Hotel Tybee
Oceanfront on Tybee — 209 rooms, family-owned, the largest independent on the island.
209 oceanfront rooms on Tybee Island, Georgia — family-owned, the largest independent on the island, sitting directly on the Atlantic-facing beach. Hotel Tybee isn't trying to be a small boutique. It's the working-resort version of Tybee, in a market that's mostly cottage rentals and chain motels.
Tybee Island sits 18 miles east of Savannah at the mouth of the Savannah River — the city's beach. The hotel's location at the south end of the island puts you on one of the wider stretches of Tybee's beach.
The setting
The hotel sits on Tybrisa Street in central Tybee Island, oceanfront, walking distance to the Tybee Pier (where the south-end beach meets the boardwalk pavilion), the Tybee village commercial strip, and the Tybee Lighthouse (the 1736-original, restored, on the north end). The drive in from Savannah is 25 minutes east on US-80; from Hilton Head, 90 minutes north; from Jacksonville, two and a half hours south.
Tybee is small and walkable once you're parked. The hotel sits at the south end where most of the action is.
The building
A multi-story oceanfront building, originally a 1950s motor hotel, rebuilt in stages with the geometry preserved. Materials are clapboard, painted-wood, and concrete; the aesthetic leans retro-motor-lodge with the playful-Tybee styling. Public spaces include the lobby, the oceanfront pool deck, the bar, and the beach.
Family-owned. Largest independent on the island.
The rooms
209 rooms across categories — standard kings, queens, oceanfront, and a few suites. From around $285 in shoulder seasons; peak summer rates run higher. Most rooms have private balconies; oceanfront-balcony rooms are the ones to ask for. Bathrooms have been updated; furniture is functional beach-resort traditional.
Food & drink
There's an on-site restaurant and bar — beach-bar-leaning, with poolside service in season. Open to non-guests. For more options, walk to Tybee's downtown — Sundae Cafe, North Beach Bar & Grill, A-J's Dockside, Sunset Pavilion, and the Crab Shack at Chimney Creek (10 minutes north on the marsh side of the island). The Breakfast Club at the south end is the breakfast institution.
On the property
A working oceanfront amenity stack:
- Direct oceanfront beach access
- Outdoor pool
- On-site restaurant and bar
- Walking distance to Tybee Pier
- Open year-round; summer is peak
Who it's for
- Multi-generational family beach vacations — Tybee is the Savannah area's beach
- Travelers doing a Savannah trip with a beach add-on
- Couples doing a quiet off-season Tybee weekend
- Repeat Georgia-coast visitors who like family-run lodging
Who it's not for
- Travelers wanting a small intimate boutique — at 209 rooms this is a working resort
- Anyone expecting an on-site destination restaurant
- Light-amenity guests who want a kitchen — for that, Tybee's cottage rentals are different
Nearby
The Tybee Pier and Pavilion are walking distance from the south-end commercial strip. The Tybee Lighthouse (1736 original, restored) and Fort Screven (the WWII coastal-defense fort) are at the north end of the island, 10 minutes by car. North Beach (the quieter, broader beach on the north end) is 10 minutes by car. Fort Pulaski National Monument (the antebellum brick fort that fell to Union artillery in 1862) is 10 minutes back toward Savannah. Savannah's historic district (Forsyth Park, the riverfront, the squares) is 25 minutes west. Hilton Head is 90 minutes north; Charleston is 2 hours.
