Our St Simons Holiday Home - Welcome

<body onload="CSScriptInit();"> Welcome to the temptation of an astounding, luscious and quite out of the ordinary holiday. St Simons is the largest and loveliest of the islands that snuggle against the shores of coastal Georgia, USA, collectively known as the Golden Isles and so called because of the breathtaking colour of the reeded marshlands as sunset approaches.<br> <br> <br> <br> It is only recently that this region has been discovered - by the Americans at least - as the perfect vacation spot that it is, so its treasures remain unspoilt. Europeans have still not caught on (and the few British who have visited have thoroughly relished the absence of their countrymen!).<br> <br> <br> <br> When we first came over from London, without wishing to sound too soppy, we simply fell in love. The trips became more and more frequent until the ultimate commitment loomed as inevitable; now we have a St Simons home, complete with pool, which we adore and which we visit as often as we can. And when, sadly, we can&Mac226;t: well, then, you may.<br> <br> <br> <br> Please do browse this site for our rental details &Mac246; and we&Mac226;ll be happy to answer any questions if you get in touch through our contacts page.<br> <br> <br> <br> Carol and Flynn Sarler<br> <br> (Head:) ST SIMONS ISLAND<br> <br> <br> <br> Do not ask why it doesn&Mac226;t have an apostrophe. We don&Mac226;t know, OK? This we do know: it is a lush, magnificent jewel, whose beauty hits you the moment you cross the causeway from the mainland. It is roughly 13 miles by two, with all the gifts of a sub-tropical climate. There are huge live-oaks, dripping Spanish moss from their branches and forming canopies against the summer heat. There are vast, white sand Atlantic beaches &Mac246; upon which you may frequently find yourselves quite alone &Mac246; where dolphins come to play and pelicans to dine.<br> <br> <br> <br> There&Mac226;s the Farmers&Mac226; Market, vibrant with the morning&Mac226;s crops, the colours of the wild flowers that grow right to the beach, the hum of crickets, the bickering of bluebirds and the triumph of the mockingbirds.<br> <br> <br> <br> But even with all of Nature&Mac226;s glories, primitive it is not. There are also elegant shops, jewellers, antiques, cinemas and art galleries. Food, especially local seafood, is fresh and fabulous; restaurants plentiful and easy-going. There is world-renowned golf, you can fish, rent boats, play tennis, hire bikes and &Mac246; of course &Mac246; swim. At night there are bars and music: Rafters blues club is terrific, so is jazz at J Mac&Mac226;s. Or you can shoot a little pool at Murphy&Mac226;s till very, very, tragically late. Who with? Ah, just wait until you meet the legendary southern hospitality of the local people&Mac183;<br> <br> <br> <br> Winter is cool but not cold: early-mid 70s are common during the day; good for golf or exploring, not for a suntan. Summer is broiling: if you like it really hot with sea breezes for light relief, this is your time. It&Mac226;s also the busiest and buzziest. Spring and autumn are our favourites: well into the 80s or even 90s by day, but cooled down to the 60s at night. The locals think of these as low seasons, so it tends to be quieter.<br> <br> (Head:) OUT AND ABOUT<br> <br> <br> <br> There are people &Mac246; and we know who you are, yes we do &Mac246; who have not moved a muscle from our pool throughout their stay. Most, however, do sally forth for at least a little, gentle exploration of this remarkable part of American heritage.<br> <br> <br> <br> A day-trip to Savannah is always popular; it&Mac226;s about 75 minutes north of us by car and a truly beautiful city. Most of it can be leisurely covered on foot: the majestic old squares and the cobbled streets (fans of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil will thrill), the bustling, party-atmosphere riverfront with its bars and restaurants and its interesting shops. Tip: outside the back of the Hyatt, on the river, a boat leaves late-afternoon on a dolphin watch. Well worth it.<br> <br> <br> <br> The Okefenokee Swamp is a must, also basically a whole day out. It&Mac226;s 40 square miles of dark, mysterious waters smothered in weird vines, foliage and zillions of alligators that you can see all around you, into which some idiot lets you rent a motorboat and set off on your own. Not as dangerous as it sounds. Or so they say.<br> <br> <br> <br> Sapelo, Cumberland and Little St Simons islands (the last our favourite) can all be visited &Mac246; bookings required &Mac246; for glimpses of extraordinary scenery and wildlife. Neighbouring Jekyll Island is a great place to go for lunch at their grand but inexpensive old club, once the winter haunt of American aristocracy.<br> <br> <br> <br> And then there&Mac226;s shopping: 25 minutes up the coast is the Darien Outlet Mall, with designer clothes, trainers and the rest at really unbelievable knock-down prices.<br> <br> <br> <br> For other ideas, read The Georgia Handbook, by Kap Stann, Moon Travel Publications.<br> <br> (Head:) OUR HOUSE&Mac183;<br> <br> <br> <br> &Mac183;is a joy, lavishly geared to easy living in a warm climate. It was built in the old southern style, but only 10 years ago, so it manages to combine traditional charm with modern comforts and sleeps at least six, in three bedrooms, comfortably.<br> <br> <br> <br> The living area is open-plan with hardwood floors, a real fireplace and a two-storey-high vaulted ceiling with fan, which leads into a wonderful kitchen fitted in local cherrywood and boasting every imaginable accessory and gadget, from electronic oven, microwave, bread machine and cavernous fridge to enough tableware to feed dozens at once (we know: we have).<br> <br> <br> <br> The ground-floor master suite has a kingsize bed, walk-in closet and private bathroom, with extra washroom and toilet. Upstairs there is a queen room and a twin room &Mac246; whose beds convert to king if preferred - with another bathroom and a fully equipped laundry. In addition, both the living-area sofas pull out to double beds.<br> <br> <br> <br> There are two televisions, a VCR, CD and sound system, phones in every room, fax, videos, books and games; all windows are screened so they can be left open and the air-conditioning/central heating offer excellent seasonal service.<br> <br> <br> <br> Outside, the front porch is screened for peaceful evening reading and the back deck has dining furniture for eight, complete with brolly and cooling<br> <br> fan, and a large gas grill. Steps lead down to the gorgeous, wrap-around pool with sunbeds, poolside furniture and so forth, but they can be gated if small children are staying.<br> <br> <br> <br> Garden and pool are regularly maintained. Linens, towels and pool/beach towels are all provided.<br> <br> <br> <br> (Head:) CONTACTS, PRICES AND TRAVEL<br> <br> <br> <br> We have an agent on the island to look after our home and our guests: Hilaire (pronounced Hilary) Bauer, at Island Realty. She takes the bookings, winkles a deposit &Mac246; balance payable on arrival &Mac246; and is on hand during your trip, to the frequent relief and rescue of guests who need a steer. You can telephone her on [912] 634 6467 or e-mail hilaire@island-realty.com Georgia is on Eastern Time, hence five hours behind the UK.<br> <br> <br> <br> British guests sometimes prefer to chat to us first, either with general questions or just to see which dates are free, and you are more than welcome to do so. Call on 020 7272 6799 or e-mail sarler@dial.pipex.com<br> <br> * * *<br> <br> Prices are in US dollars: $950 per week most of the year, $1350 per week mid-summer (Memorial Day to Labour Day). No extras. Four consecutive weeks are charged at the price of three.<br> <br> * * *<br> <br> Getting there from the UK: various options. Quickest and easiest is to fly London &Mac246; Atlanta, connecting there to a puddle-jumper&Mac226; which takes about 45 minutes to fly to Brunswick, just over the causeway from St Simons, then car-hire or cab: 15 minutes. Or connect from Atlanta to Savannah or Jacksonville then drive: each about 75 minutes. Or see some America and drive from Atlanta: four hours. Families sometimes fly London &Mac246; Orlando,<br> <br> play Disney for a couple of days, then drive up: also about four hours.<br> <br> <br> <br> Best deals we know come from John at American Travel, 020 8886 8880. Say you&Mac226;re renting the Sarler house; he knows the routes and choices backwards by now.<br> <br> </body>