Tybee Island - travel-eat-read-repeat.com

Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island

For our 20th anniversary trip, we stayed at Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island. The Inn is located on the South end of the island. We were just a block from the beach. Surprisingly, Beachview provided EVERYTHING: bikes, coolers, beach chairs, umbrellas. The backpack chairs especially came in handy when walking to the beach.

Original picture of Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island — The owner shared this binder with us detailing Beachview’s history

The only thing I didn’t like about Beachview was how loud it was especially on the weekends. Most evenings we were in Savannah so sitting on the porch enjoying the quiet or the sound of waves had little relevance this trip. Typically, being quiet and ocean front would be more important for us.

Of course, breakfast was included with our stay. Due to their varied menu, we got something different each day and each meal was delicious.

Breakfast Area at Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island — Breakfast area for guests was beautiful!! All of the staff were super nice.

Breakfast at Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island — Our favorite breakfast. Ham and Swiss veggie scramble and blue grits for me. I had never had blue grits before. I discovered they are made from blue corn and are creamier. Waffles for Robbie.

We only stayed one night in The Cove room. On our first full day, the owner was so nice and upgraded us to the Tranquility room.

The Cove Room at Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island — The Cove was a beautiful room in the original section but the bed and room were smaller. We also had no control over the thermostat in that room.

Original Fireplace in The Cove at Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island — Original fireplace in The Cove was gorgeous

Tranquility Room at Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island — Bigger room and bed in The Tranquilty room. The owner, Karen, had her husband make me a mojito too.

Clawfoot Tub in Tranquility Room Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island — Tranquility is located above the spa so it is not part of the original building. It had a claw foot tub.

Walk-In Shower Tranquility Room Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island — and a walk-in shower

Tybee Island South Beach

Each morning, we enjoyed walking on the beach, shelling and riding bikes . We spent 3-6 hours each day on the beach. I was able to complete my favorite beach activity: reading. I read the perfect book while on the beach. Read all about the different beaches Tybee has to offer here: https://visittybee.com/beaches

Beachview Inn and Spa on Tybee Island provides free bikes — After two mornings walking the beach closest to the Inn, we took the bikes to the Back River Beach and to the bayside on the final two days.

Tybee Island Back River Beach — Look how awesome Back River Beach is when the water is down.

Dolphins on bayside. You can also see Little Tybee Island, the uninhabited island, only accessible by boat.

The waves on South Beach could be quite large. If you have small children, North Beach or Back River Beach may be better.

South Beach Tybee Island — Case in point: this pic was taken after my husband lost his hat in a massive wave. Luckily, I was able to save both my glasses and hat. He said he was too busy holding on to his shorts. 😂

Downtown Tybee Island

We spent only one evening on Tybee. Similar distance to the beach, Downtown Tybee is also only one block from Beachview Inn. We shopped and bar hopped on my 42nd birthday. Nickie’s 1971 was our favorite bar. The seats and bar were low and comfortable. There was live music with tv’s showing various sporting events. I’m not a sports fan but it was nice to have the combination of music and something to watch and talk about. They also had Samuel Adams Summer Ale on tap which was a huge draw for me.

Shopping Downtown Tybee Island — Souvenir shopping for our daughter here but there were several cute shops.

Bar hopping Tybee Island — Several bars downtown to checkout including karaoke bars.

Restaurants on Tybee Island

We ate at two restaurants on the island and liked both so much we want to visit them again next time.

Huc-A-Poos

We ate at Huc-A-Poos on arrival day which was perfect as it was one of the first restaurants as you’re entering the island. We love to get pizza on arrival day because you can eat the leftovers the rest of the trip. It was surrounded by shops which would be good to visit if there wasn’t a wait. Our wait was short (note: it’s seat your self) and we were hangry so no shopping.

Huc-A-Poos Nachos on Tybee Island — Nachos ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Huc-A-Poos on Tybee Island Shep Surprise — Love Shep Surprise. Truly order anything you want. Team Banana (bottom left) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, The Bryce (top left) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, The Carnivore (bottom right) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and G Burger (top right) ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Crab Shack

We loved the atmosphere at The Crab Shack.

Crab Shack Outside Seating on Tybee Island — And outside. I loved how they built around the trees.

Feeding the alligators is a must

Gilbert the Bird at The Crab Shack on Tybee Island — Visiting The Bird Shack is too. Gilbert was our favorite. He was the most friendly and likes to dance to Billy Jean.

The food was just okay. I’ve had better boils in my neighbor’s backyard- not enough seasoning used for theirs.

Boil at Crab Shack on Tybee Island — Crab and peel and eat shrimp ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, sausage ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, potatoes ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Not pictured with my meal is the key lime margarita also ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Raw Oysters at Crab Shack on Tybee Island — Hard to mess up raw oysters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BBQ sandwich at Crab Shack on Tybee Island — Especially, for a seafood place my husband was pleased with his BBQ. He also ate the corn from my boil and said it was good. His rating for both ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Convenient trashcans at Crab Shack on Tybee Island — Genius to put trashcans in the middle of the table.

Next Trip to Tybee Island

We plan on taking the kids next time so I think a house closer to Back River Beach or on the bayside would be perfect. Tybee is so small even staying on the opposite side of the island it would still be a quick bike ride to the open ocean. I think it would be great to find a house with kayaks or paddle boards included. I’m also a huge sunset fan and missed snagging those sunset water views.

If we stay on the beach side again, I would at least like to eat at AJ’s Dockside at sunset. I’ve been told they have better seafood than Crab Shack and that you need to call and make a reservation to snag the sunset views. I was also told by the owner that Sting Ray’s in downtown Tybee has the best seafood on the island. Sundae Cafe is the highest rated restaurant on the island and was also the owner’s favorite. Since we did our fine dining in Savannah, we skipped Sundae Cafe but I was anxious to try it. Hopefully next trip!!

I can’t wait to take the kids to Tybee. I think they will agree that this area has the perfect blend of historic city and beach vacation.

Next time I would like to visit the Tybee Island Light Station: tallest lighthouse in Georgia.

Paddle boarding or kayaking on the bayside looks awesome. We saw several people kayaking to Little Tybee Island.