While humans are said to be made up of over 60% water, I feel like I’m more like 90%. I’ve always been a water baby, from my first visit to the beach at a few weeks old. My happiest places are by the water: Charleston, Sydney, Split. It was a particularly hectic week at work when I was offered a spot on a trip to Jekyll Island, Georgia for the opening of a new Westin resort. No brainer, right?
Jekyll Island is one of Georgia’s barrier islands, known as the Golden Isles. I’d spend lots of time growing up on nearby St Simons Island, where I had family and a friend had a beach house. But my experiences on smaller, more intimate Jekyll were limited to a family vacation when I was little and a day trip from Charleston.
Between that trip six years ago and this one, a new toll booth had been constructed made of an electronic kiosk rather than a person taking your cash and a gas station was placed on the island.
The Westin Jekyll Island had just opened two weeks prior to my visit, so I was amazed at how well it had come together. If you’ve ever worked on the opening staff of a hotel or restaurant, you’ll understand. A few kinks were being worked out, but all minor. My room overlooking the ocean was just as I hoped for, as it included the Westin bedding, bathrobes and a rainforest shower.
The reason this trip was planned at this time of year was because it’s turtle hatching season. As the signs on the causeway denote, turtles cross from one side of the island to the other between May and July. I ran the 5K in the Jekyll Island Nest Fest and Triathalon (my first since the surgery in 41 min!) and watched from afar as rehabilitated turtles were released back into the ocean. Later, I got up closer at The Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
From there, I rented a bike from Red Bug Rentals and ended up biking my across half of the island. It’s only 20 miles long and most of that is paved trails for biking and walking. It was so nice to get off the beaten path, literally, and close to the water. I came face to face with a number of creatures, including vultures dining on a recently deceased raccoon.
My bike took the better part of two hours with the sun beating down on me. Thankfully, I had put on a bit of sunscreen and a hat. The best stop of the day was Driftwood Beach, an appropriately named beach covered in not just tiny pieces of driftwood, but entire trees stripped bare.
It’s a cross between a boneyard and a playground entirely made of wood. Families had set up their chairs and towels while kids climbed the branches. I could see why it was such a popular spot for photographs.
Most of the group made their way back home on Sunday, but some new friends and I headed over to the iconic Jekyll Island Club Hotel for dinner at Courtyard at Crane. I knew I wanted to stay here next time around, so it was nice to explore the grounds. Dinner was delicious, made up of seafood, crisp white wine and romantic settings in an old home.
Have you been to Jekyll Island?
Thanks to Daly Gray and Westin Hotels for organizing the trip and to Toyota and Jackson Spalding for letting me borrow a sweet ride for the trip!
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