Awards Received Were:

The Grand Dining Room of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel is celebrating! 2009 Open Table Diners’ Choice annual ratings have been released, and the hotel’s premiere dining room is among the finest Georgia restaurants in seven major categories. One of the leading international websites for making restaurant reservations, OpenTable, has announced the ratings of 283 restaurants in Georgia that participate in the online reservations program. The Grand Dining Room ranks first in Romantic Restaurant, second in Best Service and Ambience, third in Special Occasion Restaurant, fourth in Best Overall, seventh in Best Food and tenth in Great for Brunch! More than 156,400 diners in Georgia voted based on their dining experiences. Executive Chef Abigail Hutchinson, who leads the culinary team in the hotel’s three restaurants—Grand Dining Room, Courtyard at Crane and Café Solterra — said, “We are thrilled with this recognition and thank all those guests who helped make this possible with their patronage.”

When a table is booked on OpenTable.com, the reservation is instantly recorded in the restaurant’s computerized reservation book – the same one the restaurant’s host uses to track all reservations. OpenTable has live internet connections into the restaurants themselves. Restaurant availability information is up to date, and reservations are immediately confirmed. The Grand Dining Room, a full service restaurant, offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and a legendary Sunday Brunch. The á-la carte menu features continental cuisine specializing in seafood, gourmet specialties and authentic southern fare. The Club pianist enhances the evening dining and Sunday Brunch experience. For additional information contact the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, 371 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527 or call 912-635-2600. For reservations, visit our website at www.jekyllclub.com or make reservations online at www.opentable.com.

Tags: Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island restaurants, open table, open table awards, opentable.com, places to eat jekyll island, restaurant awards
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A bountiful Thanksgiving Day Brunch is an annual sell-out in the Grand Dining Room (11:00 a.m. – 2:30 pm.) and the Courtyard at Crane Cottage (11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.). Guests will enjoy a vast array of salads and appetizers, omelets and waffles, carving stations, a variety of vegetables and accompaniments, and delectable desserts. The Grand Dining Room also serves Thanksgiving Dinner (6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) and the Crane Cottage continues to serve an a la carte menu. For families looking for the “at home experience” of quality time together, the hotel also offers wonderful private dining spaces. Reservations are required for all meals, so call now!

And, with the holidays just around the corner, don’t forget the annual Jekyll Island Christmas Tree Lighting on Nov.28th (4:30 p.m.). Visitors are invited to the hotel lawn in the Historic District to welcome Santa Clause to town! On December 2nd at 4:00 p.m. guests are invited to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel to enjoy it in all of its Christmas finery, as the guide takes you on a candlelight tour of the Grand Dining Room, lobby, and all public areas.

For those history buffs, you may want to be taken back in time to see what Christmas was like through the years. From December 5th thru December 31st, you can venture inside the cottages of Jekyll Island’s National Historic Landmark District and experience the holidays from the Victorian Era to the Jazz Age with the museum’s “Holidays in History” tour.

Always a holiday favorite, the hotel will be hosting a Gingerbread House making workshop on December 5th at 10:00 a.m. The Hotel’s famous pastry chefs will be prepared to host this family friendly 2-hour event. Put themtogether, ice, decorate, and take home and enjoy! On December 12th, gather in the Boar’s Head Lounge at 7:30 p.m. for a toast to Christmas Present. Follow the merrymakers into the Grand Dining Room for a holiday feast and musical dinner theatre. Based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the Atlanta acting company revisits Christmas with Tiny Tim and a host of other characters.

Santa will be making another appearance on December 13th, and Jolly Old Saint Nick will be welcoming children with a great big “Ho-ho-ho” and an invitation to share their Christmas wishes and stories. Enjoy lunch at the Courtyard at Crane before or after! Leading up to Christmas Day, December 19th- 24th, Scottish bagpiper Tim Akins will celebrate the season and will play traditional holiday favorites while parading toward the Riverfront Veranda from the Cottages. As sunset approaches, he advances to the banks of the Jekyll Rivers for a last salute.

On December 23rd, at 5:30 p.m., don your hats and mufflers and meet on the Riverfront Veranda ready to sing your favorite carols at Crane and Cherokee Cottages, the Club and Sans Souci.

Want to get a head start on holiday shopping? Then give the gift of history and fun with a wonderful vacation package to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. During the holiday season the Jekyll Island Club Hotel is offering a variety of great packages for guests. From November 29th thru December 29th guests are invited to take advantage of the “Christmas at the Historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel Package.” The package features Traditional or Club priaccommodations, full breakfast buffet in the Grand Dining Room, a romantic Getaway? From November 1, 2009 – February 28, 2010, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel will be offering 25% off this package rate. The package includes Traditional Queen or King Accommodations for two nights, champagne and fresh fruit upon arrival, and a breakfast buffet each morning! This would be a great gift for parents, aunts, uncles, or even just special friends.

Do you have a golf enthusiast you need to buy for? Starting December 1st and running through January 31st the Jekyll Island Club Hotel will offer guests a “Golfer’s Heaven Package.” Guests can bring their clubs for a free round ofgolf each day. Rates include accommodations and 18 holes of golf on one of Jekyll Island’s four courses. Rates start at $85.00* per night at the hotel. Whether you are a visitor to the island, or a local Golden Islander, there is something for everyone this holiday season at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel!

more info

Please contact the hotel for details, certain restrictions apply:
(912) 635-2600 www.jekyllclub.com

Tags: Holiday Island on Jekyll Island, jekyll island accommodations, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island Events, jekyll island hotels
Posted in Beachscape, November 2009 | No Comments »

By Dan Lott

Overlooking the intracoastal waterway and alongside the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the Jekyll Island Invitational Tournament was played October 23-25 under very favorable weather conditions. It had been 17 years since the last tournament was played there.

The field consisted of eight strong players (four from Georgia and four from Florida). With only one block, each participant played five matches before the seeding of single elimination ladder play on Sunday.

It took several matches before seasoned tournament players Dick Brackett, John Curington, and Ted Knopf adapted to the challenging court, and began to assert their superior style of play.

Absent from the sport for many years, Jim Woodall was the surprise of the tournament going 4-1 in block play to earn the #2 seed position in the ladder. His only block loss was by one point to the eventual champion.

With the exception of a one point loss to Ted Knopf in block play, rising star Derrick Wassink was the dominant force in the tournament. He quickly adjusted to the vicissitudes of the court and overpowered his opponents, earning +48 Net Points in block play.

In the finals, when Ted Knopf stuffed one of his balls in #2 wicket, Wassink hit in and took control of the match, turning in a score of 26-4 to capture the championship trophy.

Tags: croquet tournament, jekyll island accommodations, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island hotels, jekyll island vacation
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Breaking Out the Mallets

It has been a long time since an officially sanctioned croquet tournament came to Jekyll Island - 17 years to be exact.

In that gap, the closest tournaments that made their way even close to the area were at Hilton Head Island, S.C., and St. Augustine, Fla.

For local player Dan Lott, the time had come for croquet to return to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

“Jekyll Island used to, years ago, have some really fine tournaments there at the hotel,” Lott said. “I visited with Kevin Runner, the general manager of the hotel, and asked him if he thought there would be any interest in renewing their commitment to having a croquet tournament at Jekyll Island. He gave me a very positive response and from that point on, I started working on it.”

Lott’s efforts will bear fruit Friday as some of the top croquet players in the country flock to Jekyll Island to play in a prestigious singles invitational tournament sanctioned by the United States Croquet Association.

The tournament, which is scheduled to begin at noon Friday and run through mid-afternoon Sunday, will feature three former Georgia state champs, two members of the United States Croquet Hall of Fame, the reigning seniors national champion, a former national championship runner-up and a former USCA president.The quality of the field has the members of the Jekyll Island Croquet Club looking forward to the event.

“They seem to be very excited about it,” Lott said of the club members. “None of them has ever played in a tournament before or, to my knowledge, witnessed a tournament before.

“They’re very excited about having some of these top-notch players come in and participate.”

Ten players in all will compete, including four from Georgia and six players from Florida.

Read the full story here…

Tags: croquet tournament, jekyll island, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the brunswick news
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sunset on Jekyll Island after wedding

Originally uploaded by Miss-D200

Another beautiful sunset overlooking Jekyll Creek. This lucky bride got the background of her dreams for her wedding pictures!

Who has more sunset pictures to share? Upload it to our Facebook page, name it, and we’ll have a poll! The winner will get an awesome Georgia Sea Turtle Center beach towel! (one picture per person please)

Tags: jekyll island, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island riverfront, jekyll island wedding, sunset
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Tags: Beach Music Festival, beach vacation, emerald princess, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, Georgia, georgia beaches, georgia coast, georgia's jewel, golden isles, golf, island treasures, jekyll, jekyll island, jekyll island arts association, jekyll island authority, jekyll island beach, jekyll island beach vacation, Jekyll Island Beachscape, jekyll island birding, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island development, Jekyll Island Events, jekyll island facts, jekyll island georgia, jekyll island golf, jekyll island hotels, jekyll island museum, jekyll island vacation, sea turtles, Shrimp & Grits Festival, shrimp and grits, shrimp and grits festival, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival
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Tags: Add new tag, Beach Music Festival, emerald princess, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, Georgia, georgia beaches, georgia coast, golden isles, golf, jekyll island, jekyll island arts association, jekyll island authority, jekyll island beach vacation, Jekyll Island Beachscape, jekyll island birding, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island Events, jekyll island georgia, jekyll island golf, jekyll island history, jekyll island hotels, jekyll island museum, jekyll island revitalization, jekyll island vacation, Jekyll Island vacations, Shrimp & Grits Festival, shrimp and grits, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival
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Tags: Beach Music Festival, beach vacation, Beachscape, emerald princess, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, geocaching on jekyll island jekyll island georgia, Georgia, georgia beach vacation, georgia beaches, georgia coast, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, golden isles, golf, jekyll, jekyll island, jekyll island authority, jekyll island beach, jekyll island beach vacation, Jekyll Island Beachscape, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island development, Jekyll Island Events, jekyll island facts, jekyll island golf, jekyll island hotels, jekyll island museum, jekyll island revitalization, jekyll island vacation, sea turtles, Shrimp & Grits Festival, shrimp and grits, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival
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Tags: Beach Music Festival, emerald princess, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, geocaching on jekyll island jekyll island georgia, Georgia, georgia beach vacation, georgia beaches, georgia coast, golf, jekyll, jekyll island, jekyll island authority, jekyll island beach, jekyll island beach vacation, Jekyll Island Beachscape, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island development, Jekyll Island Events, jekyll island golf, jekyll island history, jekyll island hotels, jekyll island revitalization, jekyll island vacation, Jekyll Island vacations, sea turtles, Shrimp & Grits Festival, shrimp and grits, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival
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