OVERVIEW at Sea Island Resort

Sea Island is everything a great resort should be and more. It is the most awarded resort in the country earning Forbes Five Stars for lodging, dining, and its spa and AAA Five Diamond awards for lodging and dining. Beautiful rooms, terrific food, exemplary service and wonderful golf make a visit here a “must” on any travel wish list. There is such a sense of tradition here and it is not just the marvelous pictures of celebrities, politicians and others from days gone by that line the hallways. It is the fact that there are so many families who have been coming here for generations. It is Tuesday night bingo where men wear jackets and ties and there’s a waiting list for the 500 seats available! It is the sense that you are visiting friends. One visit and you will want to become part of the tradition.

THE ROOMS at Sea Island Resort

There are three types of accommodations at Sea Island; The Cloister, The Lodge and the Cottage Rentals. I stayed in the Lodge and loved it, but it is very difficult to suggest one over the other because this is as good as lodging gets. The Cloister is close to tennis, the Beach Club and children’s activities. It also has the most dining options. Other than a Cottage Rental, this is where you would want to stay if you are traveling with children or plan on spending a lot of time at the pool or on the tennis court. For golfers or those who want a little more privacy and quiet, The Lodge would be the choice. Cottage Rentals would be the option for larger families and extended stays.

The Cloister opened in 1928 and served 4 generations of guests until founder Bill Jones’ grandson (Bill Jones III) began the transformation of the resort in 2003 to its current status as one of the finest resorts in the world. Many of the architectural features from the original Cloister were preserved and relocated to the new main building. The dramatic stone and marble lobby with soaring ceilings and sweeping staircases welcomes the guest into a world of elegance. Wandering the hallways, with beamed ceilings and arched doorways, the walls carry the history of the Cloister through a fascinating collection of photography. Wander a bit and you will come upon a gorgeous wood paneled library, a sunny solarium and a masculine smoking lounge complete with leather chairs and roaring fireplace.

The Cloister offers 175 rooms and suites and has the most options in terms of room categories. Rooms start at a hefty 700 square feet and suites at 950 square feet. They are exquisitely furnished with rich fabrics, hand made Turkish rugs, antique reproductions and luxurious bed linens. Stone bathrooms have a soaking tub and separate glass enclosed shower, heated towel racks, plush robes and towels and Lady Primrose toiletries. You even get personalized stationary. Suites offer 24 hour butler service. Many have vaulted ceilings, fireplaces, compact kitchens.and French doors opening onto a balcony. The Cloister has been awarded the Forbes Five Star award for lodging, for the Georgian Room for dining and for its Spa.

Opened in 2001 The Lodge is small 40 room boutique hotel located just down the road from the Cloister. Where the Cloister is expansive and dramatic, The Lodge is intimate and clubby. With its beamed ceilings and wood paneling, the lobby creates the feeling of a private men’s club.The ground floor serves as the Golf Club’s clubhouse complete with a fitness center, spa locker rooms and Golf Shop.

The rooms and suites, also with beamed ceilings, are oversized at 700 square feet and up and offer views of the Atlantic or the golf courses. Hardwood floors, Oriental rugs, overstuffed chairs and rich furnishings make these rooms very comfortable. The large marble bathrooms have a soaking tub and separate glass enclosed showers with rainforest showerheads. Luxury linens, plump towels and 24 hour butler service round out the amenities.

Service touches abound like milk and cookies at bed time, water and fruit in the Business Center and personalized stationary in your room. They go the extra distance to insure your comfort.

DINING at Sea Island Resort

The Georgian Room
This Forbes 5 Star and AAA Five Diamond award winning restaurant is the crown jewel of dining at Sea Island. Set in a gorgeous room with a carved mantle fireplace, crystal chandeliers, fresh flower bouquets, arched doorways and gold framed artwork, this will be a highlight of your stay here. Tables are set with European linens, crystal glassware, silver flatware and hand painted china and the service is extraordinary.

The menu changes with the seasons and makes great use of local ingredients like a seared foie gras with a Georgia peach and a macadamia, vanilla-onion marmalade. Another favorite appetizer: fiscalini cheddar grits soufflé with smoked butter poached shrimp with sherry. Wonderful entrees included oak scented wahoo, Shanghai cabbage and fresh coriander with a coconut essence and a Wagyu beef strip loin and popcorn sweetbreads served with melted leeks and a tomato chutney. Alll the desserts are delicious and include a great cheese course that had salted cashews, but you won’t want to miss the signature cornbread soufflé, with honey-butter Anglaise and stewed blackberries.

Excellent Wine Spectator Award wine list with lots of good, albeit expensive choices. Dinner-Tuesday-Saturday. Jackets required for men

What Others say About the Georgian Room…

“Guests of The Cloister on Sea Island are in high cotton at this upscale dining room, thanks to chef Scott Crawford’s refined Southern cuisine and indulgent table side hospitality; the luxurious living room-like space boasting plush seating, sparkling chandeliers and a carved stone fireplace is the product of a recent multimillion-dollar renovation; N.B. jackets and collared shirts are required for gents.” ZAGAT

Colt & Alison
Intimate, masculine, clubby….a wonderful setting for a steakhouse. A fire in the stone fireplace, views of the Plantation course’s 18th hole, high-back leather chairs and cozy banquettes make this the perfect place to enjoy a great steak and a good bottle of wine.

Come with an appetite because there’s lots you’ll want to try. Start with the delicious Crab Maison with sourdough crisps or the Vidalia onion and goat cheese fritter with marinated green tomato and a smoked pecan vinaigrette. As an entree, there are excellent seafood, lamb and chicken choices, but this is a steak house, so opt for the dry-aged steaks…the strip was amazing, and select one of the seven sauces…the Cabernet shallot was perfect. For sides we had pommes frites with truffles and sea salt and fried Vidalia onion rings. Paired with a fantastic Prisoner Cabernet, this was an extraordinary meal.

Dessert was a fresh Georgia peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream and an Upside Down apple pie, cinnamon Anglaise and vanilla ice cream. Dinner daily-closed Tuesday. Upscale casual.
The Oak Room
This oak-lined pub is a great bar with beers on tap, an extensive wine selection, an array of single-malt scotch and a large selection of cigars from their temperature-controlled humidor.Hand painted murals, leather ceilings, wood-burning fireplace and outdoor terrace with views of the Plantation Golf Course and St. Simons Sound make this a great stop after golf, before dinner or in the evening. A drink on the porch as a bag piper comes up the fairway is pretty special.

We enjoyed breakfast and a delicious, casual dinner here. Breakfast had the usual fare plus some nice twists like this take on Eggs Benedict: poached eggs, sweet potato and andouille hash with bernaise sauce and a pecan-crusted French toast, Myer’s Rum and banana compôte.

Dinner was a wonderful assortment of comfort foods with a Southern touch: sautéed Georgia white shrimp, tomato, garlic, chives and creamy stone-ground grits, southern fried chicken breast with okra pancakes, sweet tea brined pork chops with mac & cheese gratin and smoked baby back ribs with baked beans, cole slaw and fries. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Collared shirts required.
Southern Tide
Oceanside, overlooking the dunes with indoor and outdoor bars this is a great spot to enjoy the raw bar, seafood specialties and more. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
Tavola
Located along the river, this casual, rustic Italian eatery pays homage to the foods of Tuscany. Delicious pizzas, homemade pastas, house cured meats and more.
River Bar
Nestled by the Black Banks River, The River Bar’s all-day menu features light snacks and appetizers. Don’t miss having a Mint Julep, Plantation Punch or Front Porch Lemonade. Lunch and dinner daily

RATES at Sea Island Resort

From $1079 Cloisters,  $949 Lodge Peak Season Weekend

WHAT OTHERS SAY About Sea Island Resort

AAA Five Diamond Award  – Lodging
AAA Five Diamond – Dining
Forbes Five Star – Lodging
Forbes Five Star – Dining
Forbes Five Star  -Spa
Wine Spectator Award

“The downside of visiting this magical Sea Island resort is that everything else will seem second rate sigh smitten surveyors captivated by the awesomely remodeled, beyond heavenly facilities of this golfer’s paradise where no detail goes unnoticed (is there nothing these people don’t think of?); further exceptional aspects include the superb new beach club, the divine dining and the amazing beach  no wonder it’s so outrageously expensive.” ZAGAT.

PROMOTIONS at Sea Island Resort

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