January 2023, weekdays, 3-nights
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| Tree outside our balcony in Hampton Inn Jekyll Island guestroom 404 |
Reservations, arrival, diamond perks
I booked a king standard guestroom with Friends of Jekyll Island promotional rate, which was less than the AAA rate. Before check-in, I received several notifications to upgrade to a larger balcony room for $16 more per night. I did not really want to spend another $50; however, we decided we definitely wanted a balcony guestroom, so I paid for the upgrade. My advice, if you are a diamond member visiting during off-season--do not pay for the upgrade! The cost is worth it when visiting during the busy season; however, since the hotel was mostly empty during our stay, I was quite upset with myself for this extra expense. Also, this was after just finding out about the $8 daily fee to be on the island (more info about that at the end of this post). The Hilton app check-in process did not work at this hotel, and it took about 15 minutes to complete check-in at the front desk after we arrived (two different systems, apparently). I received two bottles of water and two snacks.
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| Hampton Inn Jekyll Island king guestroom 404 |
King guestroom 404: studio suite with balcony
Most of the guestrooms in this hotel have a connecting room door, according to the front desk agent. This information is not clearly described or shown on the app. Guestroom 404 is near the [north] end of the hall on the top floor. It has a connecting room door on the wall next to the armoire. Fortunately, the guest next door did not make much noise. We heard minimal noise through the connecting door.
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| Areas of mold in king guestroom 404 Hampton Inn Jekyll Island |
The guestroom was spacious, and the view was good, considering that there are no ocean view guestrooms in this hotel. The bed was comfortable, and we liked the balcony; however, there were a few cleanliness issues. The room did not smell fresh, and we observed several areas of mold. The photos above are just a couple of the areas that needed to be scrubbed. Housekeeping is not provided unless requested. I requested that our room be cleaned after our first night, and it was slightly better the next day.
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| Top: view from balcony in king guestroom 404 Hampton Inn Jekyll Island Bottom: view of hotel building and guestroom from pool area |
The pool is visible from this guestroom, and there is an outside sitting area below this room. It was mostly quiet outside during our stay. There was activity and noise from the whirlpool tub only one evening. This was after the area was supposed to be closed, so I assume open and close times are not enforced unless someone complains (we did not). If you want a balcony guestroom in a quieter area, I suggest choosing a room in the southeast wing.
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| Bathroom in king guestroom 404 Hampton Inn Jekyll Island |
The tile bathroom in the guestroom had a walk-in shower, and the room was spacious. It contained a long vanity, and there were additional shelves for items behind the bathroom door.
Food and beverage
There was a long table next to the front desk with coffee and hot beverages 24-hours a day. Breakfast items were the same as we usually receive at Hampton Inn.
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| Hampton Inn Jekyll Island pool area |
Pool and outside areas
One reason we chose this hotel was for the fabulous look of the whirlpool tub and the pool. The whirlpool tub is spacious, and the water temperature in the pool and tub was warm. There are tables, seats, loungers, and umbrellas around the pool.
The seating area with tables in the view shown from our balcony, is an area outside the enclosed pool area. The walkway from this hotel out to the beach was closed due to tropical storm Nicole, which went through the area about 10 weeks before our stay.
Parking, misc., overall
The website for this hotel says that parking is free. We did not learn about the $8 daily access fee to park on the island until the day we arrived. You can purchase a pass online, at the information center, or from the machine at the entrance booth. The cost is the same, no matter which method you choose. We knew there was a parking charge in the state park parking lots, and in the shopping districts; however, we did not realize this fee is for the entire island. The person we spoke with in the information center told us we had to purchase an $8 daily pass for every day we would be on the island. I told her we had a hotel reservation where we would be parking our vehicle, and she said that did not matter. Fortunately, we only paid for two days to enter the island, because the hotel clerk told us a different story. The only time you need to pay the daily fee is when you arrive (and each time you enter/arrive, if it is a different day). The hotel clerk told us we could drive a vehicle to a house on the island for six months, for example, and never have to pay the $8 again, unless we left, and then wanted to return again.
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| Vulture in tree in Hampton Inn parking lot |
The Hampton Inn is located next to South Dunes Picnic Area. It is about a one mile walk from the hotel to Beach Village. There is plenty to explore on this island via bike and foot. We enjoyed the hikes, and this island is definitely a place we would visit again. Hampton Inn has a shuttle; however, we did not see it is use during our stay. It appeared that a few areas of this property were being neglected during the off-season. You can see the many leaves and debris in the pool and on the terrace in the photos in this post.
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| Balcony in king guestroom 404 Hampton Inn Jekyll Island |
Overall, this was a satisfactory stay. Next time, however, I think I would choose Residence Inn, which is located in the same area as Hampton Inn. The pool layout at Hampton Inn has a nicer setup than the two Marriott properties (Residence Inn and Courtyard are in the same complex); however, the Marriott property looked better cared for. We walked through the Marriott complex a couple of times when going to or from the beach, as their walkway had been repaired after the tropical storm. We observed a few other locations with repair work underway. Hampton Inn was farther behind than any of the other properties we observed.
Jekyll Island offers beaches, hiking and biking trails, a historic village, and more. I will share info about some of the places we visited in my next post. Let me know if you have any questions, or info to share!
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