jekyll island.

Last summer, I wanted to take a big trip somewhere exotic. I was researching Mexican resorts, pricing flights to Italy and Argentina. But ultimately we decided to save our money and go somewhere within driving distance. I was disappointed, but it ended up being one of our best vacations ever.

We decided to drive down to Georgia's Sea Islands and booked a couple of nice hotels, but otherwise made a conscious effort not to overplan anything. This trip was about relaxing.

We started out on Jekyll Island, a small, largely undeveloped island with an old-school beach town vibe. Our hotel was weirdly empty, and we were glad to have the beach and the pool, with a canopy of live oak branches overhead, mostly to ourselves. The island is filled with bike paths, so when the temperatures dropped in the evenings and early in the morning, we took to two wheels to explore the island.

Although most of Jekyll is rustic and some parts are even a little run-down, the best area of the island is the Jekyll Island Club, a historic resort that once served as a playground for American royalty like the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. We drove up to the grounds just in time to witness the most stunning pink sunset over the sound, then walked around and investigated the "cottages" (read: opulent mansions) of the former residents.

Next Up: St. Simon's Island.