we had driven straight past and missed the pull in.

Driftwood Beach is a natural phenomenon.

Andy was convinced it had been man made but the info all says not. Appaz sand erosion was/is causing the trees to uproot

There were a few people there so avoiding them in the pics was tricky as I was trying to take another wedding wishes pic for Dibber Goodevans.

It is very atmospheric

The trees were alive with tiny creatures - proper creepy crawlies and little crabs

We saw this fiery fella on the walk back to the car

I really liked it there - so striking.

Our last stop was the historic centre

In the 1800s, Jekyll became a resort for the very wealthy families like Vanderbilt, Rothschild, Pulitzer, Rockefeller etc and the Jekyll Island Club was once regarded as the most exclusive place in the world.

There are fabulous houses

The famous club - now a v expensive resort

Other houses and cottages are dotted around the large town green area - you can do guided tours of places like Moss Cottage but we were on a schedule to get to Hilton Head so it was strictly car window touring today

Around 11 it was starting to brighten up and we headed over the bridge to Brunswick

Lots of Eagles overhead

Bye Bye Jekyll - we did like you even though we got off to a bad start last night!

Brunswick we didn’t like so much

Our destination here was the Lovers Oak - which uncannily we also managed to drive past several times, I mean its not big or anything

It was a famous meeting place. For Lovers. Hence the name

Andy was by now completely overwhelmed with todays arborial adventures, dead trees and tall trees.

Its the stuff of holiday of dreams

We now had a couple of hours ahead to reach our lunch destination of Tybee Island.

Random signage occupied my time

And pumpkin shaped snacks

[WileyCoyote]

We passed briefly though Savannah to get to Tybee

And then to the coast

On to Tybee and yay the sun was shining - it was a really funky place

I mean, who doesn't have a big dinosaur in the garden

Lunch plans were Fannies on the Beach.

Parking on Tybee was tricky.

We parked up behind the café to discover the spaces are for the apartments and you will get towed so Andy had to move the car and parked in the next town - well, some distance away for sure ...

We had arrived at 1245. It was very busy so I sat at the bar while waiting for him to return . This is always an advantage of an adults only trip

Straight into the cocktails - I had a Fannie slapper

Such an extensive menu but we were mindful we had dinner booked later so tried to go light.

I had the tropical salad. It was delicious

Andy had the shrimp.

I then spent the rest of the journey getting the hot sauce off his t shirt

What a quirky, glorious place this is. Perfect seaside place. Loved it.

After our delicious lunch we took a wander to the beach front.

It had a lovely seaside feel and it was a real shame we would miss the annual Pirate festival by only a few days - it looked like it would be great fun.

Do like a quirky coastal town

But it was time to get on the road again as we were hopeful of arriving at the hotel in enough time to actually enjoy some sunshine

We left Tybee at 2.45.

Not squishing any turtles

Back over to Savannah

You can see the gold roof in the distance in the main city centre

Heading for the state line

Which is up there as one of THE most disappointing state line signs we have seen

Its not even straight !

Around 3.30 we were passing through Bluffton which we thought looked really nice and picked up the signs for HHI

Another sign skilfully hidden in the trees

The island is split into areas called Plantations - we were in Shipyard

Deffo gator territory

And finally arriving at the Sonesta

The room was very nice

We did comment that this was the only place on our whole stay that charged for water in the room and that it had quite a corporate feel to it - with prices that matched.

That said, it was impeccably maintained, very modern and very nice.

It was one of those places where you had an odd mix of suited execs sharing the lift with families soaking wet and sandy just off the beach. Quite bizarre.

Andy had a lie down while I went to have a look around the resort grounds

Nice pool and lots of lovely water features

Walkway to beach

A little while later Andy came down to join me at the pool and we had a drink - just the one as they were pricey $30 for a beer and a daiquiri

Our dinner was over towards Palmetto Bay so the hotel called a taxi for us.

Our driver was a super chatty guy and told us all about the island and particularly the recovery work since Hurricane Mathew and how he believed the then governor Nikki Haley’s call to evacuate had propelled her into the limelight.

We went back and looked at the footage of the damage, especially out at Harbour Town and you would really have no idea at all it was so damage just a few years earlier.

He gave us his card so we could call him for a pick up at the end of the meal. It was a $30 round trip and well worth it.

The Black Marlin was very busy - I had pre booked to make sure we had an outside table

We had a waterfront table

A baby sparkling Rose for me

It was one of those menus that was humugous in physical size like a Daily Telegraph so This is some of it ..

We had the fried mozzarella and poutine to start

Well theses weren’t huge at all

Massive. We were expecting mozzarella fingers not slabs and the potato wedges were like half a spud.

All very yummy but was going to make the next course a challenge

I went for chicken pasta with spinach, mushroom and tomato

Andy had cod and chips

Really really tasty food.

It’s a beach style bar outside

But quite smart inside

The bill

We had a great time here.

Our taxi guy took a little while to pick us up but we were back at the hotel before 10. Andys cold was in full force and he had done really well today but was absolutely shattered so it was an early night.
Tomorrow is HERE

Today's cocktail tally: 2
Holiday tally so far : 15

[smithlane]

I'm so pleased the rain has finally stopped Amanda.
Those waffles look like the stuff dreams are made of, I'm going to find us a Hampton Inn to stay in this year so I can try them too
Thank you again for the brochures, I'm so undecided what to in regards to staying on the Golden Isles. I have a feeling I will be doing a you and leaving with half done plans
The island looks really beautiful. I still can't believe a ship keeled over, I don't even know how that would happen?!
I love the photos of Driftwood Beach, we are definitely going to have to at least visit there for the day this year.
Now you've thrown Tybee Beach in that looks really quirky, we need more days! Lunch at Fannies looks great, Jim & Sam would have a field day with the name...
The Welcome To South Carolina sign really is crap! Why do some State Lines have huge signs and others not. When we drove to Death Valley last year, we crossed into California and they didn't have one at all!
The beach at HHI looks beautiful, very much looking forward to trying that out. I had forgotten they had suffered from the hurricane, I'm glad they have managed to repair all the damage though. Must hit these resorts particularly bad.
Dinner looks lovely. If breaded mozzarella is on the menu its what I always go for. Never tried Poutine though, what exactly is it?

[sotagals]

That ship went over good didn't it?

We stayed in a great airbnb in Bluffton and enjoyed exploring. The weather was mixed like yours though.

Local paper for our stay

[KarenG]

What a great day with so much packed in!

Though ... $30 for a beer and daiquiri?!

[Palm trees]

What an interesting day, I'm really enjoying reading your trip report as I've never been to any of the places you're visiting. The driftwood beach looks fascinating and you've got some great photos

[Melbatb]

Glad to see the Sun came out!

All your food looks delicious though $30 for two drinks seems a lot!

Some lovely beaches today too!

[WileyCoyote]

Originally Posted by smithlane

I'm so pleased the rain has finally stopped Amanda.
Those waffles look like the stuff dreams are made of, I'm going to find us a Hampton Inn to stay in this year so I can try them too
Thank you again for the brochures, I'm so undecided what to in regards to staying on the Golden Isles. I have a feeling I will be doing a you and leaving with half done plans
The island looks really beautiful. I still can't believe a ship keeled over, I don't even know how that would happen?!
I love the photos of Driftwood Beach, we are definitely going to have to at least visit there for the day this year.
Now you've thrown Tybee Beach in that looks really quirky, we need more days! Lunch at Fannies looks great, Jim & Sam would have a field day with the name...
The Welcome To South Carolina sign really is crap! Why do some State Lines have huge signs and others not. When we drove to Death Valley last year, we crossed into California and they didn't have one at all!
The beach at HHI looks beautiful, very much looking forward to trying that out. I had forgotten they had suffered from the hurricane, I'm glad they have managed to repair all the damage though. Must hit these resorts particularly bad.
Dinner looks lovely. If breaded mozzarella is on the menu its what I always go for. Never tried Poutine though, what exactly is it?

See more...

Ha ha, yes we had a Finnbar Saunders fnaar fnaar moment with the menu. I couldn’t bring myself to actually order the Great Big Fannie ... even though it looked fab

Hampton is usually pretty decent mid price. The one in Memphis was very similar.

I did like Jekyll and Tybee. I would go back to both. Hilton Head... not so much.

I spend these trips frantically snapping road signs ( it’s the cause of a lot of angst and me Invariably requesting we go a bit slower ) and it’s so annoying when one disappoints . Florida has been the most impressive so far

Yeah that ship is still there. Apparently it was on fire just recently as they are trying to dismantle it. It wa said that it was full of cars and listed over. Absolute nightmare for the marine environment

Poutine : chips and gravy :

[WileyCoyote]

Originally Posted by sotagals

That ship went over good didn't it?

We stayed in a great airbnb in Bluffton and enjoyed exploring. The weather was mixed like yours though.

Local paper for our stay

See more...

It sure did and it’s sure stuck good and proper.

Bluffton looked a lovely place. It does seem a bit prone to changeable weather. It was so super windy the next day that I daren’t lean over the edge of the lighthouse

Originally Posted by KarenG

What a great day with so much packed in!

Though ... $30 for a beer and daiquiri?!

See more...

Thanks , yes we did get a lot in this day. Hurrah.
The prices were ridiculous and the drinks were a bit average.

But more importantly you are almost in single digits

Originally Posted by Palm trees

What an interesting day, I'm really enjoying reading your trip report as I've never been to any of the places you're visiting. The driftwood beach looks fascinating and you've got some great photos

See more...

Ah thank you. It was lovely seeing some new places.
Driftwood was quite something. Beautiful but a bit sad too. Very atmospheric.

Originally Posted by Melbatb

Glad to see the Sun came out!

All your food looks delicious though $30 for two drinks seems a lot!

Some lovely beaches today too!

See more...

The sun got the memo. Not that it hung about
Have you noticed we haven’t been on any of the beaches , just looked at them Can’t be doing with sand

The tropical salad today was one of my favourites. Totally yummy.

[Goldia]

At least it stopped raining for a little while, even if the sun didn't really want to come out. Lots of wonderful photos today. I really enjoyed all the beaches, I'm also not a lover of sand, I can admire your photos from afar and not worry about getting sand in any unwanted places.