Like many of the readers, I had never heard of Jekyll Island, Georgia, until recently. But after I visited Jekyll Island with my family and my brother-in-law and his family, I am so glad we went. The Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island is perfectly situated steps away from the beach which allowed us to flip back and forth between the pool and the ocean in the warm spring sun.
I was contacted by the PR firm of the hotel asking if we would like to write about the property. Honestly, I had no idea where Jekyll Island was, so I had to do some research.
In This Post
History of Jekyll Island
Besides all of the family-friendly activities available on Jekyll Island, it turns out that the island is pretty significant in the history of the US (Wikipedia). In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many wealthy businessmen built private vacation homes on the island. And during World War II it was evacuated by order of the US government because some German submarines were spotted off the coast. In 1947, the state of Georgia acquired the entire island for security and preservation of historical significance. Today, nothing more can be built on the island unless something else is torn down.
Some popular movies have even been filmed here, including X-Men: First Class, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and Magic Mike XXL.
As someone who works in banking and is very interested in personal finance, the most interesting part of Jekyll Island’s history is that this is where the Federal Reserve was formed in late 1910. The meetings were so secretive that the participants wouldn’t admit knowledge of the meetings until the 1930s.
Getting to the Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island
Ok, enough about me nerding out on history and finance. Let’s talk about the Holiday Inn Jekyll Island.
We flew into Jacksonville, Florida, on Southwest Airlines from LAX, then drove about an hour north to reach Jekyll Island. My brother-in-law and his family drove about 90 minutes south from Savannah to meet us for the weekend. Heck, both of those drives are my normal Monday thru Friday commutes to each way to work. Not a bad drive at all.
The Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island is located at 701 Beachview Dr N, Jekyll Island, GA 31527.
To reach the resort, you’ll need to enter the state park, which carries a $6 daily fee. Although we were staying on Jekyll Island for 3 days, we were told we only needed a multi-day pass if we were planning to leave the island. Not sure if that’s right, but I’ll save the $12 when I can!
Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island
The property itself is located right on the beach and a majority of the 157 rooms face the ocean. If you’re traveling with a family, like we were, there are 21 suites that provide that extra room we all need when the kids get a little rambunctious or when it’s time for them to go to bed and the adults want to stay up and talk. There are even a couple KidSuite Rooms that offer bunk beds for the kids and a separate bedroom for the parents! And if you’re traveling with a pet, some rooms are pet-friendly.
We stayed in a one-bedroom Dual Queen Suite that had a mini-kitchen, a living room with a pull-out couch, and a balcony overlooking the property with a view of the ocean.
As you can see, there is ample room for family in these spacious rooms.
Places to Eat at Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island
The Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island offers two on-site restaurants to satisfy your hunger.
The Anchor is located just a few steps from the pool so you can enjoy the sun and sand all day long, yet still feed the kiddos without having to stop all the fun and pull the kids away from the water. Click here to see a PDF I made of their menu.
We ordered from The Anchor one afternoon and the food was quite good. We shared chicken fingers and fries among the kiddos. Another family ordered the pizza and it looked tasty as well. Even though we were visiting the Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island in late April, the sun was still pretty warm, so I indulged in a frozen beverage to quench my thirst.
If you want a more extensive menu in a sit-down atmosphere, then check out Beach House. They specialize in locally-sourced dishes for the foodies in your party.
We didn’t eat at the Beach House because we bought groceries down the street at the Beach Village and cooked several meals in our room’s mini-kitchen to save money. However, one night we splurged on some mouth-watering BBQ at the Beach Village’s grocery store. Soooo good!
Activities at Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island
Number one is the ocean that is just steps away from the resort. I found it really interesting how much of a difference there was between high tide and low tide. It felt like the shoreline moved 30-50 yards… so much so that it created a little stream in the middle of the beach during low tide.
The Pacific Ocean where I live in pretty cold in April. However, the water at Jekyll Island was surprisingly warm for this time of year and we enjoyed playing in the water for several hours each day.
Then there is the pool, which has a kiddie pool area and a hot tub. Something for everyone of all ages to enjoy.
And when you want to dry off, but still have some fun, there is a playground next to the pool area. Timmy and Scarlett begged to play here before we left for home.
If you’re looking to have some fun without the kids, the Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island also offers a complimentary Kid’s Club. There are activities at various times throughout the day, so ask the front desk for a calendar. Timmy and Scarlett tried it out while Mommy had to finish a report for work. They colored and watched some cartoons.
Booking a trip to Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island
Room rates vary based on the season and day of the week. Also, because the island is small, if there are events scheduled for the convention center rooms on the island do fill up quickly.
During our stay, the two Queen Suite would have been a little over $200 a night, plus normal taxes.
And if you like to use IHG points to redeem for stays, you would pay only 25,000 IHG points per night.
Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island – Golf Package Promotion
With Father’s Day in a few weeks, now is the time to book an awesome vacation for the special man in your life. The Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island is only a 1/2 mile away from 63 holes of golf at the Jekyll Island Golf Club.
Please contact the Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island directly to inquire about the details of this package.
The Bald Thoughts
Although I had never heard of Jekyll Island before this trip, I am so glad that we went! It was a great opportunity to explore someplace new and we really enjoyed seeing some East Coast family. The Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island is an affordable destination with tons of amenities. Whether you’re paying cash or using IHG points, you’ll find great value in staying at this resort… and you’ll make some amazing memories with your family as you enjoy the resort and explore everything that Jekyll Island has to offer.
The resort looks like the perfect getaway for the family. I love a place with some history and Jekyll island seems to come with quite a fascinating one. In addition being a movie freak, it’s good to know about films that have been shot here. The bedrooms look massive and I can see that there is so much for the kids to do. Wonderful!
Thanks Raghav, Jekyll Island truly is a family friendly location with some interesting history. Next time we go, we’d like to search for the filming locations and have fun recreating the scenes.
Same as you, I hadn’t heard about the Jekyll Island before. It sounds and looks awesome tho. I really like that it’s a movie location. I sometimes like to follow those as a fangirl 😀 The pool area of this hotel looks geat for a chill day. Nice review 🙂
Thanks Anete! The pool was very relaxing in the warm sun, especially with a nice drink from the bar 😉
I first heard of Jekyll Island in a book called “The Creature from Jekyll Island” which is about the creation of the Federal Reserve. But now I associate it with the nearby PGA golf tournament and would hope to take advantage of the opportunity to play myself, even though I am far from being a pro. It looks like a terrific getaway for some playing and relaxing.
I didn’t get a chance to play the course, but my buddy Paul has played there before. He enjoyed it. Hope you can play it one day!
Holiday Inn at Jekyll Island looks like a comfortable place to get leisure with children. I like the size of room if a family of 4 living in it. Nice activities for people who likes game and some play.
Yukti, the rooms are very spacious and 4 people will be very comfortable.
This is amazing, really loved the way you’ve described the journey!! I think we all should have weekend getaways. i was glad to see your article and maybe I am going to look for a new place for this weekend!!
Ayushi, most of our trips are short weekend getaways, so we look for destinations that have plenty to offer at the resort and close by. The Holiday Inn Resort Jekyll Island definitely meets that criteria!
Never heard of Jekyll Island before and I instantly thought that it had some kind of split personality! I’m also intrigued by the fact that it was a movie location for X-Men: First Class, which (coincidentally), I watched yesterday! The resort looks very family-friendly too!
What a coincidence! I need to go back and watch some of those movies to see if recognize anything from our time on the island.
This looks like a wonderful place. The hotel is beautiful. I want a frozen margarita! It looks like a great place to enjoy with the kids too which is always a winner for us
Thanks Natasha. Total perfect location for a family getaway.
Holiday Inn at Jekyll Island is a lovely hotel right on the ocean. The area is not very commercialized. There were no hotels on either side of us. A residential area was nearby. The beach is very clean. If you want to sit on the beach bring your own chairs. There is a nice pool area with plenty of pool chairs. If you collect sand dollars this is the place. There is a restaurant next door that has good food.
I remember this now from the X-Men: First Class. Jekyll Island has a lot of palm trees. I like that you provided some background about this island before featuring the Holiday Inn. The hotel looks pleasant and comfortable. The interior design compliments the pieces of furniture.
What a great getaway! Room is indeed quite spacious and perfect for the whole family! We use to book these types of rooms a lot when I was a kid and travelled with my parents! The beach house looks so instagrammable! Love it!