Just returned after a blissful 4 nights at the Inn at PB. The Inn was an easy 40 minute drive from Savanna airport and the 4 mile drive down the private road just heightened our anticipation! We were not disappointed- the private tree lined road opens up into the delightful village square, bang on the May river. The Inn itself is on the square across the ruins that you can see on the resort website. Our car was valet-ed and not needed till we departed. Our cottage was not ready when we arrived, so we had lunch at the May River golf grill. It was good..very reasonably priced and a killer view of the 18th hole.
Once our cottage was ready- wow!! Cannot agree more with other reviewers…it was even better than the pictures on the website. Although our river view was not as direct as some others..it was amazing! The river and the pine forest combined make a landscape that is postcard perfect everywhere one looks. The bedroom was huge, and stocked with complimentary waters, snacks and iced teas. We used the covered porch for room service breakfast each morning, and it made for an extremely relaxing start of the day. The bathroom was probably my favorite part of the cottage- right out of a Southern home design magazine! The steam shower was addicting. I will say, I thought for the time of year, I felt there was more...Just returned after a blissful 4 nights at the Inn at PB. The Inn was an easy 40 minute drive from Savanna airport and the 4 mile drive down the private road just heightened our anticipation! We were not disappointed- the private tree lined road opens up into the delightful village square, bang on the May river. The Inn itself is on the square across the ruins that you can see on the resort website. Our car was valet-ed and not needed till we departed. Our cottage was not ready when we arrived, so we had lunch at the May River golf grill. It was good..very reasonably priced and a killer view of the 18th hole.
Once our cottage was ready- wow!! Cannot agree more with other reviewers…it was even better than the pictures on the website. Although our river view was not as direct as some others..it was amazing! The river and the pine forest combined make a landscape that is postcard perfect everywhere one looks. The bedroom was huge, and stocked with complimentary waters, snacks and iced teas. We used the covered porch for room service breakfast each morning, and it made for an extremely relaxing start of the day. The bathroom was probably my favorite part of the cottage- right out of a Southern home design magazine! The steam shower was addicting. I will say, I thought for the time of year, I felt there was more wildlife activity on the lagoon than the river. I guess we were not up early enough to catch the dolphins, but we always saw some kind of cool bird or turtle in the lagoons by just walking past.
We had booked 2 Winter Wonderland packages for a total for 4 nights and I cannot recommend it enough! It included breakfast at Buffaloes everyday (we ate there once, and did room service all other days from the same menu to get some extra ZZss), 2 dinners (we did Canoe club one night and River house another), 2 activities per person (we did 2 massages each at the amazing Spa). The only thing we had to pay for was alcohol and gratuities. The other nights we did the New Years Eve dinner at the River house and room service from the Canoe club. The River house is very traditional in terms of styling and food; Canoe club was a little more our style, more contemporary all around. The Canoe club also has fantastic views of the River from the balcony , a perfect spot to grab a few cocktails prior to dinner. Buffaloes breakfast was good- a little slow in service, but that is just the pace of the relaxed Southern life, which we slipped into after a few days.
The crowning glory of the Inn is hands down the natural beauty, and the excellent manner in which the developer has enhanced it with the Inn and the entire resort/homes. As you can see from the website, the Inn is just one part of the 20k acre development that offers luxury homes and amenities such as the golf course, equestrian center, boat storage etc and even the cutest little convenience store where you can buy all the essentials like wine, champagne or cheese! All thru our stay, we interacted with ‘members’, the owners of the homes, be it at the fire pits each night or at the restaurants. That is absolutely the way to go- have a house there! Depending on where the house is located, it can also be part of the Inn’s rental program and are listed on the website. We definitely plan of taking our family back and renting a house..some of the ones we saw had amazing porches with outdoor fireplaces overlooking the lagoon or river. We also had a golf cart along with the usual bikes each cottage receives- so much fun to drive around the entire resort in your own golf cart. It was especially useful during the chilly nights, when walking to and from dinner was not very appealing. The bikes were just as you can imagine- liberating! For city folks like us, it was just so delightful to bike around the resort..you have to take a ride down to Moreland, a little picnic spot about 3 miles from the Inn. Be sure to get a picnic lunch packed from Buffaloes and some chilled wine! The bike ride itself is like out of a movie. During our stay the weather was great- mid 60s, a long sleeve shirt+ light vest and jeans more than enough for day time excursions.
Another aspect of the resort that separates it from other US five star properties- the senior management is very involved and engaged. From the GM – Marty, to David- director of guest services, Brett- reservations manager, all were genuinely concerned with making our trip as relaxing as can be. It was especially thoughtful given the resort was at 100% occupancy and am sure they had a lot on their plate. The concierges- Pat and Rick, were both very interactive from the time I made the reservation, till the very end giving us directions to the airport. Like all Auberge properties, PB also has the deal with Benz where you can borrow one of the Resort Mercedes and drive around to wherever you like. Just make sure to reserve the Benz of your choice before hand with the concierge. We tested one of the S class hybrids with a lunch trip to Savannah..not bad, a few hours at the most are more than enough..we couldn’t wait to get back to the resort!
I would also recommend bringing a few bottles of your favorite wines..they are extremely handy to sip on your porch or even bring to the fire pits at night to accompany the smores. The room bar does offer the Inn’s own Napa cab, which was excellent too.
In summary, the Inn at Palmetto Bluff and the entire property is truly a fairy tale come to life! Especially for city folks, this place will just completely relax you and take you away from the crazy stress of everyday life. And at only a 2hr flight from the East coast, you cannot beat the value or convenience- enjoy Palmetto Bluff!More
Show less