The King And Prince Blog » St. Simons Island Activities

TibbettsTravel: King and Prince

The King and Prince Resort — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:31:53 +0000

Read below to see Christine Tibbetts’ article from TibbettsTravel about exploring St. Simons and activities and The King and Prince Resort & Golf Course.

King and Prince: A forward-looking resort with history on St. Simons Island

Sunday, December 11, 2011

By Christine Tibbetts

ST. SIMONS, Georgia — Elegance and longevity. Fresh new cuisine wrapping around 76 years of resort history on a barrier island that began forming 200 million years ago.

Grand combination for a holiday at the King and Prince beach and golf resort on St. Simons Island.

Some pleasant places are only fancy; this one has depth too, and neighbors who stay. Here’s how that translates to tourists.

Long-time pleasures keep on happening but change filters in, everything hand-in-hand on this handsome property and throughout the barrier island.

For example: the King and Prince has long served peach cobbler for breakfast. Tradition continues. Now they’re also squeezing juice from their courtyard grapefruit trees for a Prohibition cocktail reflecting one of their historic eras.

Seven decades of menus and history with more in the making.

Well-balanced spirits are only one passion of the new King and Prince cuisine director. Fresh Georgia foods are too, and wines from near and far.

Vinny D’Agostino is his name, steeped in the flavors of his Italian family and schooled at Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts in Providence, Rhode Island and North Miami.

A member of the Court of Master Sommeliers, D’Agostino holds a string of accolades from Bon Appetit and Food and Wine magazines for restaurants and bars he’s owned and operated.

Wild Georgia shrimp join many King and Prince menu items including this low country boil accented with olive branches from Georgia Olive Farms in Lakeland

He speaks as easily of his time as a youth on family farms and vineyards in Fornelli, Italy as he does now about the wonders of wild Georgia shrimp.

“Food and drink,” D’Agostino says, “are tied to the history of place in so many significant ways. Our menus reflect that, and our chefs incorporate their Island family histories along with their professional training.”

Fine eating happens often, at the resort and around the island. In between meals, I listened to local stories on the Lighthouse Trolley, first-person tales since the owner/driver Cap Fendig hails from a family arriving here in the 1800s.

When I’m getting local history from someone whose granddaughter goes to the same elementary school he did, plus his grandfather, I feel grounded.

St. Simons Island is a different experience from resorts with passing-through, seasonal workers.

This bit of the Georgia coast has more residents than visitors: 65 percent full time, Fendig said.

Everyone I talked to loves the tidal marshes, maritime forests, freshwater sloughs and the spartina sugar cane grasses that make local shrimp sweet. They gather at Neptune Park, which visitors do too, so mixing it up is an easy pleasure.

There’s a pier for fishing and gazing and a smooth brick walkway hugging the water, leading to the lighthouse. Talk to Curt Smith; he’s the modern executive version of a light station keeper and an enthusiastic St. Simons Island historian.

Picnic tables and trees galore make Neptune Park a lingering place; for $7.00 get an all-day pass to the big swimming pool.

I walked the bricks twice after way too much breakfast at Sandcastle Café.

Tidal marshes are incubators for so many species that this Georgia coast is one of the 20 most diverse in the world.

That where Tim and Melissa Wellford have been serving legendary eggs, muffins, grits with or without shrimp, French toast, sausage, bacon and more for 24 years.

This is yet another St. Simons Island kind of place to share good conversation with residents.

Local people seem honored to live on a barrier island; Fendig says only two percent of the world’s coasts have barrier islands. Made me feel like a new frontier explorer.

Georgia has 15 barrier islands; four are auto accessible. Good idea to be OK with bridges when you go. 1924 was the first year St. Simons was connected by a causeway to the mainland.

Short and wide is the nature of these islands; North Carolina’s Outer Banks are long and ribbon-like.

Curious facts like that are easy to pick up at the Coast Guard Maritime Museum, a handsome Colonial Revival style structure, one of 80 built as WPA projects.

Definitely watch the documentary to understand the territory; National Geographic says this coast is one of the 20 most diverse in the world. Museum exhibits are clear and clean, not too much reading, good graphics.

The Coast Guard Station turned Maritime Center features clear, concise, handsome exhibits, about St. Simons Island ecosystems and history.

One section pinpoints a different kind of amazing history: World War II right off this coast. German subs targeting the beaches. Two oil tankers sank. Dogs trained as defense partners for sentry guards.

Then return to the King and Prince with a different eye knowing today’s elegant pale yellow resort became a radar training school.

The hotel opened to the public July 2, 1941 and in the winter of 1942 was reserved solely for the U.S. Navy and the war effort.

This was the gathering place for families learning their sailor had died because nearby Jacksonville, Fla. was the military point of return.

Looking up in the former ballroom to stained glass window scenes installed in 1938 when this was a private club, and looking out to the Atlantic Ocean, I mused about that war effort, and ours today.

King and Prince staff seem well versed in that history, and proud to be part of a place that sacrificed for the nation. My musing? Who is sharing any thing or any place today? Only our troops?

Travel takes my heart and soul to new places. Then the opportunity is

Shrimp and grits recipe at the King and Prince: long tradition using local wild Georgia shrimp.

mine to act on the thoughts the journeys trigger.

Lighter thoughts swirled in the ballroom too, wishing the King and Prince would reinstitute dancing dominant there decades ago.

My New Jersey parents waltzed often at the nearby Cloister Hotel on Sea Island but I found a gentler, more personable charm at the King and Prince.

Elegance to enjoy, exquisite details shared with pleasure seem the formula here. Bud St. Pierre has directed the sales and marketing for 10 years, happy he and his wife are raising young sons on this barrier island.

“We hire nice people here,” he said with almost a giggle. And I observed hotel and resort staff treating each other like they thought so too.

Many choices at the King and Prince for where to rest starting with oceanfront suites, villas, towers and rooms with balconies overlooking the tennis courts.

G.W. and I stayed in the luxurious Tabby House, a separate structure with space to share and a kitchen; could have brought some of the family.

The Meadows is also a stand-alone house, this one rich with fine and folk art and lots of levels and stairways.

Allow sufficient time when you reserve accommodations to savor the options.

Allow time, too, to explore the tidal waters on the Lady Jane. She’s an eco boat, gathering detailed information to provide the Department of Natural Resources.

Up came the 20-foot-wide net and into a waist high table went the contents

"I never met a blue crab that wasn't angry," says Clifford Credle, naturalist on the Lady Jane shrimp boat in waters near Brunswick.

twice on my morning cruise.

Look fast because back into the water is the mission, tallying life and returning to nature.

Exceptional catches require measuring, like the green sea turtle weighing 30 pounds that surprised Clifford Credle, my 18-year-old eco guide who started learning the estuary life when he was nine with his dad Larry who captains this vessel.

Wild Georgia shrimp caught in this net don’t go back to sea; they’re cooked five minutes later and served to Lady Jane passengers.

A King and Prince holiday merges easily with St. Simons Island discoveries, not always the case with resort vacations. Sometimes they lock you in, or so it feels. Isolated.

I think I figured out the difference. King and Prince personnel really live on this island. I kept seeing them in community places as well as the hotel and grounds.

Even food and beverage director Vinny. Saw him, chowing down on ribs and Brunswick stew at Southern Soul BBQ. Good sign I thought, the pile of local oak in the front yard. Separate smokers for each kind of meat.

Four holes on the Hampton Club course involve the marshes, carefully constructed and monitored to respect and preserve this ecosystem.

I’m no golfer but the King and Prince’s Hampton Club gave me hope. Most encouraging lesson I’ve ever had was with General Manager and Head Pro Rick Mattox.

He just received a major PGA award for outstanding integrity, charity, mentoring and service to community. Golfers would recognize the Bill Strabaugh award name.

For real golfers, this course features four holes playing through the marsh, built and maintained with strict regulations, Mattox says. Marsh golf is not to be found anywhere else.

Wannabe golfers like me have a good chance of being allowed to borrow a cart in the late afternoon and experience the beauty of greens and marsh. The view stretches forever.

Driving to the Hampton Club offers a chance to see island ecosystems, and to visit at least three historic sites: Fort Frederica, Christ Church and the Wesley Memorial and Gardens.

Holidays at The King and Prince: 2011 Edition

The King and Prince Resort — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:44:04 +0000

It has been another great holiday season at The King and Prince! Right after Thanksgiving our staff worked hard to decorate the hotel with trees, garlands, poinsettias and our huge tree in the Resort lobby. We also had gingerbread houses on display created by local elementary students and King and Prince employees. Festivities throughout the month included visits with Santa, a choir performance and a family holiday party. Here are some pictures from the month long festivities.

Time for Good Food

The King and Prince Resort — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:06:52 +0000

Rachel writes in her blog, “Time for Good Food,” about her trip to St. Simons and all the sites she saw and food she ate at The King and Prince.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Inspired by St. Simon’s Island

A week ago today I was at St. Simon’s Island, Georgia taking in the beautiful scenery and stuffing my belly with delicious food. Magical sounds cliché, but it really was an amazing trip that I won’t soon forget. I was invited by The King and Prince Resort and their publicist Leigh Cort, along with other journalists and bloggers from around the country, to be a part of a media trip focused on Southern culinary traditions. My friend Nikiwas also one of the journalists, so we rode down together.For someone like me who is enamored with history, food and the idea of eating locally and sustainably, it was sheer heaven. I learned so much, tasted so much and am so inspired, this is going to have to be several posts. Maybe a trilogy? You’ll see what I mean in a minute.

Christ Church - the most visited attraction on St. Simons Island

I vaguely remember spending a day sightseeing on St. Simon’s Island as a child. One memory that stands out is visiting the moss draped Christ Church and its cemetery. I was excited to get to see it again all these years later. The parish was founded in 1736, though the current church building dates to 1884. A walk through Christ Church’s cemetery inspired prolific Georgia writer, Eugenia Price, to pen her first historical novel The Beloved Invader. The book brought to life the church’s rector Anson Dodge, Jr. and led to additional books, New Moon Rising and Lighthouse – known as the St. Simon’s Trilogy. Interestingly, Price stayed at The King and Prince in 1961 when she discovered the island that would define her career as a writer. Tourists still come to St. Simon’s today inspired by her books. Who knows, maybe I’ll be inspired to write a historical novel, but for now I’ll settle on a trilogy of blog posts. This first: an overview rich with photos.

The exterior of The King and Prince's historic hotel building.

The King and Prince was built in 1935 and is the only oceanfront hotel on the island. I think that’s what sets St. Simon’s apart from other tourist destinations. It doesn’t feel touristy. You won’t find the high-rise condominiums and tacky beach stores. It’s quiet, laid back, upscale in some ways, but unassuming.Naturally, it’s a popular destination for weddings and romantic getaways. However, I’m totally inspired to take my family back there.

A wedding photo shoot I happened to catch out the window.

The beach is great, but there are also miles and miles of golden marshlands that are especially beautiful at sunset. Growing abundantly in the marshlands and estuaries is Spartina, the golden hued grass that gives St. Simon’s Island and other nearby barrier islands their nickname, “The Golden Isles.”

Marshlands at dusk.

And there’s the Lighthouse. And the cute village with shops and restaurants. And the waterfront park. And the Maritime Museum that is housed in a former Coast Guard Station.

Oceanfront park with St. Simons Lighthouse in the background.Maritime Center and Museum

I could go on and on, but I know you are probably wondering: what about the food? This is a food blog after all! Most of our meals were served at The King and Prince under the direction of its Food and Beverage Director, Vinny D’Agostino. While on staff for just a short while, D’Agostino is making great strides in bringing local farmers and food artisans ”to the table” to enhance the dining program at the resort. Honestly, going in to this I was not expecting the food to be that great. I’ve had some pretty bland, uninspiring hotel food in the past — but I have to say that the food I tasted at the King and Prince was really delicious. The shrimp and grits, I swear, may have been the best I ever tasted. I’m going to attempt to make them at home and share the recipe with you in the next post in my trilogy!

Shrimp and Grits made highlighted with Tasso ham, fresh corn and tomato.

One afternoon we had the pleasure of meeting food growers and artisans from around the state and sampling their fare. The most exciting thing I tasted was the first pressing of olive oil made from Georgia-grown olives thanks to Georgia Olive Farms. It’s so new that it isn’t even on the market yet. We also tasted cheese from Flat Creek Lodge, muscadine wine from Still Pond Vineyards, 13th Colony Distillery liquors, chocolates from Sugar Marsh Cottage, Wild Georgia Shrimp, Savannah Bee Company honey and peach products from Lane Southern Orchards — to name a few. I’ll definitely share more with you. Remember, my trilogy?

Georgia made products we tasted.

On our final day at the King and Prince, we ate breakfast in the elegant Delegal Room — once the ballroom of the old resort. I imagined how many dances, weddings, receptions and important events must have taken place in this stained glass adorned room with sweeping ocean views. I doctored this photo up a bit to look “old,” much like the actual historic photos that lined the lobby hallway and are featured in each guest room. It makes me feel happy.

Pretending it's 1951

I love places with a sense of history, natural beauty and authentic Southern charm. You will definitely find that at The King and Prince and on St. Simon’s Island. Now, time for a short disclaimer: The King and Prince provided me with a complimentary stay and meals, but did not pay me to write this or endorse the resort in any way. By being a gracious host, showing me the island and sharing the spotlight with other local businesses and attractions, they made me fall in love. I’ll definitely be back!

Brunswick Georgia Christmas Parade

The King and Prince Resort — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:41:31 +0000

This past Saturday December 3, The King and Prince Resort was a participant in the annual Brunswick Christmas Parade. The parade featured floats from local businesses, clubs, school groups, religious organizations and more. There was over 100 parade floats this year. It was a great day to get in the Holiday spirit! The parade went from Howard Coffin Park up Gloucester St. and ended at Mary Ross Waterfront Park. Hundreds of families lined Gloucester to watch the parade. The parade concluded with Santa Claus. The King and Prince employees helped out to create the “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” float. The employees with their families passed out candy to the parade viewers and had a great time walking with the float. Our General Manager was the driver and we even had the Grinch with us!

: K&P Van pulling the float

K&P 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' Float

K&P Employees and their families at the parade

The Grinch!

Brunswick Stewbilee in Brunswick, Georgia

The King and Prince Resort — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:07:38 +0000

This past weekend, The King and Prince Resort competed in the annual Brunswick Rockin’ Stewbilee. The event was on Saturday October 22 at the waterfront Mary Ross Park in Brusnwick Georgia (15 minutes from the Resort). There were numerous festivities all day long. The kick off was a one mile fun run and a 5K. Following this was the “Pet Supplies Plus Pooch Parade.” Owners showed off their pets in a variety of creative costumes. An employee of the King and Prince, Amanda’s pet won first place in the small dog category for being dressed as an Animal Cracker. It was adorable! There was live entertainment all day and of course the main attraction, the brunswick stew contest! There were 32 cooking teams that supplied their stew for the competition. We served up over a thousand samplings to attendees. It was our first time competing in the contest and are proud to say we were a finalist! Our stew (and decorations) were definitely first place in our book!

K&P Staff at Stewbilee

Mrs. Kathy passing out the samples

Awesome volunteers!

Vinny serving it up

'Stewy' the boar

Nashville Unleashed at The King and Prince Resort

The King and Prince Resort — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:11:49 +0000

Jack & Diane brought their travelling musical roadshow “Nashville Unleashed” to The King and Prince Resort on St Simons Island, Georgia Saturday August 13. They performed an amazing show; great music, with wonderful stories and laughs about songwriting and life in Nashville as a musician. It was a dinner show, with a Prime Rib buffet to start the evening and guests’ enjoyed the ocean views from the historic Delegal Room. The musicians performed “in the round” seated in the middle of the room, where every seat felt right up front. Jack & Diane launched “Nashville Unleashed” in 2008 with a strong vision for a show that would spotlight Songwriters in a way that helps them to connect deeper with a listening audience. They brought 3 talented musicians with them; Karen Staley, Julie Forester and Mason Douglas. With their casual, easy-going style, I felt like they were playing their songs and telling their life stories to a group of me and my friends. The songs and the stories behind them were wonderful and each of the musicians voices were amazing; from tender love songs to fun country ballads. Nashville Unleashed will return to The King and Prince on Saturday November 19. The links below are to each of the musicians web sites.

Mason Douglas: http://www.masondouglasmusic.com/home.cfm
Karen Staley: http://www.karenstaley.com/home.html
Julie Forester: http://julieforester.bandzoogle.com/fr_home.cfm
Jack & Diane: http://nashvilleunleashed.com/about-jack-and-diane/

Nashville Unleashed – Live Music and Dinner

The King and Prince Resort — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:38:03 +0000

A live music and dinner concert is coming to The King and Prince Resort on August 13! Here is full information about the event, from the “What’s Happening” section of the August Elegant Island Living Magazine.

This is the ultimate date night for music connoisseurs, as Jack & Diane, the musical hosts of Nashville Unleashed, will be sharing center stage with fellow Nashville performing songwriters at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort on Saturday night, August 13. Dinner service begins at 6:00 p.m. and will conclude at 7:30, just prior to the show’s start. Jack & Diane perform and serve as the evening’s hosts. Joining them are Nashville performing songwriters: Karen Staley, who’s written for Faith Hill, Trick Pony and Tracy Byrd; Julie Byrd, a professional writer with Reba McEntire’s Starstruck Entertainment who has also performed on the West End stage in Longon, England; and Mason Douglas, who’s opened for Trace Adkins, James Otto and Jewel.

The evening’s performance will be staged in the round in the hotel’s Delegal Room overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It is similar to VH-1′s “Storytellers,” where the audience goes behind the scenes as the musicians share the inspiration behind their music and the stories that shape their songs. The performers are floor level in the middle of the room, surrounded by their listeners seated at candlelit tables that create a sense of intimacy, allowing them to engage their audience in conversation throughout the night.

Their music is a bluesy, more soulful style of country, with Diane’s vocal influences including Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Nicks. Jack is renowned as an impressive guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with an unconventional approach. Both are long-time performing, recording and songwriting veterans with the ability to capture the hearts of their listeners and endear people to themselves almost instantly through music and lyrics.

Tickets are $65 per person which includes dinner, exclusive of cocktails, and are available exclusively online at nashvilleunleashed.com.

Sky Magazine July 2011 – Iconic Cities in the U.S.

The King and Prince Resort — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:00:17 +0000

The July 2011 issue of Delta’s Sky Magazine had a special section called “Americana Summer” featuring five iconic cities in the U.S. St. Simons Island was one of destinations listed. The King and Prince Resort was listed for accommodations. To see the full special section and photos of The King and Prince and St. Simons click here: Sky Magazine July 2011.

St. Simons Island

This island off the coast of Georgia offers seaside splendor, historical intrigue and many opportunities to sit back and relax.

By Giannina Smith/ Photos By Chris M. Rogers

Just over the F.J. Torras Causeway towards St. Simons Island, a quaint Georgia beach town emerges that is uniquely different from many of the sandy retreats in nearby Florida. The largest of the Golden Isles-which also include Jekyll Island, Little St. Simons Island and Sea Island- St. Simons was settled by English colonists in 1736 and later used for rice and cotton plantations. It became a resort community in the 20th century, and the exodus from urban sprawl continues today, with stressed-out city dwellers looking to enjoy this unhurried, oceanside haven.

One of the island’s most noted historical attractions is Fort Frederica: Built in 1736, it was the center of defense for the English colony of Georgia. Tour the archaeological ruins of the fort before taking a shady drive along The Avenue of the Oaks- once the entrance to an antebellum plantation, this picturesque location now lines the entrance of the exclusive Sea Island Golf Club. For a bit more history, stop at Christ Church, a Gothic style structure hidden among the oaks that was the locale for Georgia author Eugenia Price’s novel The Beloved Invader.

Before heading to the center of activity in St. Simons’ pier village, trek up 129 steps to the top of the 1872 St. Simons Lighthouse to get a panoramic view of the coastline and nearby barrier islands. Stroll along the waterfront to the island’s bustling pier and take a breather while watching chatty locals reel in buckets of crab and fish.

If the sight of fresh seafood gets your stomach grumbling, head to Mallery Stree. For a no-frills, home-cooked breakfast, the 4th of May Deli and Cafe offers everything from seafood omelets with local shrimp and crab to peanut butter-and-apple French toast. Known for its crab cakes, Barbara Jean’s is another good spot for a casual lunch topped off by an indulgent “Chocolate Stuff” dessert. For a more refined repast, book a table at Halyards, where the island cuisine and wine list earns foodie accolades, or at its sister restaurant Tramici, a local favorite for southern Italian cooked in a wood-burning oven.

After lunch, browse through the village shops, tee off at one of the island’s golf clubs or rent a bike from Ocean Motion Surf Co. to pedal along the island’s extensive system of paved trails. To cover lots of ground without breaking a sweat, hop on a St. Simons Island Trolley Tour or rent a golf cart from High Tide Carts. For water-lovers, a Southeast Adventure kayak trip will take you through the wildlife marshes, and a ride aboard the Lady Jane, a retired 49-passenger steel shrimping vessel, can take you farther out to sea.

After a busy day of activities, head back to your ocean-view room at the Ocean Lodge. An elegand, old-world Europe-inspired bed-and-breakfast, this boutique property is nestled on a sleepy street just steps from the Atlantic. Another stellar option: a room at the histroic oceanfront King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, opened in 1935, or at the quaint Village Inn and Pub, veiled under the live oaks between a park and the village center. For impressive lodgings with a storied past, the properties of Sea Island- The Cloister and The Lodge-will not dissapoint.

“Phantom” The Georgia Sea Turtle

The King and Prince Resort — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:32:58 +0000

Earlier this year, The King and Prince adopted a sea turtle. The Geogia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island is a hospital for ill and injured sea turtles. It is a rehabilitation and research center. The Adopt a Sea Turtle Progam “helps offset operating costs such as medication and food for in-house patients as well as supports research we are conducting to help sea turtles all over the world!”

The King and Prince adopted “Phantom.” Phantom is a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle who stranded on Little St. Simons Island, Georgia, on July 30, 2009. She/he was brought to the GSTC where it was very obvious what was wrong with her/him. Phantom had a severe head injury and was missing her/his left eye and half of her/his upper jaw. Phantom underwent surgery and was under care at the GSTC until June. On June 17, 2011 Phantom was released! You can read about Phantom’s journey and track his/her journey in the wild by visiting http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/. Click on “Join Us” at the top of the page, then select “successfully released patients” and Phantom’s web page. The password is “opera”.

Here are pictures from Phantom’s release:

Georgia Day Trip: To The King and Prince & St. Simons Island

The King and Prince Resort — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:09:39 +0000

Leigh Cort writes an article for Old City Life about a trip to historic St. Simons Island and The King and Prince.

Day Trip

By Leigh Cort

The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort

View from the Oceanfront Building

Only a two hour drive from Saint Augustine, run away to a Georgia island that will take your breath away. Expansive vistas along a 5-mile causeway leading to St. Simons Island from the mainland will compel you to roll down the windows and exhale the saltwater marshes and exhale the stresses of life. Drive under massive live oaks creating canopied tunnels that Eugenia Price immortalized as the setting for many of her romantic novels. When you arrive at The King and Prince Hotel that oozed Southern hospitality, you might feel like a kid again on your first beach vacation.

A member of Historic Hotels of America, The King and Prince has hosted dignitaries and celebrities for 75+ years when it was a retreat for the ‘rich and famous.’ There are numerous lodging options (14 styles of rooms, suites, cottages or villas). For romance, choose a Cabana Room, in the historic center of this Mediterranean beauty. It’s perfect for a quiet getaway with a large beautifully decorated bedroom, cozy sitting room and one smaller step down to an oceanfront verandah. Uber comfort is important when it’s a ‘romantic’ getaway. The peaceful blues/yellows and tons of extra pillows are all you need to let the cares of the world drift away. For a family affair, select a 2-bedroom villa with oceanfront balcony, 2 baths and full kitchen.

If you visit for a day, take a stroll around the Hotel and enjoy lunch or dinner in the only oceanfront restaurants on the island. Featuring southern coastal cuisine, tour The Delegal Dining Room with historic stained glass windows that depict the Island’s histoy. Through the decades contemporary additions to the King and Prince maintain the same historic feeling ~ from the original building of rooms and suites ~ to the pristine indoor pool and four outdoor swimming pools. Front desk staff and lobby concierge are ready to make any stay wonderful, arranging a suneset cruise, kayaking, bicycles to explore the island or directions to the famous St. Simons Lighthouse.

If you visit for an overnight, there is no hurry to catch it all. Perhaps a ride on The Lighthouse Trolley can begin your island exploration. Making stops along the island to specialty shops in The Village or Sea Island Shops where there are numerous art & antique galleries, boutiques and restaurants-the trolley continues to Christ Church, Fort Frederica and stops throughout St. Simons Island with historic makrers dating to the 1600s.

Return to the Hotel and indulge at the Royal Treatment Cottage. With a smorgasbord of revitalizing services choose a treatment where “the mind and body can relax.” They offer very individualized attention that might include Aromatherapy, reflexology, Swedish or side-by-side massage for couples. Any visit to St. Simons Island must include driving along 16-mile Frederica Road, which begins at the southend pier and Village-culminating at the north end and the King and Prince Golf Course at Hampton Plantation. Resort guests and day trip visitors can enjoy a spectacular day of golf on a course that is owned by the Resort. Renowned for its ancient forests, vast salt marshes and four spectacular signature hotels that are gently carved from small coastal marsh ‘islands’, the course bends around towering oaks, across lakes and lagoons. Lunch at the clubhouse is open to the public too (365 days a year). Their innovative 3-D graphic transports viewers to each of the 18 holes via hole-by-hole flyover.

Hotel guests often visit with a list of ‘must do’s on the island’ while visiting. It’s a great idea to be an organized traveler and maximize vacation time but the Resort has done some of the work for you:

Live History: Climb to the top of the St. Simons Island Lighthouse, Trace the archaeological remnants of Ft. Frederica where Georgia’s fate was determined is 1742, Hop aboard The Lighthouse Trolley for an Island history tour.

Nature Bike Rides: Don’t Forget Your Camera. St. Simons Island has 17 miles of bike paths that traverse the Island past centuries old trees, historic markers, ocean and marsh vistas complete with native wildlife.

Art & Antiques: The Island has 20+ galleries & antique shops for every taste.

Self-Guided Walking Tours: We’ll prepare a customized tour or set out on your own.

Read a Book: Settle in and find a cozy spot – the beach, the pool, your luxurious room or an oceanfront swing.

Dine Around: The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily with an exquisite ocean view from every table. The King and Prince Golf Course serves breakfast and lunch daily too. AND the Island dining options are extensive. Ask our concierge.

St. Simons Island ‘Island Playhouse’ Theature & Library: A must! Bringing live theater to the Island since 1956.

Energize the Imagination, Body & Soul: For Relaxation & Rejuvenation- enjoy our Royal Treatment Cottage. Where your mind and body can relax with massage therapies and treatments…steps from the beach.

Celebrate Golf: King & Prince Golf Course is a MUST PLAY. Enjoy our old fashioned hospitality and experience a truly memorable game: the serenity of extraordinary natural beauty and the challenges of one of Coastal Georgia’s great courses.

Fish, Surf & Boating: Let the fresh air and waterways seduce you for a day ~ take a trip on the Lady Jane (shrimp boat) or we can help you plan your adventure with one of the island’s favorite captains: Cap Fendig. Kayaking, dolphin tours and secret fishing sports are yours for the asking.

Do Nothing: You’re at the Beach!

The King and Prince Resort

For more details visit: kingandprince.com