Selections from Savannah
Written: Sep 14 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Friendly people, relaxed visit
Cons: Can be expensive, summer is hot and humid
The Bottom Line: Go to Savannah for an enjoyable, relaxing vacation. It's hot and humid in the Summer, but don't let that stop you.
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| jstancil's Full Review: Savannah |
My wife and I recently visited Historic Downtown Savannah for a time of refreshment and relaxation. We had a wonderful time, we found the people to be friendly and very helpful. The town was interesting and delightful. This is a review of some of what we experienced in 3 days in Savannah.
We stayed at the President's Quarters Inn. Our experience there began when we checked in during afternoon tea. In the quaint lobby each afternoon, guests can help themselves to fresh fruit, a dessert, iced tea, and wine. Each room in the Inn is named for a president who visited Savannah. We stayed in the Calvin Cooledge Room. Each room is decorated with fine fabrics and monogrammed lines, towels and terry cloth robes (nice, thick, white robes). Our room had a working fireplace, cable TV and VCR (with free movies available for viewing), a refrigerator, massage shower head, a 10 foot ceiling, king sleigh bed with headboard. Other rooms include jacuzzis and balconies.
The President's Quarters offers free downtown parking in their own lot, highly unusual in downtown Savannah, nightly turndown service with Savannah Sweets. The full complimentary breakfast is served to your room, the dining room on your floor, or on the patio outside the hotel. The entire hotel staff was more than cordial, lending immediate assistance upon request. In loading our luggage when leaving, a bag dropped to the floor. Upon arriving home, we discovered that a teapot we had purchased had broken when dropped. An email to the Inn resulted in their replacing the teapot for us with no hassle. Rooms start at $137 per night, but they have a number of special packages available.
Our first night in Savannah, we decided to dine at the Olde Pink House. This restaurant is describes as romantic and formal. After a delicious salad of mixed greens, my wife opted for one of the house specialties, the crispy scored flounder. It was quite tasty, and you did not have to fight the bone, just lift the meat with your fork. I had the pork cooked in almonds and molasses. Due to the way it was cooked, I ordered it medium. It was a wonderful taste treat. Dinner for two, with no wine and one dessert ran about $62 before tip.
The next day we decided to take a trolley tour around the historic district. We chose the "White Trolley," Old Savannah Tours and made the right choice.
Old Savannah Tours offers three options, 1)a 90-minute narrated tour. 2) The same tour, but with on/off privileges for the entire day. 3) The same as number 2, but with a tour of one of the old house added. We chose the third option. Costs are $18, $21, and $23, with a $2 AARP discount. Children's rates are available.
Old Savannah Tours will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel if you are staying in the historic district. This is a tremendous benefit, and was handled very courteously.
In one case, we were the only riders, and wanted to get to the house we were going to tour. Rather than have us spend approximately 60-90 minutes riding around to that point, the guide took us directly to the house.
We had four different guides and each gave a wealth of information about the local area, specific houses, or local folklore. All were courteous, and answered questions from the riders. The tour encompasses many of the squares, houses, churches, and other historic sites in the historic district of Savannah. The trolleys were clean and comfortable.
For lunch one day we chose to eat at The Lady and Sons. This buffet style restaurant is in the City Market area of downtown Savannah. The lunch buffet is $9.99 and is all you can eat of fried chicken, meatloaf, ham, a wide assortment of country vegetables, salad, and desserts. The food was delicious, especially the special house biscuits. The dinner buffet is $14.99 and you can order from the menu at both meals. With no lobby, those awaiting seating must wait outside on the sidewalk. When we were leaving one lady was heard to comment, "We saw the crowd waiting to get in and figured this was a good place to eat." She figured right.
We also took the Magic Dolphin cruise where patrons are guaranteed a dolphin siting. This was an enjoyable two-hour cruise down the Savannah River toward the Atlantic Ocean. And we were not disappointed. We saw an abundance of dolphins. But that was only part of the trip. Our guide pointed out various points of interest, such as Fort Jackson and Tybee Lighthouse. We saw several large cargo ships in the port, saw a sailboat that had wrecked on the reefs (guess you could say he had a bad day), and heard numerous tales of local folklore. The cost is about $20 plus a tip for the guide.
All in all, we had a very enjoyable time in Savannah and we 't wait to go back and see what we missed the first time!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
jstancil
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Member: John Stancil
Location: Lakeland, FL
Reviews written: 111
Trusted by: 10 members
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