How I saved money the last time was to rent a house rather than a hotel room.  A hotel room will run about 100 to 150 a day depending on what time of year it is.  A rental home will cost you about $400 for the week for a two bedroom while a three bedroom can be had for $600, further reducing the cost per person.

Another advantage of renting a house is that you will not have to eat out every night.  You can go grocery shopping at a grocery store in Brunswick and store a weeks worth of groceries in the fridge.  Brunswick has all the amenities of any other town, including Wal Mart, and you can pick up groceries and whatever else you might need.  You can cook in your rental house, grill out, eat cheerios for breakfast spending a dollar per person instead of 10 or 20 to eat in a restaurant.

Also, going to the beach is free of course but there are other free options.  You can go on a turtle walk, sponsored by the Sea Turtle Center.  All they ask is for a small donation.  You are not guaranteed to see a turtle lay her eggs but it is a good time.

There are many ways to cut financial corners on your vacation.  A cheap Jekyll Island Vacation can be yours if you just budget creatively.

Jekyll Island has a very colorful history, including the group of wealthy landowners such as John Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan who made up the Jekyll Island Club.  Today it is designated a National Park and a historic landmark.  It can be explored in order to uncover all the exciting attractions that make it such a great place to visit.

You can visit the Historic District on your own or take one of the guided tours available and gain insight from the knowledgeable tour guides.  See the impressive winter homes of millionaires from a different era.  You can explore the customs and habits of these out of the ordinary people.  Its a great chance to see how the other half lives.  All the homes have been painstakingly restored and they are centered around the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

Jekyll Island has ten miles of beautiful coastline to relax on.  You can lounge in the sun or swim all afternoon on a Jekyll Island Vacation.  In addition, the Georgia Audubon Society has designated Jekyll an Important Birding Area due to the large number of exotic and migratory bird species that populate the area.  Its always exciting to watch birds hunting for their breakfast while out on the beach.

Another fun thing to do is rent a kayak or a canoe and go out to explore the marshes on the bay side of the island.  You can either go on a guided tour and be shown all the sights of a fascinating ecosystem or you can head out on your own to explore this exciting world.  The Tidelands Nature Center is another great place where you can see creatures such as alligators, snakes, sea turtles, and hermit crabs.

Since Jekyll Island is a state park so much of the Island is undeveloped and you can find much to do such as wandering the dues, heading out on horseback and even chartering a sail boat.  However, it’s not all wilderness, as there are several golf courses, tennis courts, and stores.  Some people go just for the golf, as there are three great courses on the island.  There are also antique and specialty stores with many fine items unique to the island.

There are twenty miles of paved bicycle paths on the island making for a fun and healthy way to relax.  You can rent a bike from one of several spots on the island or bring your bikes from home.  This is a great way to spend time together as a family.  You can get to anywhere on the island using just the bike paths so you won’t even have to spend money on gas while vacationing on Jekyll Island.  Another family friendly activity is the water park on the island.  Take your kids and have a great time.  One other option would be to visit on of the other islands in the area.  Brunswick is the access point for St. Simons, Darien, St. Mary’s, Sea Island as well as Jekyll Island.

The best part of Jekyll Island is the number of rental properties available.  There are dozens of houses and condos you can rent for a week for much less than a hotel room would cost.  You will have a kitchen and several bedrooms and a living area so you will have lots of space and you can save on food by just stocking up on groceries for the week and cooking in so you don’t have to eat out every night.   And pretty much every house on the Island is just a short trip to the beach.  It’s great way for your family to spend its Jekyll Island vacation.