Travel over 50: The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia
Have you ever spent time at the Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia? We spent 4 glorious days celebrating our anniversary at this luxury 5-star resort!
The Cloister has begun reopening and is taking safety precautions for its guest and employees during this time. Read more about the reopening here.
The History of The Cloister
2003 Restoration
In 2003, A. W. “Bill” Jones III representing the fourth generation of family members to run it (Coffin was a distant cousin, and Jones’s father and grandfather were at the helm before he took over), decided it was time for a complete restoration of the Cloister building, which lacked a proper foundation and did not meet modern building codes.
5-Star resort retained its grandeur in rebuilding the Addison Mizner-designed Cloister from the ground up, and adding a jaw-dropping, 65,000-square -foot spa with a fantasy indoor forest and lagoon. In April 2016, Sea Island Acquisitions completed a $40 million expansion that added a new “Garden Wing” to the Cloister with 63 rooms.
G-8 Summit
In 2004, Sea Island obtained an even more impressive honor: Hosting the G-8 Summit, with President George W. Bush bringing the “Great Eight” nations’ leaders to the summit at the same place his father and mother had honeymooned in 1945 (and returned to celebrate their 50th anniversary).
The Colonial Lounge (formerly the Spanish Lounge)
The main lobby was recreated using original materials during the complete renovation in 2003 by architect Peter Capone under the watchful eye of the ghost of Addison Mizner. It looks just like it did in 1928.
Rated the only Forbes Five-Star restaurant in Georgia, The Georgian Room is an exceptional dining
Tavola-An authentic, rustic Italian eatery
Tucked inside The Cloister and along the Black Banks River, Tavola is perfect place for a family meal. The simplicity of the cuisine and extensive wine selection is impeccably blended with the soul of Italy.
Savor the taste of Georgia’s coastal cuisine at Southern Tide, Sea Island’s only beachfront restaurant.
Our Garden Room
Smart Design Ideas were found in our room!
I was so happy to see the Universal design element in the shower. More and more hotels are adding grab bars in the bath and shower area when they do renovations. It’s a smart design.
The Ceilings at the Cloister
The library room below is where I enjoyed my morning coffee before heading to the fitness center. They serve delicious pastries in the library, which was also a part of my morning ritual too.
The gorgeous long walk over the lagoon filled with Koi fish.
You enter and immediately are greeted by the beautiful large whirlpool and heated lap pool. Isn’t it a gorgeous spa!
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The Spa has a lovely fitness center and offers free exercise classes for hotel guests. Choose from more than 56 group classes. State-of-the-art equipment, including Pilates, strength, and cardio studios. Work out on your own or under the helpful guidance of a personal trainer.
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I found an empty exercise classroom where I did yoga, Pilates, and weight lifting without people watching me.
Sea Island is also home to over 12 PGA golfers and they were tracking them on a scoreboard in the fitness center when we were there.
The Little Chapel at the Cloister
The Lodge
Another wonderful hotel to stay in if you decide to visit Sea Island is the English style Lodge located by the Sea Island Golf Club. We had a lovely dinner at the Oak Room and enjoyed the Bagpiper playing for us at sunset while we enjoyed cocktails.
Golfing at Sea Island
There are 3 golf courses at Sea Island, The Seaside course, The Plantation Course, and the Retreat Course.
My husband played the Seaside course during our stay. Seaside is routinely ranked among the top 100 courses in the United States. Along with the Plantation Course, it is the home of the PGA TOUR’s RSM Classic, a FedEx cup event hosted by Sea Island touring professional Davis Love III.
There is a Golf Performance Center that covers six core competencies—long game, short game, putting, golf fitness, club fitting, and mental game—within a state-of-the-art facility.
While my husband played golf I wandered over to see the remains of the Retreat Plantation that are on the south end of St. Simons
Retreat Plantation Tabby Ruins
I was quite surprised to learn there were some remains from a cotton plantation by the Sea Island Golf Club that I had to go and visit for myself. History no matter how awful and horrible is still something that I love. Without the wrongs done in the past, how can you move forward as a society?
In 1804 William Page purchased land on St. Simons Sound and named it Retreat. With later purchases, Retreat became one of the preeminent plantations on St. Simons Island for the production of long-staple cotton. Read more about the Retreat Plantation Here.
What I found near the Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island was several remnants from Retreat Plantation: the tabby ruins of a slave hospital, tabby walls from a greenhouse, a tabby corn barn converted into a golf course clubhouse, the brick ruins of the plantation house, and a slave cemetery.
Robin,
This looks amazing!
One of those trips that I regret not taking. We had the opportunity to go a year ago for a work event. It was the weekend we were returning from a big trip and we decided to pass. Never again, no more missed opportunities for me!
Have luggage will travel!🥰
Rosemary xoxord
Sounds like my kind of place to celebrate a special occasion. Putting on my list! Reminds me of the architecture at Mizner in Boca Raton. Hope you two had a great time ❤️
What a beautiful place. I love old architecture and places with history. Recently moved to SC & we are not too far from there. Thank you!
I’ve never been to The Cloister but it’s definitely on my bucket list! Looks so beautiful!
Absolutely breathtaking Robin. You did a wonderful job covering all of the lovely amenities and treasures. The photos are spectacular. I’m pinning to my Travel Inspiration board on Pinterest.