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.
As summer winds down to a close and the first crisp, crinkling of fall whispers around the corner, The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort is making this fall all about wine. The resort hosted two wine tastings and seminars Wednesday, September 28th, both of which featured The King Estate label.
King Estate Winery of Eugene, Oregon celebrates 20 years of winemaking this year, and in addition to producing quality wine, King Estate has become synonymous with producing wines of exceptional quality using organic & sustainable farming methods, meticulous fruit selection, impeccable winemaking practices, and judicious blending. The beautiful estate of 1,033 acres is certified organic and includes 470 acres of organic vineyards, as well as 30 acres of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The Estate is crowned by the charming, European-style winery, where the winemaking process is also certified organic.
Vinny D’Agostino, Food and Beverage Director at The King and Prince, officiated the tastings which were presented by Randy Ford and Gary Lynn, representatives from the winery. The first tasting served those in the trade locally here on St. Simons. Those in attendance included Guy Trapani, Sommelier from Sea Island’s The Cloister; Mark Gagaliano, Wine Consultant with Harris Teeter Supermarkets; Susan Whitfield, Wine Consultant with Winn Dixie Supermarkets; Tom Delaney, owner of Delaney’s Bistro, and many other servers and bartenders from such local favorites as Coastal Kitchen, Ocean Lodge, and the Sea Island Resort.
The second tasting was hosted by Aaron Krisfalusi and Jason Degoursay of The Still and Winery (www.thestillandwinery.com) here on St. Simons. The cost was $15 per person and included 6 wines and appetizers. Each tasting featured King Estate wines including:
Signature Pinot Gris 2008- rated by Wine Spectator| Top 100 Wines | Wine & Spirits rated it 92 Points
Signature Pinot Noir 2010 Vintage- rated by Wine Spectator at 89 points and declared BEST BUY by Wine Enthusiast at 90 points
Acrobat Pinot Gris 2010 and Pinot Noir 2009 Oregon, both received over 90 points from Wine & Spirits AND Wine Enthusiast
Domiane Pinot Gris 2009 and Doamine Pinot Noir 2008, This wine has a very limited production, and the grape clones are from France.
Vin Glace Oregon Pinot Gris 2007 (This wine is a style of ice wine, or dessert wine)
NxNW “Wallua Benches” Vineyard Riesling 2010- featured on the cover of December 2010 Wine Spectator
NxNW Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 2008 - Wine Spectator 95-100pt rated
This was The Still’s first wine tasting hosted in conjunction with The King and Prince, and we look forward to partnering with them again in the future. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and blog for more information about our upcoming plans to produce a series of informal, relaxed, and fun wine events.
Remember, the best way to ward off the chill of fall is by sharing a great bottle of wine with a great group of friends.
In AOL Travel’s August 2010 article of America’s 10 Best Islands, St. Simons appeared as the number 3 best island.
3. St. Simons Island, Georgia
Fishing on St Simons Island
The largest of Georgia’s four Golden Isles, St. Simons has beckoned bluebloods and birders for a century with marshes, maritime forests, and Mediterranean Revival mansions. The island’s location made it a strategic maritime point: Explore Fort Frederica National Monument, where colonists won a major naval battle during the Revolutionary war and learn more at the WPA-built 1935 Old Coast Guard Station that houses the Maritime Center museum. Golfers can play hundreds of challenging holes between St. Simons and neighboring Sea and Jekyll Islands. Patrol the waters on a working shrimp boat, sail on a dolphin-watching tour, or just bask on pearly sands.
Fun Fact: The 104-foot St. Simons Lighthouse (a working navigational beacon operational since 1872) and its brick Victorian light-keeper’s residence were renovated in 2010.
The Georgia Sea Islands, which describes the islands off the coast of Georgia and includes St. Simons Island, were listed in the National Geographic Top Rated List for the first time ever.
Read about all 99 Coastal Destinations or about the Sea Islands rating.
Traveler’s annual destination scorecard focuses on 99 coastal areas, from Italy to Mozambique. A panel of 340 experts in sustainable tourism and destination stewardship rates this geographically and culturally representative sample of the world’s waterside locales.
Score: 74
Native Americans, British soldiers, African slaves, and wealthy late 19th-century vacationers have all left their marks on Georgia’s sun-soaked barrier islands. Local residents have worked to safeguard relics of this multi-layered history. The islands’ ecology is also in good shape. Though pressure to overbuild is mounting, most islands remain either “undeveloped or tastefully developed.”
Here is a representative sampling of additional anonymous comments from the panelists. They are not necessarily the views of the National Geographic Society:
“Few places on the Atlantic coast are as well preserved as the barrier islands of Georgia. Cumberland Island is managed by the National Park Service, Jekyll Island is a Georgia state park, Sapelo and Ossabaw Islands are largely undeveloped, and even Sea Island and St. Simon’s Island are tastefully developed at low scale and density.”
“Very pretty and low-key. There is some development, but in general it seems to be under control. Beaches are wide and flat, and they slope gently into the water. This makes for relaxing, family-friendly beach activity. Towns can get crowded in high season, but they have retained a sense of cultural identity.”
“Beautiful setting and shaded by abundant live oaks. In addition to beautiful white beaches, the islands offer visitors access to many historic and archaeological sites. There has been pressure to overdevelop, but smart land-use planning has led to a nice mix of preservation and development.”
The King and Prince is proud to offer packages that include rooms, tickets to the event and more! Resort guests also receive a special golf rate at The King and Prince Golf Course, home of The Hampton Club.
Wednesday & Thursday, October 6-8 (Two Nights)
-2 Tickets to Thursday and Friday
-Admission for 2 to the Champions Club
-Ocean Front Accommodations
Price: $448
Friday & Saturday, October 8-10 (Two Nights)
-2 Tickets to Saturday and Sunday
-Admission for 2 to the Champions Club and $100 of food and beverage credit
-Ocean Front Accommodations $574
-Partial Ocean view Accommodations $524
(Rates are based on double-occupancy)
To reserve The McGladrey Package, call reservations at 1-800-342-0212
The Ocean Front Villas offer a living/dining room combo as well as two bedrooms and two full baths.
Gale Gay recently visited The King and Prince and St. Simons Island. Her article about her wonderful stay was published in championnewspaper.com. Read the following article to hear about The King and Prince’s 75 years of history as well as see raving reviews of local establishments, including Gnat’s Landing, Serenity House Tea Society, Sandcastle Cafe & Grill, and the Lighthouse Museum.
Royal treatment extended to all at The King and Prince Resort
It’s a funny thing about our first impressions—sometimes we can be so wrong.
Pulling into the sprawling and palatial The King and Prince Beach and Golf 
Resort on St. Simon’s Island with its stately soft yellow building and distinctive red tile roofs, I jumped to the conclusion that this historic property would be stuffy and, perhaps, pretentious.
It didn’t take long for me to realize just how wrong I was. The King and Prince is historic all right with 75 years of tradition on Georgia’s Golden Isles. However, it is a relaxed resort, with diverse facilities—including a wide assortment of guest accommodations—and staff who are genial and welcoming. The royal treatment is generously extended to all, which makes this resort an ideal place to stay—whether for a weekend getaway or a longer family vacation.
Interestingly, the King and Prince sits at the end of an ordinary street in a modest neighborhood, which only adds to its charm. It’s like coming upon a hidden jewel. And with its back hugging the Georgia coastline, the Atlanta Ocean is just a stones throw away from the resort’s pool, restaurant, special event spaces and guest rooms.
However, this is no cookie-cutter resort. Its Mediterranean architecture is distinctive, visually enhanced when the sun hits the roof’s red tiles. Guests can choose among 198 rooms in suites, beach villas, cottages and private guest houses. Rooms are sumptuously appointed and bathed in shades of soft yellow and other neutral tones and paired with bold blues or gentle greens.
The property has had a long and colorful history. Opened in 1935 as a seaside dance club, the King and Prince Club grew into the King and Prince Hotel six years later when the main hotel was added. Local historians point out that dance clubs were big back then and when another opened nearby, a rivalry grew. It was destroyed by fire in 1935 and amazingly rebuilt in a mere 60 days—only to be ruined by fire again in the late 1930s.
During World War II, the hotel served as a naval coast-watching and training facility, and there are many intriguing stories about that chapter of its existence. It wasn’t until 1947 that the property returned to usage as a resort. In 2005, it was named to the National Register of Historic Places.
Guests today have the choice of having meals in the Delegal Dining Room (Sunday brunch is spectacular and a bargain at $21.95 per person) with its one-of-a-kind stained glass windows depicting local scenes and history or in the King’s Tavern or at the laid-back Beach Bar and Grill (all have views of the Atlantic Ocean).
And chefs at King and Prince know how to make an event special. In celebration of the resorts 75th anniversary I was fortunate to sample a seven-course dinner with dishes that reflected each decade of the resort’s history and included a Poached Salmon Louis for the 1940s, Escargot in Puff Pastry for the 1960s and Creole Black Grouper for the 1980s. Each dish was something to marvel at before devouring it.
Those with golf on their minds will likely be in a state of anticipation about playing at the recently restored King and Prince Golf Club. Located about 12 miles from the resort, the 18-hole, par 72 golf course presents unique challenges as golfers work their way past forests and through salt marshes, lakes and lagoons. Although I’m not a golfer, a golf cart tour (including more than 800 feet of elevated cart bridges) almost made me want to hit the links.
Back at the resort, there are also four outdoor pools, one indoor pool, tennis courts, a fitness center and massage and reflexology services at The Royal Treatment Cottage. A walk on the beach may require a walk through the neighborhood to reach a nearby park that has easy beach access. The tide is often so high directly behind the resort that the beach there is underwater.
For more information on the King and Prince resort, visit www.kingandprince.com.
Shrimping aboard the Lady Jane is a relaxing and fascinating way to spend part of a day. Captain Larry Credle and his crew not only take visitors out for a sea adventure, they also provide a lively and insightful lesson on shrimping and the sea life in St. Simon’s Sound. Credle and company take pride that their excursions take place on a U.S. Coast Guard certified 49-passenger steel vessel that has been retired from active shrimping. Watch as the crew lowers the gear and after a while raises the net with its bounty of shrimp as well as crabs, stingrays, flounder, jellyfish and an assortment of other creatures that the crew is happy to identify. A highlight of the trip is when a pot of shrimp caught the day before are cooked with spices and served hot. The two-hour cruises run $39.95 for adults and $25 for children younger than 6. www.credlesadventures.com. (912) 265-5711.
Gnat’s Landing. Any place that puts equal emphasis on its entertainment and its food and describes itself as “flip-flop” friendly is my kind of place. Located in Redfern Village on the island, Gnat’s Landing offers bar drinks, seafood, sandwiches, salads and specialties such as a Fried Green Tomato Club, Fried Dill Pickles and Vidalia Onion Pie. I suggest that those in search of a lively time get a table on the large side porch where the musicians and singers perform (and there’s plenty of room for dancing). Located at 310 Redfern Village. www.gnatslanding.com. (912) 638-PEST.
Serenity House Tea Society and Shoppe is a lovely tea emporium in the village that carries more than 70 teas from India, Africa, China and South America. The owner and staff are exceeding knowledgeable about the black, green, white and flavored teas and extremely willing to share their knowledge. The shop also sells tea accoutrements such as mugs, teapots, strainers and personal tea bags. Loose teas range from $8 for two ounces to $54 for a half pound. The shop is located at 504 Beachview Drive. www.SerenityHouseTea.com. (912) 638-0381.
Lighthouse Museum and Maritime Center provide a look back to when the 
lighthouse was part of guarding the coast. Exhibits about the routines and responsibilities of the guardsman who were stationed on the island in the early 1940s are displayed. In the Maritime Center there are seven galleries that are home to exhibits about the beaches, marches and forests as well as the areas’s Coast Guard and military history. The lighthouse grounds also include an 1890 oil house and a Victorian style gazebo. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at 4201 First St. www.saintsimonslighthouse.org. (912) 638-4666.
Sandcastle Café & Grill is a great spot for a casual breakfast or lunch. Their $8.35 daily breakfast buffet comes with biscuits, muffins, three kinds of sausage, bacon, corned beef hash, hashbrowns, fruit, tea, coffee and orange juice and made-to-order eggs. Also unlimited pancakes, French toast and waffles. Located at 117 Mallery St. (912) 638-8883.
I grew up coming to St. Simons Island every year. My family would stay at the K&P or at a condo next to the pier each year. However, the last 12 years we have been going to Destin for our American beach trips. Well, like many of us, that was canceled due to the oil spill. The K&P hotel was just as I remembered it. The pool area and pool food were great. The room was nice with the best views you find on SSI. The of the hotel is ideal.
The quaintness of the island and village were pleasant and relaxing. So different from the commercialized Destin, and Panama City strung up and down the pan-handle that I have grown accustomed too. You sacrifice the clear blue water but you get a better island and better shops and better eating. The waves were a nice change. You just have to get the tide schedule down. I enjoyed the tides b/c it gives you a view that is always changing.
Not the best place for spring breakers but a great place for couples and families.
-written by ramblinman79 from Winder,GA
To read more reviews of The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort or to post reviews of your own, visit TripAdvisor.
The King and Prince
Subheading: If you grew up in a sleepy beach community then you know – there was something charming about a slower pace and friendly wave. St. Simon’s Island, Georgia gives you the chance to turn back time.
Be Home Before the Street Lights Come On
There was nothing quite like warm weather days growing up. If you had a bike, you were gone! As a parent, your only worry was that you could convince your kids to come home or that they didn’t crash in the briar patch. Kids live in a smaller and smaller world today; most parents barely feel comfortable letting their children hang out in the front yard. But, if you want to give your kids the chance to feel the freedom you knew, it’s time to take a vacation to St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Even WWII Spies Couldn’t Ruin It
St. Simons is full of history of course, it’s part of the original colonies; but everywhere you turn history winks at you. The island has been occupied by the Native Americans, Spanish, French, English, even the Nazi’s tried to set up camp; everyone has left their mark whether in a name or a structure. A stroll through Christ Church’s cemetery is a testament to how many people came from near and far and suddenly (but not surprisingly) found the island felt like home. It’s true, German spies during WWII successfully landed on the islands after subs had sunk two Liberty line ships, but they couldn’t go through with their plans to betray the sleepy town.
Today, you can find ruins, artifacts (be sure to give them back), and a peek into days gone by as you explore the island. Out near the Hampton Club, the golf course that belongs to the King and Prince Resort, you can see old walls from an early mill. A visit to the Maritime Museum and Lighthouse offer 
insight into the changing landscape and beach of the island. A walk around the King and Prince Resort transports you to the days of the 1930s dance clubs, the impact of the war when the resort was a Naval Radar School, and a return to the safe feeling of a 1970s beach community.
Getting Lost But Finding You
St Simons is a small island, so before you grow concerned – it’s tough to actually get lost! Further, there are now wonderful bike trails all over the island that rival Eisenhower’s freeway system. As you are cruising along, be sure to check out those historical markers and take a turn down a street or two. You might find an old plantation or the First African Cemetery hidden down a side road.
There are sea turtles, shrimp, and a whole host of slimy sea creatures waiting to be discovered (if you have kids with you, take a trip out on the Lady Jane 
shrimp boat – their marine biologist will help pull in the nets and let people safely touch all the different kinds of waterway dwellers – gross out factor +10.) And have some shrimp right there at the landing at Spanky’s.
If you’re visiting kid-free, check out the newly rejuvenated course at the Hampton Club where you can golf surrounded by perfect vistas designed by Joe Lee with the latest course grasses that ensure a great golfing experience. Take in a spa treatment or two over the King and Prince. And at the very least, stop by the resort for a beverage, one of their famous oatmeal muffins, or Chef Robin Gomez’s life-changing shrimp and grits.
In fact, The King and Prince makes for a great homebase. They have a variety of room styles, cabanas, villas and multi-bedroom homes in a relaxed beach-side atmosphere sure to drop your blood pressure. Exploring St. Simons offers you the opportunity to see what makes you smile, try out something new, and enjoy old favorites. When you see something that tickles your fancy on St. Simons, check it out! Ask the residents questions, they’re all proud of their community and happy to share its history. Seize the day for adventure and discovery!
Turning Down the High-Maintenance Meter
Like Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, time is slower and flip-flops are expected footwear on the island. Be a local and stop in for breakfast or lunch at the Sandcastle in the Village. Pop over to Redfern where you can stroll the curve, window shop, and try an $8,000 margarita at Bubba Garcia’s. Make sure to catch the sunset (and maybe a Green Flash) down at the pier. It’s all about taking life a little slower and having a little more faith in the people around you.
And, in case you’ve forgotten, when someone lets you in at a roundabout or even when you just pass by on the street – smile and wave…just like you used to when you were a kid.
Getting There: Fly into either Savannah/Hilton Head International or Jacksonville International. Savannah is north of St. Simons Island and Jacksonville is just south across the state line in Florida. Rent a car and expect a drive of about an hour. Bikes are available to rent once you get there.
St. Simons King and Prince Resort: www.kingandprince.com
St. Simons Island Convention and Visitor’s Bureau: www.explorestsimonsisland.com
Bubba Garcia’s: www.bubbagarcias.com
Lady Jane Shrimp Boat: www.credlesadventures.com
Photos by David A. Monroe – www.damimagist.com
Send this page to a friend.
Copyright 1995-2010 TravelLady Magazine
So what are your plans?
Here at The King and Prince we are gearing up for a great kick-off to the summer season. Join us this Memorial day with your family and friends for some R&R at the ocean’s edge.
Relax by one of our 4 outdoor pools, dine poolside at The Paradise Beach Bar & Grill, let us pamper you at The Royal Treatment Cottage and don’t forget to enjoy our great Friday night Seafood Buffet and the Southern Charm Sunday Brunch!
There’s still time to reserve your room for Memorial Day! Reserve today and begin the countdown to fun in the sun at The King and Prince