Cool Hotels: Little St. Simons Island

While visiting Little St. Simons Island, I took an early morning ride on horseback. As the sun rose, beams of light pierced the Cypress trees and the hanging Spanish moss. I rode through bright meadows and past dense marshes, saw aquatic birds peacefully fishing for their breakfast and the odd buzz of insects sounded almost musical. Then, as I stopped on the dirt path to fully take in a view, I saw something in the marsh that wasn’t a log. Perched high atop my dapple grey horse, whom I had just met a half hour previously, an alligator surfaced.

It was then I realized that I didn’t know a thing about the relationship between alligators and horses. For example, I didn’t know if it would try to attack the horse. Or failing that, I didn’t know if it was clever enough to scare the horse, causing the horse to buck me off head first into the marsh. I called to the woman who was leading the trail ride and asked her what the alligator might do.

Just in case you were wondering, alligators and horses tend to ignore one another. Lesson learned.

And there are hundreds of lessons to be learned at Little St. Simons Island resort, a lodge and series of cabins on a private island/nature reserve on Georgia’s Emerald Coast. The resort itself offers a peculiarly wonderful mix of luxury (a gourmet chef, top shelf liquor, fireplaces) and rustic (no televisions or phones, homespun throw pillows and quilts, wood paneling). All in all, it adds up to the feeling of staying in your Grandfather’s fishing cabin except with far more creature comforts, an attentive staff and naturalists available to take you on tours. The island and its resort, which spent many years as a private island retreat for the wealthy, have a long history, having hosted everyone from the notorious Aaron Burr to the Nobel-Peace-Prize-winning Jimmy Carter.

One can only access the island via boat, and once there, everything is included. Food, liquor and all the activities including the horseback riding, fishing, bikes, boats, sea kayaks and nature walks. The island does employ several naturalists in residence, so whether your interest is in birds, sea turtles, alligators, deer or any other wildlife, there’s a knowledgeable person to help you understand what you are seeing.

Meals, which are usually gourmet versions of local cuisine, are served family style, which is a great way to meet the fellow guests, many of whom have been coming to the lodge for years. And it is the kind of place that keeps drawing people back year after year.