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Beach Vacations in Georgia
Georgia has almost 100 miles of white sand covered shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean. Barrier islands dot the coast and offer additional pristine beaches. Still more beaches line many of the state’s beautiful lakes.
If you’d like to go to a Georgia beach and are wondering where a great place to stay would be, you should consider the following hotels. They were the Georgia Beach Award Winners in the 2021 Best Loved Hotels by Hotels.com. All of these beach hotels had a lot of excellent reviews and received the highest guest ratings. And you can use Hotels.com to find the best price for your stay.
Buford
Lake Lanier lies less than an hour north of Atlanta. At 38,000 acres, it is Georgia’s largest lake. There are a number of lovely white sand beaches. Lounge on the beach or go swimming, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, tubing, water skiing and much more. Anglers go there in pursuit of striped bass, crappie, spotted bass, catfish, white bass, walleye, bluegill and more.
The lake is said to be haunted and there have been numerous sightings of the “Lady of the Lake.” According to the story, a car went off the bridge in the 1950s, killing 2 women. Since then, a woman has been seen wandering on the bridge at night, seeming lost and agitated.
Best Loved Beach Hotel
- Lanier Islands, Legacy Lodge
Cordele
Located in the Georgia Veterans Memorial Park, Lake Blackshear is in southwest Georgia. It is a premier fishing destination for bream, crappie, bass, catfish and more. There are beaches for swimming. Boating, stand up paddle boarding, canoeing and kayaking are popular here, too. Sunsets over this lake are spectacular.
Best Loved Beach Hotel
- Lake Blackshear Resort & Golf Club
Greensboro
Located half way between Atlanta and Augusta, Lake Oconee has 374 miles of shoreline. Its surface area is 19,971 acres, making it Georgia’s second largest lake. Lake Oconee is one of the best fishing areas in the southeastern United States with an abundance of white bass, striped bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill, sunfish and more. Greensboro has 6 award winning golf courses. There are beaches on Lake Oconee and swimming and sunning are popular activities. People also come here to go jet skiing, tubing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, water skiing and much more.
Best Loved Beach Hotel
- The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee
Jekyll Island
Jekyll Island has seven gorgeous dunes backed beaches that stretch across 10 miles. A small barrier isle, it lies half way between Savannah and Jacksonville. You’ll find a National Historic
Landmark District, water park and golf courses as well as sandy beaches.
Driftwood Beach is beautiful and a photographer’s dream. It has been deemed one of America’s most romantic beaches. Bird watchers flock to St. Andrews Beach Park. Featured in the movie “Glory,” Glory Beach offers solitude and spectacular views. The most popular strand is Great Dunes Beach, a family friendly beach.
South Dunes Beach Park features an elevated boardwalk crossing 20 foot sand dunes. Corsair Beach Park has picnic pavilions, restrooms and outdoor showers. Oceanview Beach Park is located in the middle of the isle and has fabulous ocean views.
Best Loved Beach Hotels
- Jekyll Ocean Club
- Seafarer Inn & Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection
- Jekyll Island Club Resort
- The Westin Jekyll Island
- Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island, an IHG Hotel
- Hampton Inn & Suites Jekyll Island
- Villas By the Sea Resort & Conference Center
St. Simons Island
St. Simons Island is a larger barrier island next to Jekyll Island. Lots of shells and sand dollars wash up on East Beach. You’ll find St. Simons Coast Guard Station which is home to the World War II Home Front Museum and Coastal Encounters Nature Center. People come to East Beach to go swimming, kite surfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding and more. The sand is firm, making it easy for cyclists to ride on the beach.
Gould’s Inlet is north of East Beach and offers fantastic views of Sea Island. Strong currents and an undertow make swimming dangerous. Visitors enjoy fishing off the pier or on the sand. Bird watchers also come here.
Best Loved Beach Hotels
- The King & Prince Beach & Golf Resort
- The Inn at Sea Island
Tybee Island
Tybee Island is a barrier island 18 miles southeast of Savannah. South Beach is Tybee’s most popular beach. The Tybee Island Pier & Pavilion attracts many visitors. Mid Beach is centrally located and features tranquil beauty. Back River Beach and Savannah River Beach have impressive views and dolphin watching opportunities. If you like solitude, get a kayak and paddle across Back River to Little Tybee Island, a nature preserve.
North Beach is Tybee’s largest beach and is less crowded than South Beach. It features soft, tan sand and rolling dunes. Shells and ship watching opportunities abound here. The Tybee Island Light Station & Tybee Museum is Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse.
Best Loved Beach Hotels
- DeSoto Beach Hotel
- DeSoto Beach Bed & Breakfast
- DeSoto Beach Gardens