Jekyll Oceanfront Resort, Jekyll Island

Unless you can secure one of the few rooms they've managed to renovate in the two years they have been working on renovating this property, this is NOT the place where you want to stay! We've stayed at this property for the past three years on our annual trip to Jekyll Island. The first year, it was unrenovated and we were unimpressed. The following year, having learned the property was renovated, we gave it another shot. We did receive a nice renovated room, however, the renovations were not complete and we were subjected to the constant noise of construction throughout the stay. This year, we assumed the renovations would be complete and once again made reservations. Upon arrival, we were suprised to still find construction dumpsters all over the property. Little progress seems to have been made in the past year and the rooms awaiting renovation have apparently been neglected during the past year. We were first given room 307, an unrenovated room that was outdated, dirty and smelly. The A/C had been turned off so the temperature in the room was 85 degrees. We turned on the A/C unit and could hardly hear eachother over the noise it was making, not to mention it smelled as if it might catch fire at any moment. I called the desk clerk and explained that we were very unhappy with the conditions of this room as we were under the impression the hotel had been renovated. She offered to let me look at room 533. The only difference between the two rooms was that 533 at least had a functioning A/C unit. We reluctantly accepted the room out of fear that the other properties on the island would not have any vacancies due to the convention. In a nutshell, here are the areas of concern with this property based on the two rooms offered: (1) This property is oceanfront, but the beach area is only accessible during low tide and even then is not a user friendly area. (2) The grounds are hardly as pictured on the website - no lush green grass, but lots of green construction dumpsters. (3) The room was a two-level split, but only has one A/C unit which means at night the downstairs is freezing and the upstairs is barely cool. During the day, the unit could not keep up with the heat and the room temperature was very uncomfortable. Guests are warned via sign that setting the thermostat below 70 will cause the unit to freeze. (4) There is no weather-stripping around the door...hate to think of the bugs that come and go freely through the huge gaps. (5) The entire room is outdated, dirty and smells of mildew. (6) The wallpaper was peeling from the wall. (7) The bathtub faucet leaked so badly it could be heard over the noise of the television. (8) The room has room-darkening drapes that are stained and frayed and have NO sheers. This means you either have the room pitch dark or sunny and open to public view. (9) The sleeper sofa mattress is a joke! (10) The bedframe was so badly bent is nearly touched the floor. (11) The comforter was stained and dirty. (12) Housekeeping did not come each day until 2 or 3pm...just when you were getting back to your room and wanting to relax. (13) The toilets do not flush well and require you to hold the lever throughout the flush. (14) Some type of plumbing issue caused terribly loud noise when turning faucets on. Obviously, I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. The rooms are just gross and how Clarion can post pictures of beautifully renovated rooms knowing full well that the majority of the rooms have not been maintained is beyond me. Trying to address the concerns with staff is pointless...all I seemed to get was "I'm sorry". Well, Clarion, I'm sorry...but you should be ashamed for misleading your customers. Who knows when the renovations will be completed. I know my family won't be back to see. We will be checking out one of the other properties next year. I've posted my own photos of our room...let's see if Yahoo has what it takes to allow the post.

First of all this hotel is a joke! It is so outdated and inclean it isnt funny. I mean rust in the showers and all over the buildings. Not to mention we accidentally left a bag in our room and tried for a WEEK to get ahold of someone to find out if it was even there. Then we were told to come by that day to pick it up and if it was going to be after 5:30pm to pick it up at the front desk. My husband drove an hour to get there and paid the $5 to get on the island just to walk in and them tell him that the bag is locked in a room that they cant get to until the morning!! I was furious! They call me the next day to tell me the only thing they can do is mail it back to me but with NO insurence and NO guarantee it will get here or get here in one piece. If i wanted fast shipping i had to pay for it myself. This was the WORSTE expeience i have ever had from a hotel. The staff is unorganized!

Front desk management is a joke. Not user friendly. They wait for you to make a reservation and BAM...you're in!!!!! This is the worst experience ever!!!!!!!!!!!

This hotel does not believe in keeping their property updated. Rust showing thru on exterior deck bolts. Looks to me like rotted wood on deck (certainly hasn't been painted in while). Interior hall going to the rooms needs paint, carpet is very worn. Interior furniture in rooms are stained and nasty. Really a let down of what is suppose to be a "Nice" hotel. Especailly at $150 per night, you just expect a lot more. Won't stay here again.

They uped the rates from the 89 to 120 overnight. The room was a view of the parkinglot, at night no weather stripping so light streamed in door. Upstairs floor squeeked very bad. shower curtain would not close and water got all over the floor and sink. Bed was substandard, very uncomfortable. There were stains on the walls in bath and at door. I am shocked that they were charging so much. When I complained I was told sorry------- Do they do this to everyone?The pictures are great, but I never saw the great room in the pic. The beach is buffered by large bolders and can't see beach from any ground rooms or sitting area. Stay somewhere else. Too many others to choose from.

Our family has fallen in love with Jekyll and have visited the island about every couple of years for around 25 years now. We have stayed in most every motel there. Regardless to where we stay, we have eaten wonderful breakfasts at the Clarion during each visit. Upon learning of the the Jekyll land lease renewal and that renovated units at the Clarion were being sold, we visited to check it out as a retirement investment. Several of the sections were completed and we stayed in one. We were not disappointed. The renovated units were updated and were fabulous. The staff treated us very well, the units were clean, the beds were comfortable, and the kitchen was well equipped.

This is our first time to Jekyll Island and we found that this was the most appropriate for our conservative budget. The staff was very professional, the resort is clean, a little dated however large and comfortable. There is a break water barrier however there is a man made path over the boulders and nothing treacherous. The low tide provides a bit of a beach however like others have stated there is a beach a 1/2 mile away. There is a large pool, fitness center, and shuffle board court plus on site restaurant. Great location - would recommend to a friend and stay again.

I have stayed 2 times at this resort and was very pleased for the price. The rooms are dated but they are clean, extremely large and comfortable. As far as the beach is concerned, you do have to cross the rocks to go the beach. I did go out there and look at high tide and the ocean came up to the rocks. You can cross them and I believe there is a beach at low tide. Even so about a 1/2 mile away there is a large parking lot with public access. I loved Jekyll Island and the slower pace I would stay again at this resort.

My family and I stayed at the Jekyll Oceanfront for the 4th & 5th of July. We had a great time! The hotel is older, but clean and well maintained. The staff was very helpful and nice. There is beach access at low tide and it is not hard to step over the rocks. My kids enjoyed the beach. We sat on the beach and watched the fireworks from St. Simons Island, Sea Island and Darien the night of the 4th. You can not see the Jekyll fireworks from this hotel as it is on the north end of the island. The pool was nice, my kids loved it. My only complaint would be that for the price I think the breakfast buffet should be complimentary - $9.95 per person for breakfast adds up quickly for a family of four! We only ate breakfast there once and we didn't eat in the restaurant for any other meals. Overall, we had an enjoyable experience at this hotel.

After making my reservations I read some of the reviews that had been posted and was really worried about what I had reserved. When we got there we were early but the desk personal were friendly and helpful in calling houskeeping and seeing if our room was ready. We were in our room almost two hours before check-in. The room was great with an ocean view well enough we saw dolphins our first night there. The room was clean and cleaning staff were nice and did a good job. Yes the resort is older and has some minor flaws but nothing that ruined our stay there. The room was quiet and we had a really good time while on the island. We enjoyed hearing the sounds of the ocean upon awakening at mornings. Everyone was friendly and helpful and made our stay very enjoyable. You can't access the beach from the resort but a few minutes away you have many opportunities to do so.