What’s your Sea Island experience?
Sea Island has been a magnet for metro Atlantans for decades.
But the business that owns the resort expanded at the wrong time and has filed for bankruptcy protection.
This recession has not been kind to big dreams built on large loans.
Have you stayed on the island? What was your experience?
Own a home there?
Concerned or relieved about the new owners — investment firms Oaktree Capital Management of Los Angeles and Avenue Capital Group of New York?
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147 comments Add your comment
Winfield J. Abbe
August 11th, 2010
7:09 am
These big shots borrowed over $200 million from Synovous which was never repaid. Who do you think pays for these losses in bankruptcy at fire sale prices? No, not this company nor the operators, nor even just citizens of Georgia, but the U.S. government absorbs the losses. Synovous even received TARP money and was bailed.out.
In Georgia landlords are more strictly regulated than banks. There is virtually no state regulation of banks. And as Willie Sutton observed, “he robbed banks because that is where the money is or was”. The easiest way to rob a bank is from the inside with no force at all. Many politicians and big shots in Georgia sit on bank boards and receive some easy money loans which are never repaid and never investigated and never reported in this or any other newspaper especially the one in Athens which itself filed for bankruptcy recently too. Georgia has the largest number of failed banks in the nation but its “conservative” hypocritical politicians run their mouths against big federal government. Suppose there were no FDIC insurance fund which has been helped along to its own bankruptcy by the totally irresponsible and unconscionable lack of regulation by the State of Georgia? Who would pay or sustain such hugh losses of billions of dollars as the State is broke and wasting money on a new medical school for their friends and cronies at UGA to train a tiny group of 40 medical students at a cost of likely well over $1 million per student! The whole state of Georgia has become the “Willie Sutton” of America in 2010. They are the biggest bank robber in the world and they do it with impunity as they bite the hand which feeds them! Hypocrites All.
darkstar3d
August 11th, 2010
7:33 am
I complained about this when the career politcos made the deal. Now, I’m vindicated but it isn’t sweet.
Visited Once
August 11th, 2010
7:49 am
I visited Sea Island for the first time last year with friends, and it was a fabulous experience. The amenities were top notch, the community was quiet, and overall it was quite a relaxing experience.
Shieldy
August 11th, 2010
7:51 am
Sea Island + Bill Jones = Atl Falcons + Rankin Smith
Both equal Jed Clampett
Rob Vinson
August 11th, 2010
7:53 am
I think it serves them right. They should have left well enough alone. Shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves in 3 generations….that is an old saying my father used to say. He was in the auction business and saw it happen to family’s like the Jones’ many times. It’s always the 3rd generation that simply runs the family business into the ground. They priced themselves out of the market and made it so the average upper middle class family couldn’t afford to go there. At the top of the pinnacle, there are only so many people who can afford to spend what the Sea Island Company wanted to stay and eat there. The only problem with that is that there is a great deal of competition for that patron / dollar. Now, the property is selling for less than half of what is owed on it and it won’t ever be the same. Change is a coming!
Liberal/Conservative
August 11th, 2010
7:58 am
Greed + Stupidity + Arrogance = Sea Island Company
lakerat
August 11th, 2010
7:58 am
I went on a company sponsored outing to The Cloister about 15 years ago – there were roaches (no, not palmetto bugs, roaches) about 3 inches long scurrying about our room; there were employee cars parked all over the grass areas; the maids left my room unlocked and unprotected each and every day; and when I complained when I paid my bill the GM just wrote back that he “hadn’t had that many complaints in a long time” but did not offer any apology, but he did say that he had deposited my payment, nor did he thank me for my patronage.
No wonder they now are having difficulties…
Pickin Cotton
August 11th, 2010
8:00 am
Some people don’t know how to manage wealth when it is inherited and not earned.
Pickin Cotton
August 11th, 2010
8:01 am
I must have stayed in the same “Waterfront Roach Suite”!
Charlotte Reader
August 11th, 2010
8:09 am
My husband and I, along with many other friends of our generation spent our honeymoon at Sea Island 30 years ago. We returned at least 6 times after that and always had a wonderful experience. When our daughter was married last year, we planned to provide the young couple with the same wonderful honeymoon experience. Little did we realize the changes that had taken place. No longer were there honeymoon packages, the food was no longer included and the prices were outrageous. Needless to say, no one in our family will be returning there. So much for wonderful Southern charm and hospitality. Another example of the greed of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. So sorry to see it go by the wayside.
smart dawg
August 11th, 2010
8:26 am
We too have stayed at Sea Island in the past in conjunction with continuing education courses, but in recent years have stayed on St. Simons instead.
Rob Vinson said it well with his shirtsleeves comment. I would assume that state dollars built the causeway to the island. I was disgusted when I heard that a gatehouse had been built to keep riff-raff like me away from the splendor. Thank God the linger longer plan for Jekyll was stopped, or else a gatehouse on the causeway would have occurred there as well.
They wanted Sea Island to be exclusive. They didn’t want people like me. And now I should feel sympathy?
Let them eat cake.
Bill King
August 11th, 2010
8:29 am
Short but simply the truth: Just because your rich does not me you are not a Da.n IDIOT
Beowulf
August 11th, 2010
8:45 am
Serves them right with those hideous Cloisters commercials…wonder how many potential buyers they drove away using that woman with the overblown fake southern accent!
Susie Q
August 11th, 2010
8:50 am
The guard gate was built because a lady was raped in front of her husband in her own house on the island.
Sanquez Willing
August 11th, 2010
8:55 am
I was an employee of a Latino firm that was helping in the construction of the Cloister Hotel and Spa with all its splinder. But one thing I did notice is the arrogance of all its visiters and owners. The fact that everyday one the job there was this air of resentment for anyone of color to be on the project site! Every fast food place only hired those whom didnt reside on the Island. As well each of the employees where subject to be searched prior to addmittance to the Island or project site. The elite whom have made this home would look down their nose at each of us as to say you dont belong here nor will your presents be accepted. I say this is just what was needed to bring them around to a since of reality.
Ted
August 11th, 2010
9:10 am
Like Forrest Gump’s mama said, “Stupid is as stupid does”
mambo
August 11th, 2010
9:18 am
It is a shame that Bill Jones ruined a wonderful place to go. Nothing like blending stupidity and arrogance.
Matt
August 11th, 2010
9:21 am
Ha-ha! Bunch of arrogant, self-righteous jerks. They used their political prowess to privatize the island and build a guard gate to ‘keep the riff-raff out’, and keep Georgians off ‘their’ beaches. Glad to see you fail, S.I.C.
mambo
August 11th, 2010
9:22 am
Sanquez Willing, they looked down their noses at you because you can’t spell not because you are of color.
Chris
August 11th, 2010
9:23 am
I am saddened by all these comments resenting / attacking the affluent. The Jones family did a tremendous amount of good for Brunswick, St. Simons and the entire area. They will be missed…
Emma
August 11th, 2010
9:28 am
Bill Jones you are a sneaky money hungry one. You do not care about the employees of any of the companies you have used and then filed bankruptcy.
jd
August 11th, 2010
9:38 am
Any company run by a simpleton named “Bill Jones” is waiting to declare bankruptcy. The Jones family raped the island and made all the people in the area think they were “conservationists”. Georgia should revoke their citizenship.
Small Businessman
August 11th, 2010
9:39 am
I worked with Bill Jones II and III. The senior was a shrewd businessman and a gentleman, the boy running it now is a stupid, spoiled brat. This is not an attack on the affluent, hell, I’m pretty well off myself and Jones II certainly was. This is an observation about an arrogant punk who ran a good company into the ground. From what I could tell, most of his Jones III’s employees felt the same way about him.
The Ghost Of Bobby Jones
August 11th, 2010
9:46 am
Sea Island was a family run resort run by the Jones family.Old man Jones would deliver towels or fix your plumbing if it broke back in the 60’s and 70’s. Shag rug, lots of sand–And always full of vacationeers. It all changed when littlle bill took over and vacationed at peeble beach.Champagne taste on the beer budget -as my dad used to say. It is digusting all the greed that has taken place between synouvous and Bill Jones Jr. Look at both of their board of directors(or the ones that have stepped down). Many islanders rely on the resort to pay their bills- hopefully some dignity can be restored to the club. As for the guard gate(fyi-smart dawg) -A little known secret is the PUBLIC post office- Go mail a letter and anyone can go right on through!
la
August 11th, 2010
9:47 am
Such bitterness from the blue collars who couldn’t get on to the island. Quit whining. The Company did borrow too much but who didn’t. Look at how many poor people got way too much money for the dream home they never deserved.
I had many great timea at Sea Island and feel fortunate to have lived in the area for many years. The Sea Island Company did many philanthropic things for people in the community and it is sad to think of things changing.
SSIISHOME
August 11th, 2010
9:59 am
Sea Island is a wonderful place. Bill Jones is a fumbling, arrogant idiot who ruined his family’s company! It will be just fine once it’s out of his hands.
Cumberland Raised
August 11th, 2010
10:34 am
My wife and I spent our honeymoon there in 1987. Not surprised they went belly up. If you look around Atlanta you see vacant subdivisions with vines growing up the sides and termites eating the wood floors. The big fall first then mix in with the small……..All part of the big plan to eventually bankrupt America then rebuild under a Socialist regime. Drive a few miles outside Atlanta and it is apparent we have become a third world and heading to the fourth world………..change you can believe in………Time to move to another third world and watch it move to the second world and watch America fall into total dispare
Pam
August 11th, 2010
10:43 am
I’m so grateful for Cumerland Island. This is Exactly what the Carnegie’s had the foresight to wisely avoid; the raping of a natural barrier island by greedy shortsighted developers.
Jason
August 11th, 2010
10:49 am
Like Cumberland Raised suggested, Sea Island’s bankruptcy is clearly Obama’s fault.
Crying Shame
August 11th, 2010
10:51 am
The place has not been run correctly since BJ3 forced Ted Wright into retirement ! Hired a bunch of high priced “yes” men with zero resort skills. I hope they are able to get the ship afloat. Many jobs/lives in Coastal Georgia depend on it.
Anybody read the Cigar Aficionado article on BJ3 a few years back ? Makes for good 20/20 hindsight now…..
Dave
August 11th, 2010
10:53 am
I worked for a company that did marketing for Sea Island. They were the most arrogant and unrealistic customer we have ever had. Their staff was just plain rude. We were used to demanding customers – they all are, but these folks were out of control. I guess they got what they deserved.
Longtime Relationship
August 11th, 2010
11:07 am
I have been going to Sea Island for the past 45 years. I was an employee. I have know Bill Jones III since we were kids.
I want to set a few facts straight as everyone exercises their perfect 20-20 hindsight. First and foremost, Bill III is a kind, God-fearing man who is extremely charitable and giving. And he has handled this entire affair with grace and class. Second, he and the company were faced with a decaying hotel property and Beach Club that was losing business to newer and more progressive properties. Third, they achieved tremendous success and acclaim with the rebuild of The Lodge property at their golf course complex prior to launching into the re-build of the Cloister.
Did they do everything right? No. Did they make decisions that I disagreed with? Yes. Should they have seen the recession coming? Few people did. But, at the same time, they are not evil. Instead, they are just human. They made some mistakes, and now they are suffering the consequences. I am hoping that this new step will be a good move for Sea Island, Bill Jones III, and his family. In the meantime, they will all be in my prayers.
TGT
August 11th, 2010
11:08 am
My family used to vacation at Sea Island every summer from 1982-1987, and as a child I loved it. The houses we rented were old, funky, and full of character. As an adult, I would try to drive over whenever I was in the area just to reminisce. I read how the old Cloister was torn down and rebuilt prior to the G 8 conference in 2007. I also remember hearing that a gate was put up at the entrance to keep out the general population not rich enough to rent or own on the island. It’s a shame that middle class families were basically run off the island because of a want for more money. It doesn’t seem like the same place with so many homes torn down and rebuilt. I doubt I’ll ever go back.
I’m not sure what Cumberland Raised is smoking? I guess he/she needs to take every opportunity to blame Obama for something.
Sanquez Willing-Your comments are just as ignorant. Whenever you lump a group of people together and make a generalization, you sound bitter and foolish.
InvestigationWarranted
August 11th, 2010
11:16 am
Bill Jones and Jimmy Blanchard from Synovus should be investigated for their shady dealings. Jones and Blanchard brought an entire company (Synovus) almost to the brink of bankruptcy (and it is still touch and go), because of this fraudulent debacle. Blanchard, the scion of banking, and Jones should be held liable.
InvestigationWarranted
August 11th, 2010
11:18 am
Hey Longtime Relationship.
The excesses of your boy Jones and financed by Synovus were not warranted even in the best of times, and the need for such have hurt many people. So you can save the “oh, woe is me, Bill Jones story.” He will be just fine, it is the common people that will be hurt.
jimmy
August 11th, 2010
11:19 am
I feel sorry for all the home owners who bought property down there over the last ten years. They will never be able to sell for what they paid for those homes. Hopefully, they won’t need to sell. Now maybe the ones that do will get real with their prices. Most of them were overpriced teardowns on small lots. Can’t wait to see what happens to all the Ocean Forest members. To be continued……
Bobby in Smyrna
August 11th, 2010
11:30 am
I’m sorry but $400 for a room/night and $5000 for a suite per night? What are these people smoking down there? I can think of one hundred other places where’d I’d rather spend that kinda of money, and it ain’t in Georgia.
gj
August 11th, 2010
11:33 am
Again, though it makes a great story, the gate was not built to keep the “commoner” out. The gate was built because an elderly couple was tied up in their homes, and the woman was repeatedly raped and beaten in front of her husband.
Then again, facts have never gotten in the way of a solid strawman!
old time family
August 11th, 2010
11:37 am
We had a cottage in the family for well over 50 years. We ended up selling it around 2000 right when the memberships fees were exploding. For years we enjoyed countless weeks of overjoyed family vacations. We often spent holidays and school breaks there. After hearing about the plans to tear down the cloister we became alienated and never returned. They completely disregarded any sense of loyalty to their previous members. Now all I can say is while the sale definitely bodes for change, I can only hope it teaches the new owners to cater to the customers they have, and not cast them to the side in hopes of a projected profit. Sometimes less really is more.
sea1
August 11th, 2010
11:40 am
Bill Jones is an idoit. He should be given a section 8 voucher for housing. it shows how incompetent he is.
KS
August 11th, 2010
11:59 am
I stayed there in years past and it was old but gracious. My family stayed there for generations. We had medical meetings there. Over the last few years they priced our medical meeting so high no one could afford to stay there so we moved the meeting. The people that work there no longer know your name. Those people were laid off during the renovation. It is no longer special, now it is just another overpriced hotel.
nix
August 11th, 2010
12:08 pm
We have spent so much time protecting and hiding the golden isles. The Sea Island Company last/late efforts to modernize it self came at a bad time with our poor economy. What hurt it the most was lack of other development among the islands. Should the state make Jekyll Island and Underground “Casino” Districts maybe people will have a reason to visit the golden isles and spawn tourism. Its a ripple effect for upper/middle tourism.
markie mark
August 11th, 2010
12:08 pm
Winfield, I think you confused the Sea Island blog with the “I am pissed at the banks ” blog….
Georgia Resident
August 11th, 2010
12:15 pm
I have been going to Sea Island since the 70s (old cogger here). And I still go. With all the new buildings, the charm has been lost. The empty condos (when entering the island) have ruined the esthetics of entering a private island (looks like just another resort area). The new beach club caters and pampers little children to an unhealthy extent. The Cloister Hotel has lost its coziness, everything it just too grandiose. The spa is magnificaent, but the cost is way too high…very few people at the spa. I really don’t give a dam if they have rare coy fish, all I want is the tranquility.
Upon my last visit, I noticed some staff (at the office & beach club)having an arrogant attitude (Bill Jones style), which I had never seen in the past 30 years. This needs to change!
Yes, I am taking my family back, but with hopes of capturing the essence of the old Sea Island. The very best is staying in one of the “old” cottages. No Tashma Hall for us.
Georgia Resident
August 11th, 2010
12:21 pm
The gate was build because of the G-8 Summit.
POAD
August 11th, 2010
12:22 pm
Mom & dad did the honeymoon thing at the Cloister in 74. We used to go every year after Christmas until New Years Day and in the summer. I used to bet with Chris Sutton on the football bowl games. I still have his Chris Name Tag I won one year. I loved the place. Attended Virginia Gunn’s wedding to the author of Sharky’s Machine. All kinds of Hollywood types were there. Mom and dad stayed in the same River House room(261)over looking the marsh for years. The Cloister sent mom and dad a Brick with a plack on it from the River House when it was torn down. Told John Portman his house didn’t belong on the island. The home was under construction. I went by to have a look. This guy was in dirty coveralls doing some work. He asked what I thought of the house. I told him it was really unique, but it just didn’t fit with the rest of the architecture on the island. He asked if I would like to go inside and look around. He gave me a tour and at the end he introduced himself. I almost swallowed my tougue. He was very nice and said he appreciated my opinion, but that I was wrong. We both laughed. We stopped going in the early 90’s because the American Plan was changed. The Cloister no longer included meals and upped the price. The Cloister killed a very good customer base. Use to love seeing THE COLONEL in his Dress Military Tux with all his medals come down for the Sunday Dinner Buffet. I loved having to wear a coat and tie to dinner and the ballroom. I learned to dance in the ballroom where they gave lessons. Horseback rides to the end of the island and a box lunch. Crabing and fishing on the dock. As a youngster the College age staff did so many fun things for the kids. I won BINGO a few times over the years. New Years Eve Midnight Raid on the kitchen was alway a blast. The Cloister just forgot what their regular customers needed and wanted. Most of the same people worked there year after year and they treated us so very nice. I miss what Sea Island and The Cloister use to be. Maybe I will have my own Tea on the Back Porch in remembrance of High Tea in the Conservatory.
markie mark
August 11th, 2010
12:26 pm
I grew up on St Simons, and actually went to college one year with BJ III. Their family has owned Sea Island since the 20’s and saved SSI from being turned into Hilton Head in the 70’s because they refused to sell land to developers. I dont know what kind of manager Bill turned out to be, but he was NOT spoiled. They had that boy out landscaping on Sea Island when he was in his teens; it was brutal, hot work. Millions of dollars have been lost in this recession, and knee jerk reactions that people were stupid, arrogant or greedy, just aint so. NO one forsaw this collapse or they would have run like hell. Bill would not have squandered his families legacy like he did had he known. That being said, nothing on St Simons or Sea Island is as welcoming as it was 25 years ago. The employees HAVE gotten arrogant. I personally saw the changes start about the time of the G8 meetings. The gate issue has been addressed, it was due to a terrible crime. But it was also used to control access to people like me who lived on St Simons and just wanted to look at the island. I understand that now, but I wouldnt have in my 20’s. And its not just the Cloister that changed; The King and Prince Hotel was sold to a Mississippi Holiday Inn chain in the 80’s, and they have totally changed it. I spent $170 in the 80’s to take my wife and stay in an oceanfront room., and the wallpaper was peeling and there was scum in the tub. I wrote the owner of the chain about my complaints….I am still waiting for the reply.
And I believe if the economy hadnt changed, the rebuild would have been profitable. Maybe you people dont know this, but some of the richest families in the nation have homes there. Bartending in the Crap Trap in 1980 and 81, I have personally waited on the Killgallons (who own Mattel), and Mrs. Sargeant whos’ husband started the flea collar industry, etc. Never forget that the Rockefellers and their friends had houses on Jekyll until the US Govt asked them to vacate in WWII so a german raiding party wouldnt land and capture them (thats why the Millionaires Village house are vacant). There is more money on Sea Island than most of you would believe, so this was not as stupid a business plan and some are saying now…..
That One
August 11th, 2010
12:33 pm
Cumberland Raised and Jason are right. Obama is responsible. Obama made Jones borrow all that money. Obama caused the Cloister to need updating. Obama made Jones put up that guard gate. Obama probably put those roaches in my room. Obama made them give me another room. Obama hates rich people so much that he made them increase the rates beyond reason. Obama is responsible for us going elsewhere with our money. Why did Obama do all this? He’s not a citizen.
markie mark
August 11th, 2010
12:35 pm
That being said….I miss the old feel like the rest of you, and feel it is a damn shame…
Jason
August 11th, 2010
12:37 pm
That One, I hope you realize I was being sarcastic.
Cliff Grant
August 11th, 2010
12:43 pm
Chief among the things that drew families for generations was the fact that The Cloister was considered to be “home grown”,and we Georgians took pride in that. Another draw was seeing so many people you knew and enjoyed — other guests and cottage owners. The beach isn’t especially attractive, there’s no surf, and the water is brown, so that definitely was not a draw. Take away the first two items, and my family will go someplace else where the beach is gorgeous and justifies the high price.
dwight
August 11th, 2010
12:52 pm
We loved the Cloister, started going there with my wife and very little kids in 1992, and it was marvelous. Continued going for the next 12 years and loved the attentivenss of the staff, the lovely main dining room and wonderful family dinners at the beach club. Went back in 2007 after an absence of 5 yrs and we were dismayed at the changes, the absence of the staff we had grown to know and love, no more main dining room with Winston to greet us and our kids…..they killed the ethos of the place, we will cherish our memories of what was.
POAD
August 11th, 2010
1:00 pm
I truly hope some of the OLD staff ie. Winston, Chris, and Wanda my favorite Waitress read some of the Blogs. People didn’t leave the Old Staff the new changes chased us away. Your are still in my heart and prayers. I hope all of you have found good jobs in these tough times. Does anybody know if the Eugene O’Neil house was torn down?
tar and feathers party
August 11th, 2010
1:22 pm
ha ha ha, the good old boys have been handed their own fat butts!!!! Ah luvs it, ah just luvs it.
wwr201
August 11th, 2010
1:34 pm
I got a close look at the costs and loans taken out on the Cloister and Beach Club renovations: they would need to be 90% occupied at $600/night for the entire year just to cover interest on the construction loans. Yes, the economy was a stinger, but the real doom occurred when Jones asked for the loan and Synovus funded it. Incompetence does not even begin to describe that ambition….
SSI Native
August 11th, 2010
1:39 pm
I grew up on St. Simons back in the 1950’s. It was a wonderful place to live, and back then we thought of Sea Island as an extension of St. Simons, much richer of course. Everyone knew a Sea Island employee, and we even had elementary school parties at the employees’ beach club….yes, the employees had their own pool and recreation area.
That all changed when the Sea Island membership plan changed, the new hotel was built and “locals” were not allowed to drive onto the island. I miss the old community, but progress never comes without change. This kind of progress is painful, and so I have mourned the loss.
Yepper
August 11th, 2010
1:54 pm
Bobby in Smyrna you’ll never understand – that’s why you’ll always be Bobby from Smyrna. POAD – beautiful write-up. Thanks for the positive memories; many I had forgotten
InvestigationWarranted
August 11th, 2010
2:00 pm
wwr201.
Right on with your comments. I truly think that an investigation ought to be launched into the chummy relationship between some of the Synovus higher ups (Jim Blanchard to be sure) and Bill Jones and the asinine loans that were made.
robert
August 11th, 2010
2:07 pm
Not to sound critical, but why can’t we ‘discuss’ every news posting? The last article that I saw that we were allowed to ‘discuss, was Chic fil a’s new sandwich. What gives..
Beach Bummed
August 11th, 2010
2:13 pm
Sea Island Company, Amelia Island Plantation, and Sawgrass have all gone into bankruptcy in the last year.
Some investor groups have been able to acquire some fine properties at cut rate prices.
former employee
August 11th, 2010
2:17 pm
Winston, who was a captain in the georgian dining room, passed away a few years ago from cancer. I worked under him; he was a great man. Probably fishing somewhere in heaven now.
tar and feathers party
August 11th, 2010
2:18 pm
wwr201 – It was more than incompetence, the executives and Senior managers at SNV were bribed with free vacations at SSI, for themselves and all members of their families. Free golf, free food, free rooms all in the interests of getting the loans approved. Now in my mind that is a violation of Federal law, using what amounts to bank money to pay for free vacations. I hope someone has a list of the people who attended these free vacations, they should at least pay federal income tax on the fair market value of the vacation. They should also be arrested for bank fraud, imho.
markie mark
August 11th, 2010
2:22 pm
wwr201 – not trying to argue your point, because you obviously have seen more than the rest of us….however, do not forgot the loans were not going to be paid back just off room rentals – as the article said “It launched a new golf and horse community whose home sales — on lots priced at $1 million or more — were supposed to help finance the upscale expansion”. When St Simons Island can sell houses/lots on East Beach and by the pier in the millions of dollars (for some years now), its not unreasonable that Sea Island Company could have, if the economy stayed where it was, made this a profitable venture
InvestigationWarranted
August 11th, 2010
2:35 pm
TarandFeathers.
Exactly. I also would like someone to look into whether the SNV family got cut-rate deals on properties owned by Sea Island?
JASon
August 11th, 2010
2:40 pm
90% of the comments on this page were written by one person, posing under multiple screen names. I’m sure that person does not have many friends.
Small Businessman
August 11th, 2010
3:35 pm
JASon apparently can’t handle the truth about Bill Jones III so he’s reverting into fantasy. Sorry, Son, just reporting what I saw with my own eyes.
Bobby in Smyrna
August 11th, 2010
3:45 pm
To Yepper: No, I “get it” and for the record Smyrna is where I live, not who I am. But it seems like Sea Island shot itself in the foot by having overly ambitious plans and turning off (from reading the comments here) many loyal customers. Notice how many people have commented about the arrogance of the place? Who wants to spend that amount of money to feel uncomfortable? And while I’m sure the island attracted people from all over the country, but it’s an obvious mistake to price it out of reach of even the professional class people of Atlanta(an I am a professional). Why would they have not marketed it as a weekend escape for city dwellers here in Atlanta? Sounds to me like they reached for the sky and fell way short on many different levels.
POAD
August 11th, 2010
4:15 pm
Sea Island and Riverside Military Academy never really advertised much before the late 90’s. Both Institutions had big plans and slowly realized they needed a great deal of new money to make the big plans happen. Riverside now cost around $26K a year for school and as stated The Cloister charges like $600/night with no meal plan. People that knew and loved both of these Institutions spread the word about them. The customers came, but now they both spend great sums of advertising money to find customers. These businesses overpriced and over expanded their product in this economy. The product has changed. The clientele has changed. The management focus has changed. Hopefully after a few years of growing pains both of these great southern institutions will return to their former greatness.
Bill Jones II
August 11th, 2010
4:17 pm
Business is Business…The new investors got a bargain…give it five years….they will triple their $..nuff said….as Buffett says, breathe in,breathe out
The Big Guy
August 11th, 2010
4:27 pm
Maybe the font on this blog should be green since much envy is being spread….
Atlanta Guy
August 11th, 2010
4:40 pm
I worked on Junior Staff at The Cloister in the early 90s while at UGA. And after graduating from Georgia, I was a Junior Staff Manager for a Spring and Summer season. I still have full memories of that time and what fun I had. The Cloister and Sea Island’s history and tradition really made an impression on me. The long-standing guests – families who returned year after year, season after season – really spoke volumes about the place. As a Southerner who grew up going to the beach each summer and at holidays, it was such a magical place. After moving back to Atlanta and beginning my career, I’d return to to Sea Island periodically to experience the resort as a young adult. I returned a final time after the old hotel had been torn down and the new one was under construction to stay at Hamilton House (it, too, is now gone). I knew that would be the last time I’d be at what I remembered as The Cloister and Sea Island. Maybe I’m old fashioned, maybe a little bit of an old soul, but the “old” at Sea Island is what I loved.
Mom
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
As a St Simons Island land/business owner and former guest of the Cloister, I have to “second that emotion” written by POAD and Charlotte Reader. We too spent many vacations at the Cloister – Nathalie Dupree’s Cooking School included and loved it all. My only wish is that it can return to the real world.
Small Businessman
August 11th, 2010
4:45 pm
To the Big Guy, no envy, just facts, sad as they are. Maybe you should write in Egyptian, since you’re obviously in denial.
markie mark
August 11th, 2010
5:03 pm
Atlanta Guy….amen, brother….I moved to St Simons in 1975….graduated Glynn Academy, I was the last manager (ok, a JUNIOR manager!) of Murphys Tavern under Mike Murphy (when I was 18 and 19, I was the back bartender at Murphys)…most people dont even know there WAS a back bar (it was around the oak tree – double doors to it where the fireplace now is) – I was the back bartender at the Crab Trap when they had TWO bars, and you entered the restaurant from the front door. In fact, I designed the bar in the restaurant that is there now one night in 1980 with Gordy Merrill on a napkin when he told me he and Charley were changing the restaurant….so many changes and so many memories…anybody remember the rock and roll nightclub named “the Lighthouse” across from Poor Stephans? Bartended there with Doug Lampkin, who is today one of the owners of Murphys…when I moved to Atlanta in 1982, there were 7000 people on my little island….The original hand carved bar at the King & Prince…now stored upstairs over the “new” bar….it is so small its hard to believe we partied there….
markie mark
August 11th, 2010
5:06 pm
the fall of Sea Island and the feeling of ” the old island” is just another in a long line of changes that I watched…the only place you will ever get the feeling of the old Cloister is to ask to stay in the “old” section of the King and Prince – it still has that old musty smell of money and the feeling of slow charm….
another former employee
August 11th, 2010
5:14 pm
i worked under Jones Jr – What a great man…When Bill III came in he retired ted wright – which was a mistake and hired management that told him what he wanted to hear not what he needed to hear. They hired several general managers after ted wright and all they did is steal, lie and cheat the company so what did management do then….they retired or fired most of the “old employees” and hired more employees that only told them what they wanted to hear. The Old employees kept that place going and did a great job even when there was mold in the river house or the rooms needed a spruicing up….The guests didn’t care as long as the “old employees” were there to make them happy. I guess all thats shiny and gold is not always the best!
The Big Guy
August 11th, 2010
5:19 pm
Small Johnson,
Facts….on a blog….LMAO.
Island giirl
August 11th, 2010
6:23 pm
Enter your comments here
Island giirl
August 11th, 2010
6:29 pm
This has been a long slow death. it has been like watching an aging parent gradually deteriorate over the years,slowly losing all resemblance to the strong vigorous person they once were.
At some point you accept that death is a blessing. We are in the final stage of grief….. Acceptance.
GRITS
August 11th, 2010
6:36 pm
My husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary at the new Cloister and everyone was lovely to us. There were few guests, so we were upgraded to a suite at no extra cost. That was nice since we paid a good amount per night (breakfast & dinner included, and full-time butler service). Despite the sad turn of events, St. Simon’s and Sea Island are my favorite places to visit with my family. I am thankful for our beautiful GA coast and the many southerners who live and vacation there whose hospitality is still the best!!!
Joachim
August 11th, 2010
8:40 pm
Its a sad day for all of Georgia. We should have known that inherited wealth is appreciated, but in so many cases, it is squandered away by the intellectual who is not. The Jones should have spent more time appreciating what they had instead of bypassing Georgia millionaires and sporting the international communities billionaires. It was just last summer that I called to get rates at the quarter full Cloister with a price tag for the billionaires. We spent many summer on the island.
N. W.
August 11th, 2010
8:50 pm
Worked on sea island. Everything was expensive & overated and the clients got away with everything. The employees were treated bad, especially if they were of color. Director positions were given to whites only, and during low seasons, minorities were laid off. This is a island for republicans and people who like the honor of treating people anyway they want. I saw this all comming to an end one day, because it was the first time I experienced extreme prejudice.
Marshes of Glynn
August 11th, 2010
10:13 pm
To POAD – the Eugene O’Neil house is still there but the land around it was sold in recent years. The house where Ah Wilderness! was written is dwarfed by big, new construction next door.
Does anyone remember Emma at the Beach Club in the 1970s and 1980s? She was a great lady!
I feel for all the wonderful staff who spent their lives working for the company and have now lost their pensions.
Gone with the sea breeze
August 11th, 2010
11:20 pm
Grandbuilds it. Daddy runs it. Grandson kills it. happens to many times…
Alan
August 11th, 2010
11:34 pm
I went on my honeymoon there, and again for my 1st Anniversary. Then again for years as a single Dad with my son since he was 2 years old. I remember one night when one of the upper staff was at dinner and saw me and my son alone together in the formal dining room when he was about 3 years old and she thought he was so cute.
The treatment we got there was phenomenal, old world class-wise, and the next thing I know I can’t afford to take my son there anymore. They wrecked our little haven, and like a few others I’m not a big money patron. But, it was well worth the expense for the experience we had there while we could do it.
I don’t know what it is about human nature, but this is a good example of it. You have something so good, so right, but you can’t leave it alone. This gilding the lily example has led to ruin, and embarrassment, and I’m afraid it has started the downward journey of a very special place to a lot of us.
There’s no telling where this will lead but there is no doubt in my mind that the Sea Island of old is gone forever.
saw it coming a long time ago
August 11th, 2010
11:46 pm
Spent a few vacations in the early 80’s on Sea Island. Had young children and were not considered overly-wealthy….actually from a very small town in north Georgia. We bought a place on St. Simons because as our children grew, they enjoyed the ambiance of St. Simons over the elitism of Sea Island. (They actually attended public schools and I’m sure folks like us would not be allowed on the island now.) A few years back some members of the Sea Island Club invited us over for drinks. We were stopped at the gate and had to give our life history, all the while a security guard was circling our car and making notes. It was one of the more humiliating experiences I have had in a long time.
I do not know the Jones family but do know several long-term families on the Island. It seems to me that the Jones’ management forgot the millionaires and started targeting the billionaires….and now have lost their shirts. When they quit allowing non-members (us common folk who actually do have manners and know what a finger bowl is for) to make reservations for dinner, I knew the end was in sight.
Lot of folks living “beyond their raising” and are now paying a royal price. So sad. Can’t help but think of the phrase “keeping up with the Jones’”….glad I never felt the need to try.
Chris H.
August 12th, 2010
12:27 am
Emma, Percy, Big George, Legs 11, Mrs. Gallagher, and Mr. Gallagher!, Robert at the GC, A Coupla Ducks, Jeep Train, Oyster Roast, Island Singers, Gazebo/pingpong/pinball, crabbing at north end (we had a key). What was the name of that fellow that ran the snack bar at the beach club back in the day when it was just a single counter in the back? Made the best milkshake ever!
If only BJIII had listened when SunTrust said “no”. Bingo!!
POAD
August 12th, 2010
1:07 am
SKIDOO under the G 62. Did I hear BINGO. Hold on Folks we are checking 1 card.
Terry S.
August 12th, 2010
3:49 am
Been going to Sea Island for many years. For us it never has been about the facilities anyway. We love the community and the people. It never became over commercialized like so many beach towns do. So sorry this has happened but really nothing has changed the things that make St. Simons and Sea Island special from our perspective.
I disagree wholeheartedly with the earlier comments by N.W. that the employees (minority in particular) are treated with disrespect. In many cases these folks have worked for Sea Island for generations and believe me these people are well-loved and in most cases appreciated very very much. N.W. is just completely off base with these comments.
The people make the community and that won’t change. We intend to keep it as a part of our lives for a long, long time.
Ex-employee
August 12th, 2010
5:22 am
I worked there in the mid 90s. Waited on the Jones and can tell you many saw this coming. A valuable lesson for parents. Put SI into a trust and send your kid off to wherever. I liked most of all my fellow employees. But management turned a blind eye to most any infraction. Low wages , paternal attitude and a free laundry and meal – Southern hospitality aint what it used to be. !
beach lover
August 12th, 2010
10:00 am
I’m with you, Atlanta Guy. My parents went to Sea Island throughout the 70’s and 80’s for meetings. I have been to Sea Island every year since 1982 and I have seen the changes in motion. Change is not always bad. The old hotel and the old beach club (while they were fine with me) had been patched up over the years and needed to be renovated and expanded. We were just shocked at the level of change that all had to happen at once. Yes, the economy tanked at the same time. But, despite all of the talk about how Sea Island would change but it would remain the same was just impossible..
We stayed in an huge ocean front room in 1990 for $300 a night. That included 3 meals a day. During the summer “Family Festival” it included all meals for kids – up to age 17, I think. When the new hotel was finished, the published rate was $700 a night no meals. Please. Not even on the ocean? We said then, if they would drop the rate some and throw in some meals, the place would be full. The new beach club is NOT the same. It’s huge, the food isn’t that great, there is minimal service. The new Main Dining room is not that at all. From what I have seen, no one even dines there. I miss the dressed up kids, the piano playing, the 7 course meals (!), the servers who had been there forever. Yes, it was fancy, but still comfortable. It was still a beach resort. Not worrying about sand in the room. Now the rooms are covered with Turkish (?) rugs.
Yes, we still go. We keep going because it is close to home and it is sometimes hard to break from family traditions. We don’t stay in the hotel anymore. We don’t even rent a house anymore. We are usually guests of a member and are able to visit. But, we are so saddened but all of the changes, the debt, the sale, etc. Sorry Bill. It’s NOT the same.
Oh well..
August 12th, 2010
10:52 am
Pigs are cute, hogs get slaughtered.. All Billy Bob had to do was steer the ship and keep it on course. Bill II was a great business man. Bill III had no clue. Anyone who looked at that deal knew it could never work. Shame on you III!!
Sasser
August 12th, 2010
11:03 am
One word—GREED!!!!!!
LHCL
August 12th, 2010
11:19 am
Man, you folks have some serious pent up anger issues… glad to see you can vent it somewhere.Thank goodness Bill didnt sell the land Frederica sits on to some of our fine Atlanta developers at the height of the real estate market when it was zoned for 6,000 home sites. Otherwise, SSI might look like Atlanta. But hey keep up the “he’s an idiot” blog that’s a good one. Goes well with AJC talking about the Gary Player Group being one of the finalist. They don’t even know where Sea Island is…might want to check your sources on that one. Get it all out folks, rush hour is closing upon you.. He did the best he could, no one is hurt more by this than him. He personally has done enough for the local economy and state, maybe now we should do something for him and just give it a break!
Disgusted
August 12th, 2010
12:32 pm
I think there are plenty of people who are hurt more than Bill, LHCL. Are the long time faithful employees going to be getting their pensions? My anger will subside when I can get through the gate with ease, get through the beach club bouncers with ease, and be able to use the spa with ease…even when I leave my stupid card at home!!!
POAD
August 12th, 2010
1:22 pm
It is easier to drive around the Hamptons and look at all the Huge Beautiful Homes than it is to get a look at a Sea Island cottage. When the tide is out can you still ride a horse or walk to Sea Island or have the added a gate on the beach too?
LHCL
August 12th, 2010
2:27 pm
The pensions are fine, so are the members deposits. Bill took care of that, even though he didnt have to but it was the right thing to do so he did it. Read the bankruptcy filings. The gate is there for alot of reasons, but when a couple of folks go in and do what they did to those good people that night just to get into a gang I would put a gate up too. The cards suck but they became a necessity. Epworth gets to keep their land Sea Island donated, the Land Trust gets to keep their land that Sea Island donated and all the other charities and good minded organizations that propered for years with Sea Islands assistance will continue to do well. The local high school golf teams in our area public and private get use of the finest facility on the east coast at no charge STILL… if the employees didnt like working there- quit! I can tell you because I am a business owner how hard it was to hire here because Sea Island took care of it’s own. I worked there, I have business relationships there then and now and I can tell you with out a doubt Bill stood up for his people. All of them, too a fault. Read the entire bankruptcy document that has been filed publicly then say otherwise.
smart dawg
August 12th, 2010
2:52 pm
I certainly do not condone rape, home invasions, or violence of any sort. When I first mentioned the gate, I assumed state funds were used to build the causeway to Sea Island and that is still my best guess. If so, what gives them the right to deny access to the masses?
Also, someone earlier likely included me in a group they named as “blue collar”. Just to set the record straight, my surgical scrubs don’t have a collar.
LHCL
August 12th, 2010
2:59 pm
Sea Island paid for the gates, no one else. Fact not a guess. County Commission voted and approved it. After the unfortunate incident.
smart dawg
August 12th, 2010
3:01 pm
Who built and paid for the causeway?
Disgusted
August 12th, 2010
3:24 pm
If my parents forget to call the gate to announce my arrival, I think the guards should be able to look me up in a computer and say ” Yes, I see that you have a Sea Island account and you have been coming here twice a year for the past 30 years. Come right in.” That, in my opinion is good service. Instead I have to pull over and track down my parents in the middle of the night so that they can personally speak to the guard before he let’s me in. And once I’m finally in, I should be able to go anywhere I please without a damn card. But no! “I’m sorry ma’am but your card does not allow you to use the spa.”. “I’m sorry ma’am but the friend you invited over here to play tennis is not allowed into the beach club for a drink”. “if you try to bring her in here again your parent’s membership may be revoked”. That’s their idea of southern hospitality and good management?
Used to Go There
August 12th, 2010
3:41 pm
It appears that there was a “perfect storm” of events that led to this. First you had a regionally legendary resort that was in some need of updating. Then, with the Reynolds family interested in the area and their relationship with the President it unexpectedly is named to host the G-8 Summitt. (would like to know the whole story there)This is a once in a life time event, justufying, (at the time), what now were obviously over the top improvements. The G8 success led management to believe there was a market for their product that was, at best, an illusion. There aren’t many places that fetch $5,000 a night anywhere. Synovus finally bit off more than they could chew after 25 years of trying. All those pieces in place and you have a diaster.
LHCL
August 12th, 2010
3:42 pm
What causeway? The road leading to Sea Island? The county owns it now, Sea Island manages it, cuts the grass, planted all the trees, maintains the electrical and so on.
Georgia Resident
August 12th, 2010
3:46 pm
The gate was installed for the G8 Summit, June 2004. The rape didn’t happen until Sept 2004. I was there a week after the rape.
LHCL
August 12th, 2010
3:54 pm
The gate was not installed for the G8 summit. Sorry your wrong on that one. Sea Island wanted the gate before the G8 and the unfortunate rape incident. Once the rape occurred the county commisioned voted on it, immediately. Again, public record on file at the Glynn County Court House.
smart dawg
August 12th, 2010
4:11 pm
LHCL:
Call it a road if you prefer. My question is who paid to have it built. If it was built with public funds, how can a private entity erect a gate and close it off to the public whose tax dollars helped to build it?
We all know the answer to this.
hmmm
August 12th, 2010
4:36 pm
If you get down to the nitty gritty, then it is not iiis fault. The bank did not have to loan him the $$$.
LHCL
August 12th, 2010
4:49 pm
Smart Dog actually Sea Island owned the road first, sold it to the county during the great depression to raise capital but continued to pay for the maintence even today so don’t worry you didnt pay for those 200 year old oak trees getting moved onto county property, that was SI. Now if you are worried about tax dollars then look at the those round abouts on SSI. Sea Island installed those trees not some dumb looking scrub oak, 200 year old oak trees were installed. Look at some of the other green spaces on SSI that the land trust owns, SI did those at no or very little charge. The tax dollars generated by that place is a whole different topic. My only point is Bill is a good guy give him a break. He made some mistakes but he also did alot of good.
POAD
August 12th, 2010
4:55 pm
We have had enough of the bad on this blog. It was about Memories and Experiences on the Island or The Cloister be those good or bad. This was not about the politics of bank loans and bad business choices. My last dealings with The Cloister was last year. I wanted to get the photo of my mom and step-dad from thier Honeymoon in 74. The People looked up mom and dad’s photos and sent them to me online to make sure it was correct. I had mom and dad Honeymoon couple group photo added to other phots for their 35th wedding dinner with friends.
I forgot I learned to play bridge with the ladies too. I would go in the room just behind the the fireplace and work on, build and paint models. WWII military lead soldiers and F1 race cars. The ladies would have their Wed. Bridge game in that room. One year I decided to learn the game and the ladies were happy to teach me. I still remember the basics and how to bet 4 no trumps. I was the “dead hand”? a few times and that helped me learn the game. What is the name of the player that is the weak hand and has to show your hand for your partner to use?
Babs
August 12th, 2010
5:18 pm
You can blame about 30% of Sea Island’s failure on the economy, the rest comes down to poor choices–both financially and socially. I think Sea Island’s behavior towards Georgia’s upper middle class and neighboring St. Simons has shown a severe lack of graciousness and as a result, news of their poor fortune is met with cheers and sneers. To whom much is given, much is expected (and by that, I mean a major slice of Georgia’s coastline). I have been on both sides of that guard gate and can honestly say there are other places I want to spend my own money. As much as I would love to keep my tax dollars in my home state, I don’t want to deal with Sea Island’s brand of class warfare, entitled children running wild, and a general feeling that even though I have been visiting for the better part of 3 decades I still don’t quite belong (at a rate of $500+ a night). I will however, be happy to return to Sea Island as someone else’s guest, if only to see how this new chapter in the history of our local economy plays out. Here’s hoping the new management can recognize the value in sharing Georgia’s most coveted natural resources if only for a special meal at one of Sea Island’s restaurants or a glimpse of Sea Island’s majestic homes from a sidewalk bicycle. By all means, keep it expensive, but remaining exclusive to a fault will and has led to just that.
Mr. D.
August 12th, 2010
5:42 pm
The whole third generation thing sounds like what happened to Atlanta based Rich’s Department Store. The third generation sold off Atlanta’s retail jewel and now we are stuck with a downscale Macy’s. I guess Sea Island will be Macyfied by some soulless multinational conglomerate.
smart dawg
August 12th, 2010
9:07 pm
Mr D;
The Rich family sold the stores to Federated a year or so after the death of Richard H Rich. He died in 1975 or 1976.
Ownership went through several hands before becoming macy’s.
Terry S.
August 12th, 2010
9:42 pm
smart dawg, who owns all the roads that lead to every gated community in the State of Georgia. If you want to debate the security gate on Sea Island find a more relevant basis for your argument.
BeYoungBeFoolish
August 12th, 2010
9:43 pm
Enter your comments here
Chris H.
August 12th, 2010
9:44 pm
Need a gate because of a crime. Need a new Cloister because old one was “temporary”. Need a $125,000 squash pro because…? Need to reno courses because everyone else is. Need 5-Stars because…?
It’s all a big fat lie.
Obviously all those things weren’t really “needed”.
Chris H.
August 12th, 2010
9:48 pm
If a gate was mandatory after a bad crime why wasn’t one built after the murders in 1983?
Gate needs to be torn down ASAP.
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/07/us/slayings-shatter-image-of-idyllic-georgia-island.html
Brett W.
August 12th, 2010
9:51 pm
The gate is there to keep people like you out.
Chris H.
August 12th, 2010
9:59 pm
LOL. We built our house in 1950, when did you build yours, Brett?
Coastal Dawg
August 12th, 2010
9:59 pm
Terry is right. The same people who built the causeway built every road that leads to every gated community. Smart Dawg’s position lacks credibility in a big way.
Brett W.
August 12th, 2010
10:02 pm
Congrats on your 60 year old house. There is a turnaround for you if you don’t have a pass.
Chris H.
August 12th, 2010
10:14 pm
Gate is coming down Brett, just watch. We S.I. natives welcome all…
David Everett
August 12th, 2010
10:32 pm
Yankees founded it and kept it running through the Great Depression; UGA grads (a whole boatload of us), Bill III and Peter Capone ran it into the ground. Thanks Jim Blanchard (UGA 63) for all the millions. It was sure fun while it lasted. Now the yankees can fix it again.
smart dawg
August 12th, 2010
10:37 pm
Terry, Coastal Dawg
“who owns all the roads that lead to every gated community in the state of Georgia”
“The same people who built the causeway built every road that leads to every gated community”
I suppose you mean public roads that lead to gated communities?
You can’t block a public road.
If you develop property and pay for the roads within, you can certainly put a gate at the entrance(s).
I simply asked who paid to have the roads built.
LHCL @ 4:49 said Sea Island originally owned the road and sold it to the county during the depression. It has always looked very similar to other roads in the immediate area.
POAD
August 12th, 2010
11:35 pm
The Island was Great and that is the TRUTH.
Realist
August 13th, 2010
1:24 am
The gentleman’s name that made the milkshakes I believe was Herman Coleman. I too have fond memories of Miss Emma Murphy, Percy, and Big George (who is still there). I grew up as a child there and later worked as a lifeguard. Sea Island holds many memories for me and I still see familiar faces from years ago every fourth of July. It is disappointing to see the institution I have so dearly loved fall to the level it has. My concern however is not for the guests.–or the members. After all, Sea Island was never an inexpensive place and those who could afford to visit were not earning minimum wage. It is for the many men and women who dedicated their lives to making Sea Island the place it was who are now faced with the uncertain future of their pensions. Imagine being retired and having to face that uncertainty.
Chris H.
August 13th, 2010
2:17 am
Yup, Realist, that’s it, Herman. We simply referred to it as “we’ll meet at Herman’s at 1.30pm”… I’m sure our paths crossed. Percy taught me to swim, jumped off the high dive with him when I was 3 yrs old, hesitate to reveal the year!! I still have a box of ribbons and medals from the little swimming races they used to have back in the day. It is such a crying shame because it really did not have to end up this way. Uhmm, just disgusts me.
Terry S.
August 13th, 2010
8:55 am
smart dawg,
Public roads are closed and/or condemned all the time. All that Georgia law requires is that each property owner for all properties that are accessed by that road give their approval. Once the road is condemned then the owners can do anything they wish with that property. It happens all the time in Georgia and nothing that was done on Sea Island was any different that just that process. It actually is encouraged by municpalities as the burden for maintaining the road is transfered from the taxpayers to the new owner.
Brett W.
August 13th, 2010
9:01 am
If you are going to base your happiness going forward on that gate coming down you should prepare yourself for a miserable existence.
Babs
August 13th, 2010
9:45 am
I too have happy childhood memories of Sea Island (O-Clickety Click, 66!). However, the less than hospitable treatment as a visitor in subsequent years has left a lasting negative impression on me. If Sea Islanders are worried about being raped, then by all means they should have the right to put a wall around their homes and lock the gate. But to keep Georgians from enjoying any of Georgia’s limited coastline is wrong. There are many much wealthier, better respected beach communities in the U.S. that have learned to share. The sad reality is, if that gate comes down, then Sea Island will have totally lost its reason for existence.
Chris H.
August 13th, 2010
12:15 pm
Brett, the gate is coming down son, stay tuned.
Brett W.
August 13th, 2010
3:36 pm
No chance. Tune in as long as you wish.
POAD
August 13th, 2010
4:00 pm
Keep the gate. Who cares just take peoples info and let them on the Island. What are they going to do? rob houses and have a boat meet thame to get off the island? Personal security is the only real security because the rest of it is all show. Cops don’t stop crime they just clean-up after.
Yepper
August 13th, 2010
4:22 pm
Chris – you are an idiot and phoney – IF mums and Daddy really own a house on SI, they would also want the gates to stay. Especially to keep thert dumb-arse adopted son out ! LOL You can’t even spell Cee EyeLands. Go back to rogans North and have another cheap beer.
Yepper
August 13th, 2010
4:22 pm
Brogans North, that is
A Glorious Place: Legendary for a reason!!
August 13th, 2010
9:10 pm
I visited Sea Island with my son during the week preceding Easter in 2008 and 2009. I was looking for a place where my son, now age 7, could be safe and have a wonderful experience. The staff of Camp Cloister provided just that. While I paid much more for our suite than I have anywhere else in the world, the moment you enter the guard gate you know that you are entering a truly special place. The landscaping is breathtaking and second to none. The staff was professional, respectful and kind. The variety (from the beautiful spa pool to the stables) and quality of the amenities were as they should be: first rate and first class. The coast is beautiful and the ocean is a great place in which young children to swim. I was unable to return in 2010 because it was just too expensive for me to manage a third year in a row. (I guess you could say I am upper middle class.) In a survey I was sent by Sea Island online, I mentioned just that. However, I would still love to return because there is just no place like it!! I don’t like seeing all these extremely negative, if not rude, comments. Obviously, the Jones family made a terrible miscalculation. I only hope that the new owners retain the quality and characteristic of the place. Sea Island should not become just another garden variety of Marriott or Starwood. If the new owners can keep the feeling while making some creative cuts to lower the rates a bit without sacrificing service and amenities, then many people will return. I am glad that I spent the money to visit Sea Island and my son has some great memories!
Terry S.
August 14th, 2010
8:02 am
Great and level-headed post Glorious. Hope to see you again soon.
DB
August 14th, 2010
10:45 pm
I wish I had the 200 million because these guys are stealing this place for that kind of money. While expensive in the end its not a lot more than other nice resorts. I have been watching real estate prices for the past couple of years and now is the time to get a bargain on a home there.
Certainly this places is not for everyone do to the cost but Sea Island compares favorably to any place I have ever visited. 4-5 star resorts are pricey but few can match all the amenities Sea Island has. I love the place and will continue to visit.
This is how business works let someone else build it and when they fail buy it cheap and run it profitably. Banks are the idiots here, they approved the business plan and had the great economic conditions lasted 5 more years they would have made it.
So much negativity here, This is a world class resort with few peers. Now that the banks had to eat their mistakes it will have a long and prosperous life going forward. I just hope the level of services remains. It is the best I ever encountered at a upscale resort.
Welcome to a new day for Sea Island.
JGB
August 15th, 2010
1:53 pm
Yepper, you’re the blowhard that has no idea what you ar talking about.
Edward Dearborn
August 16th, 2010
6:57 am
Follow directions people….the AJC asked for your experience on Sea Island and your thoughts for the future owners, not your commentary on the Jones family.
My time on Sea Island was like a fantasy. I was engaged, married, honeymooned, and vacationed there. I can not wait until the next time my wife and I go back.
PalmettoBug
August 16th, 2010
5:53 pm
I have been visting Sea Isle and SSI for over 30 years. Used to own land on SI but sold long ago. (I regretted the decision to sell but I had to.) Every year I rent a place on SI. I’ve watched the changes on both SI and St Simons. Look, change happens. One can’t wish for the old days.
Sea Island was terrific in the 1970s and even into 1980s. In the 70s, I was a youngster and could walk in the woods on the Norht end of SI, where Ocean Forest is now.
There used to be a terrific book for sale int eh old Cloister. It was called “This Happy Isle.” Sea Island was special.
The afternoon tea, the birds, the terrific landscaping, the clean beaches and beautiful oak trees. It was splendid.
For me, the saddest signle change I saw occurred in December of 1995. I went down to golf. Ocean Forest was still being finalized. The trees were getting cut down. It was obvous that Sea Island company intended to sell every last piece of green space. It was sad.
As for the Jones familiy apologists on this board, get over it. Bill Jones III is greedy, dishonest and incompetent.
Question: Does anyone know what Bill Jones III’s annual compensation was?
juanmateo
August 19th, 2010
12:17 pm
Where is Sea Island?
PalmettoBug
August 21st, 2010
7:40 pm
JUANMATEO asked, “Where is Sea Island?”
Sea Island is on the coast of Georgia (USA Georgia). It is about 805 miles South of Savannah and about 70 miles North of Jacksonville. (My estimates; verification required.) It is a small island about 5 and 1/2 miles long. It is adjacent to St Simons Island and it is near Brunswick, Georgia.
PalmettoBug
August 21st, 2010
7:40 pm
That’s 85 miles South of Savannah. Sorry for the typo.
Jennifer Hollon
August 25th, 2010
10:44 am
I first visited Sea Island in 1949 at the age of 4. My family, along with friends, made this our destination until 2002. Yes, generations of us have vacationed there creating the most wonderful memories possible.
It was a paradise. Beautiful rooms, ocean, pools, all the extras you could ask for and more. The staff was perfection. So many memories of the Harned family, Percy at the Beach Club, Mr. Everett, Miss Kate, and on and on to the present.
Yes, it catered to the wealthy. We always thought we had to be among the lower income visitors, but were thankful to be able to be a part of it all. The special summer family rates made it possible for us to go there for so many summers. When the new construction began, we feared the worst. Yes, I’m sure it is gorgeous, but only geared now to those more affluent people. The pictues I have seen are of another place. Not my Sea Island. However, I have those memories forever to enjoy in pictures hanging on our walls and in our hearts. I am sorry for their economic woes because I’m sure they were trying to make it a better place, but, sadly, they left many of its loyal vacationers unable to afford its rates. For many years, the island brought us the sense of family, of going back each summer to a splendid place, the joy of the familiar, and the anticipation of a week at Sea Island. I can only wish them well, and am thankful for their contribution throughout the years to my family’s memories.
PalmettoBug
August 26th, 2010
8:33 am
I’ll answer the question by providing some of my memories.
THE BEACH.
I am old enough to remember the beach dunes, which were once there. I was a kid at the time. The dunes were big. I don’t know how high they were but I would give a wide range for an estimate: 3 to 7 feet tall. In about the late 1970 or early 1980s, the beach started to erode and the dunes disappeared. In the 1980s, the Island fought to preserve the beach with a sea wall, jetties and by pumping sand onto the beach.
PalmettoBug
August 26th, 2010
8:36 am
RENTAL BIKES.
I remember renting bikes when we went to the Island. That was great. We could get everywhere on SI that we wanted to go by walking or by bike riding.
ThisYankeelovedit
September 7th, 2010
10:47 am
Don’t forget at bingo: “..GREAT set of legs”!
We rented a great, old Spanish style house at the corner of 8th and SI Drive for years in the late 80s/90s. It smelled like the rising damp, had fleas some years when previous renters broke the rules and snuck in their dogs and was home to palmetto bugs you could teach tricks to. But, it was always our two-week summer home: bikes in the front yard, yellow kazoos in their baskets, lady peas in the kitchen from the St Simons outdoor vegetable market. I always loved the old, low-numbered houses close to the Beach Club. To me, they were the real Sea Island.. rather than those massive new homes with numbers in the hundreds, up on 20th and 30th Streets. The 4th of July was THE time to be there: remember when the airplane would swoop across the beach and drop different colored ping pong balls you traded in for prizes? Sometimes, you were lucky and won a beach towel or tote bag. The luckiest person of all won a free weekend at the Cloister. Most times, though, it was a lollipop. And, that was just fine. Then there was the running race on the beach, where dads pushing babies in strollers would always finish fast.
Since we were cottage renters, dinner in the beautiful dining room was not included but we always made a point to have a special meal there. Loved those special pickle/olive contraptions (we have one in our drawer) and the special china, with the yellow/orange Cloister logo and trees on it.
And, I’ll never forget lovely Mr Killgallon who would send his grandson to the “toy closet” to get us an Etch-A-Sketch or two when he saw us. Then, some years later, when his sons were selling that spectacular, block long Killgallon property: the new buyer asked if he could rush the sale. You see, it was for his wife. She desperately wanted to be able to enjoy Christmas in that lovely, gracious columned family home. The sons agreed to rush the deal. How kind to give the wife her Christmas wish!!!
The sale was closed.
The home was demolished immediately, to make way for a virtual subdivision of new houses.
That, to me, signaled the end of Sea Island as we loved it.