Your own private paradise on the family friendly Georgia coast

About halfway between Jacksonville, Fla. and Savannah, Ga. is a private island retreat that can truly take you and your family away from it all.  Little St. Simons Island was purchased in 1907 to harvest the cedar trees for pencils by a representative of the Eagle Pencil Company of New York City. Upon closer inspection, the trees were found to be too bent for pencils. However, Eagle Pencil owner Philip Berolzheimer was so taken with the Island that he purchased it from his company as a family retreat. His descendents still own the island and opened it to the public in 1979.

Accommodations:
The Lodge at Little St. Simons Island has 15 guest rooms within six cottages, and no more than 32 guests at any one time on the Island. There are different cottage types to choose from including private cottages and rooms within a larger cottage.

Location:
The Lodge at Little St. Simons Island is a private, all inclusive retreat a short 10-minute boat ride from St. Simons Island in the Golden Isles off the Georgia coast. The retreat is a 10,000 acre barrier island with 7 miles of beach, marshlands and more than 20 miles of wilderness trails.

Sleeps:
Each room has king or double beds. Roll-a-ways are available.

Highlights:
Everything! With such a limited number of guests on the island, it truly feels like your own private paradise. As an all inclusive retreat, you pay upfront and don’t worry about a thing. Unlike other all-inclusive venues, alcohol and all tips are included.

A nature lovers dream, there is an abundance of wildlife that is easily spotted. We saw armadillo, raccoons, lizards, alligators, deer and more. We also assisted in returning a baby oystercatcher bird to its nest after the Island naturalists had incubated it from an egg. In the evening, the maritime forest and marsh look like a Christmas display of twinkling lights from all the fireflies.

The chef prepared food is out of this world. Your accommodations include breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and cocktails. Picnics are available if you’d like to have lunch on the beach. Everything is made fresh on site and when possible, is harvested from the on-site organic garden.

Good to Know:
Children of all ages are welcome May – Sept, Oct. – April children 8 + are welcome. In the larger cottages, rooms share a common area, a fabulous feature for family reunions or even a group of friends. However, if you are going as a solo family, it’s the luck of the draw on who is within your cottage walls, it could be another family or a couple that doesn’t think your children are quite as adorable as you do. The food is amazing, but if your little ones don’t enjoy Chicken Cordon Bleu or more adult fare, you can request chicken fingers or mac ‘n cheese with a little advanced notice. The retreat strives to be sustainable and earth-friendly. They recently acquired a Benchmarked Certification from Green Globe 21, a worldwide benchmarking and certification program for sustainable travel and tourism.

Contact:
http://www.littlestsimonsisland.com/home.html

June 18th, 2010 | by Sue Rodman