This past weekend, Andrew and I took our first trip just the two of us! We’d honeymooned, yes, and headed to California for a wedding, but this was the first time we got out of town to do something just for fun. And it was a blast!
The Alida Hotel, a small, luxury hotel in Savannah, Georgia, reached out with an invitation for the weekend. (So keep in mind, this trip was complimentary. Obviously my opinions are my own!) So on Friday night, once Andrew got off of work, we packed up the car and made the 3.5 hour drive to Savannah.
Neither of us had been to this beautiful, historic city before, and we were excited to see what it was all about. The Alida team provided us with some amazing recommendations, and y’all came in in a huge way with some fabulous tips as well! Today, I’m so excited to share with you what we did, along with all of the fun recommendations you sent in that we didn’t have time for.
Friday Night
JACKET | SHOES (go up half a size!) | WHITE TEE | WATCH (Kate Spade, not online yet!) | PEARL STUDS
12:30 pm // Made it to Savannah! We checked into The Alida and were instantly wow’d by the beautiful aesthetic. (Check out the website to see what I mean!) The hotel receptionist handed us two refillable waterbottles and let us know there was a water station on each floor… loved that little detail!
Our room was beautiful, y’all. We stayed in a Corner Suite and loved how spacious, crisp and gorgeous the look was. We’d hoped to make it to the downstairs restaurant, The Rhett, in time for drinks and dessert, but since it was past midnight we decided to call it a night and wake up early to enjoy a full Saturday in Savannah!
Saturday Morning
DRESS | SHOES | SUNGLASSES | BAG
10:45 am // After letting ourselves sleep in (such a luxury these days!) we got up and headed out to by far the most recommended brunch spot y’all sent in… Collins Quarter! Oh. My. Goodness. It was to-die-for!
Along the way, we walked down Broughton Street, which many of you had recommended. So many adorable shops! (We found The Alida to be located perfectly around all the spots we wanted to visit, this street included!) Our favorite was The Paris Market. We were hungry for brunch so didn’t stay long, but made a mental note to return Sunday morning!
There was about a 45-minute wait, so we grabbed a couple of bloody marys and walked around the adorable neighborhood. Brunch itself was well worth it. I had french toast straight from heaven above, and Andrew had a delicious eggs benedict!
Fabulous service, atmosphere and food. 10/10 recommend!
Saturday Afternoon
1:00 pm // After we were completely stuffed, we managed to waddle on over to the Old Town Trolley Tour outpost and jump on a trolley! The Alida team, along with many of you, had recommended this as a great way to see Savannah. It’s hop-on, hop-off, and Andrew and I really enjoyed the flexibility it offered while allowing us to see the beautiful city. Highly recommend!
1:45 pm // It suddenly occurred to me that a shop I’ve dreamed of visiting for years now, Emily McCarthy, is located in Savannah! I convinced Andrew to jump off the trolley and head there with me.
It ended up being a little too far off of the trolley trail to make it convenient (we ended up calling an uber a few minutes into the trek) but I had so much fun visiting the adorable boutique. For some reason, I had packed sweater dresses for dinner and realized I was going to need something a bit lighter… I ended up gabbing the cutest dress (on sale!) and bangles there!
3:00 pm // At this point in the afternoon, we were exhausted from all of the sightseeing and shopping. (Word to the wise, it’s HOT in Savannah!) I would have loved to do some more exploring, but since we were really looking forward to pre-dinner drinks on the rooftop of The Alida, we decided to head back to our room to rest and freshen up before the evening.
Saturday Evening
6:00 pm // After a couple of hours of downtime, we headed upstairs to the rooftop bar at The Alida… The Lost Square! I truly can’t tell you how much we enjoyed it. The design was stunning and afforded great views of the water and the city. String lights, soft music, and best yet, not overly-crowded! We were able to find two cozy chairs easily.
We ordered drinks and an appetizer (ask for the fried cauliflower… it’s technically not on the Lost Square menu but they will make it for you and it’s drool-worthy!) and took in the views as the sunset. It was a perfect way to head into the night, and was probably my favorite moment of the trip!
7:30 pm // A two minute Uber ride took us to Husk, where we had a dinner reservation awaiting us. This was another spot that had been recommended by y’all! Wow.. talk about a beautiful building! The restaurant is housed in a stunning historic home. When we walked up into the main dining area, which used to be a ballroom, we made an audible “oh my gosh!“
It was definitely a leisurely, slow-paced meal. We had the coziest tucked-away booth, and enjoyed looking through the inventive menu, which changes daily! Such a cool culinary experience.
10:00 pm // Finally, we made it back to our room! We would’ve loved to go out on the town, but again we found ourselves completely exhausted! Ordering room service dessert (still dreaming about that brownie and ice cream) and falling asleep to an action movie was just what the doctor ordered.
Sunday Morning
SCARF | SHOES (go up half a size!) | WHITE TEE | WATCH (Kate Spade, not online yet!) | PEARL STUDS | SUNGLASSES | BAG
11:00 am // After another full night’s sleep, we packed up our bags, checked out of The Alida and ventured out into the city for one final meal. (Because if there’s one thing we prioritized this trip… it was eating! :)
This time, we decided to stop into The Paris Market and grab an “appetizer” of lattes and macaroons. The staff was SO sweet and the entire experience absolutely darling, from the sidewalk tables that looked straight out of Paris to the delicious pastries!
We decided to check out another highly-recommended spot by y’all, Little Duck Diner! Let’s just say they’ve got the adorable, instagrammable, and completely delicious trifecta down. I couldn’t stop snapping photos!
The food was also amazing. It had southern classics as well as Asian-inspired dishes, and I absolutely devoured my Grilled Salmon bowl. The drinks were also fab! Andrew’s bloody mary came with a rubber ducky, which he quickly let me place in my mimosa instead. :)
After a full, sunny Sunday morning, we reluctantly got into our car and hit the road back to Gainesville. It was a perfect weekend, and we loved every second of our stay in Savannah! We fell in love with this active, historic city and hope to visit again soon. One weekend is not enough!
Before signing off, I thought I’d share a few other recommendations many of you sent in that we didn’t get to try!
Brunch/Lunch
- Gryphon Tea Room
- J Christopher’s
- Soho South
- The Old Pink House
Dinner/Bars
- The Public
- Cotton & Rye
- The Grey
- The Vault
- Atlantic
- Top Deck
- The Grove
- Peregrin Rooftop Bar
- Drinks at Perry Lane Hotel
- Blowin Smoke
- Traylor Park
- Flying Noodle Bar
- Vic’s on the River
- Wet Willies
- The Old Pink House
- Paula Deens
- AJs Dockside
- Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos
- Manion on Forsyth for drinks
- Abe’s in Lincoln
- Jen and Friends for drinks
- Artillery
- The Bohemian
- Alley Cat
Coffee/Snacks
- Leopolds Icecream
- Coffee Fox
- Paris Market
- Gallery Espresso
- Byrd’s Cookies
Like I said, I hope we get to visit again. We have so many more things to check off the list! Did I leave anything out? Let me know!
Thanks again to the Alida Hotel for providing a beautiful, complimentary stay. What a wonderful weekend!
Love from the Sunshine State,
Kate
