Beachview Bed & Breakfast ~ Tybee Island

Our favorite coastal vacations usually involve island time off the beaten path, and a charming coastal cottage or bed and breakfast inn. Fortunately a bluwatergetaway to Tybee Island, GA hits all those notes! I recently visited the Beachview Bed and Breakfast on Tybee, and couldn’t wait to share it here. 🙂 This is a photo heavy post, but the property is so lovely, I couldn’t resist!

The Beachview B&B is Tybee’s only commercial bed and breakfast inn ~ and having recently completed restoration of the 100-year-old historic property, it’s also Tybee’s newest and oldest B&B. Karen Kelly is the hostess, owner and inn keeper ~ and her passion and love for the property comes through the minute you meet her. She’s poured heart and soul into creating the Beachview B&B, and the result is truly a place to rest, relax and restore.

The gardens and landscaping are both fresh and old-fashioned. The scent of jasmine on the breeze and sounds of splashing water said “sit down and relax” on the day I visited ~ so of course, I did.

Breakfast is served on the upper verandah for guests, and usually includes muffins, a breakfast casserole, yogurt and fruit, with juice and coffee. I enjoyed breakfast served in the recently completed event pavilion next to the main house, with a group hosted by Visit Tybee. The pavilion is a perfect spot for a reception, party or group event!

The main house entry hall is another spot for relaxing, catching some cool air and a cool drink, and perfect for cocktail hour. The original pine bead board paneling in the hall is a stained and varnished vintage finish. Karen said it hadn’t been painted in the 100 years of the house’s history ~ though the guest rooms have seen many layers of paint ~ so she could not image painting it at this point! It has so much character and charm, I couldn’t agree more. The chippy, distressed finish on the green hutch holding glass and barware is the real McCoy. And in keeping with the old soul of the house, Karen has historical photos of the property and previous owners scattered throughout the hall and guest rooms.

Beach chairs, towels and coolers are available for your excursions, or you can pedal away on one of the guest bikes for a tour of the island.

There are eight beautiful guest suites and each one is different. Some have separate outside entrances, some are pet friendly if you want to bring your doggie along, and all have wonderful comforting touches to help you feel at home.

Karen worked with a local preservationist to scratch and peel though the layers of paint on the guest suite walls, to determine the original room colors. She then reproduced those original colors by room, which look surprising current ~ I guess a good coastal color palette never goes out of style! A few walls were intentionally left as they were ~ showing layers of paint and color, almost as abstract art.

You’ll see special and thoughtful touches throughout. From colorful flowers and shells, to local spa bath soaps, to splashes of whimsical painting on the walls and flooring. It’s happy, colorful and charming.

There are plenty of spots to sit and enjoy a breeze outside your room ~ whether you’ve brought your own four-legged friend, or just enjoy one of the neighborhood variety as I did with this happy orange tabby. 🙂

And of course the rockers on the upper verandah called my first, last and middle name! It was a warm day in May, but the ceiling fans, and breeze from the ocean just a block away kept it very pleasant and cool.

The restoration has been lovingly and painstakingly completed ~ in a way that is respectful and true to the historical property, while also environmentally friendly and updated for modern energy and technology needs. A wonderful combination of new and old! I thought this photo of a back pathway was appropriate to the visit.

You always know when someone loves their home, and wants to bless their visitors with that hospitality and energy. Karen and her husband Frank have certainly accomplished that at their Beachview Bed and Breakfast on Tybee Island. I know I can’t wait to visit again. Dibs on the corner rocker and the orange tabby cat y’all ~~~

 

 

 

Disclosure ~ I was a guest of Visit Tybee for this island visit, and enjoyed breakfast and a group tour of the property with Karen. I went back later in the week for a longer walk through on my own time. I’ve not stayed on the property but spent enough time there to get a real feel for the inn, and spoke with guests both coming and going. All the guests I spoke with gave glowing reviews, and several were repeat visitors to the inn. All photos, opinions, and happy rocking chair tabby cat moments in this post are of course specifically my own!