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It’s that time of the year when we all start thinking about planning a beach trip. The weather is perfect for the next few months for a trip to the Golden Isles of Georgia.
And I know just the hotel you should stay in. And that hotel is Residence Inn by Marriott Jekyll Island.
My family recently visited there. It is a newer hotel and is connected to Courtyard by Marriott Jekyll Island. You can get a great rate for the hotel by clicking here.
We had a wonderful visit. It was one of those trips that felt too short really and we were sad to leave. We couldn’t wait to come back.
You can see for yourself how great it is here in our virtual tour.
Now let me expand upon some of the things you see in the video in our review. I’ll also tell you tidbits from our stay here.
Beach Access
The greatest thing about this hotel is how close you are to the beach. You literally just walk through the lobby out the door, and soon you are at the beach.
Since I love the ocean, I really loved this feature of the hotel! It also makes it convenient for swimming in the ocean since you can you won’t have to drive to and from the beach and get your car sandy.
Rooms
One of the aspects I liked most about my stay here was the great rooms.
Residence Inn in Jekyll Island is an all-suite hotel. We booked a stay in the smallest room option (and most affordable), a studio.
We did not get a room with a view, but we did have an ocean view (but I can’t promise this well happen to you, too!).
It is an especially great view from the balcony.
Yes, the room had a balcony. I really liked that.
Our room had two comfortable queen beds.
Then it had its own separate living room area.
I really liked that, because you don’t always see that with studio rooms in a hotel. Even though there was no wall in between the living room area and the bedroom, it did give you the feel of two different rooms.
But one advantage of not having a separate wall is a neat feature they have with the TV. It was on a table that was in between the living room area and bed area. And you could turn the TV completely around so you could watch it either in the bedroom area or the living room area. So if you were in the middle of watching something and then wanted to go to bed and finish it there, you just had to turn the TV around!
In addition to having a bedroom area and a living room area, there was also a full kitchen area.
This kitchen had everything I would want, including a full refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, utensils, a coffee maker, and a stovetop. There was also a table area with four chairs. So you can bring food or get groceries during your stay and make some meals inside in your room if you want to save money and not eat out for every meal.
And finally, I liked the bathroom, too.
I liked how there was a vanity area outside the bathroom with a mirror so you could get ready in the morning even if someone was using the bathroom or taking a shower.
Lobby Area & Staff
First of all, the lobby area is beautiful. I love the color schemes they use. The blues and greens are perfect for a hotel by the ocean. And the pictures and decor up in the lobby perfectly fit the theming, too. I like that they have plenty of comfortable sofas so you can comfortably sit down and relax. They also have computers and printers if you need to print off anything.
The staff was also really nice and helpful. They gave us a list of nearby restaurants, though we ended up just staying onsite because we liked the restaurant (more about that later). If we had wanted, we could have used their onsite shuttle to take us to the Historic Jekyll Island district. This is great since that meant we wouldn’t have to drive ourselves (or make sure we had a designated driver). But I can’t comment on the shuttle since we didn’t use this service.
There is also a market in the lobby selling some drinks and snack options.
Pools
But let’s face it, you probably didn’t come on this trip to spend the whole time in the lobby, right?
One reason you may be coming is for swimming. And there is a great poll for that. There is a beautiful pool outside just steps from the ocean. There is also a whirlpool for those of who like to relax in the hot tub after swimming.
Other Amenities & Activities
There are also other activities that are fun for families near the ocean and pool. There are yard games like bean bag toss games.
They also have a great fitness center. It has lots of treadmills, exercise bikes, weights, yoga balls, and more.
Dining
I was really happy with the dining options at this hotel. As I mentioned earlier, we decided just to stay at the hotel the whole time because they had such good dining options.
Our favorite restaurant was Shore. It’s a casual restaurant with both seating indoors if you want to enjoy watching the ocean and feeling the ocean breeze. Or you can sit indoors and enjoy the air conditioning (which is what we did).
They have a lot of great menu items. Here are some of our favorite menu items:
- The Shore Burger, which comes with a 7 ounce Hand Formed Brasstown Beef Ground Patty Topped with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Cheese. All of this is on a Toasted Brioche Bun and topped with Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Onion
- The Grilled Chicken Sandwich, which comes with Bacon, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Swiss Cheese, and Sriracha Ranch and is served on Toasted Brioche Bread
- The Courtyard Club, which comes with Turkey, Ham, Bacon, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Duke’s Mayonnaise on Toasted Brioche Bread
You can get housemade chips or French Fries, and they were both good. And of course we loved the wine and beer offerings.
They also have The Bistro, which is great for a quick breakfast. They serve fresh, made-to-order options along with their grab-and-go items. And most importantly, they serve Starbucks coffee!
Perhaps my favorite part about the dining options was the free breakfast! Guests at Residence Inn can get a free buffet breakfast. You are given a wristband to wear when you check-in. The food was good, too.
Conclusion
Residence Inn is a wonderful choice if you are planning a trip to Jekyll Island, Georgia. My family highly recommends it based on its proximity to the beach, spacious rooms, great service, great dining options, and other resort amenities like the pool.
If you’d like to book the hotel at a great price, click here.