The road to Savannah from Atlanta is a long trek. It’s just under my road trip max limit (5.5 hours in the car), and the drive down I-16 is both treacherous –notorious for having overzealous cops- and boring. While I love Savannah, knowing what the road trip entails, I don’t get there as often as I would like. However, when the Desoto Savannah reached out to me and offered me to experience their new remodel and coincidentally my boyfriend had to go down there for a business meeting, I happily accepted the opportunity and starting planning ways to make the road trip enjoyable (cue the Yacht Rock playlist).
If you haven’t been to Savannah yet, you are missing out on one of the quintessential Southern towns to visit. The streets are draped in mossy oaks, the history is rich and haunted, the restaurants are exceptional, and it’s one of the few places in Georgia that allows open container (IE you can take that Bloody Mary from the Collins Quarter to go). Check out my Travel Guide here.
I have stayed overnight in Savannah twice: once in a Hilton near River Street during college, and the second time a sleepless night in a haunted hotel on East Bay Street aptly named the East Bay Inn. This time I was looking forward to staying in a hotel that wasn’t filled with ghosts or had the sterility of mass-produced franchised hotels, but in a newer construction that had been renovated to fit my charm-seeking needs.
While I had read online that the Desoto Savannah was renovated, upon walking in, I wasn’t expecting to be thrust into such a beautiful lobby. Three giant chandeliers hang down the main hallway leading to their lovely restaurant, the 1540 Room. The concierge had informed us that the original Desoto Hotel had been torn down to make room for a new building in the 60’s and the mid-century modern architecture crept up into the sky before the height limit of the city was in place, making it one of the tallest buildings in downtown Savannah. Most of the architecture of the original Desoto was lost during the previous remodel, however as luck would have it during the recent renovation by Sotheby’s, the main hall’s chandeliers were found hiding behind a wall on the second level mezzanine.
For those staying in the hotel, there are quite a few options for dining: the 1540 room, Edgar’s Proof & Provision and Buffalo Bayou Café. We dined at Edgar’s P&P for breakfast one morning and had our pick of delicious and rich breakfast items. We, unfortunately, did not have time to dine at the 1540 Room but it was absolutely gorgeous. The high ceilings were adorned with Edison bulb chandeliers, and the large windows illuminated the white walls. Since we weren’t able to pop in for a bite this past trip, we made a note that we’ll just have to go back in the future.
Our room was exquisite: the bathroom was lined in floor to ceiling Carrera marble tile, the bed was exceptionally comfortable and our view of the St. Philips Cathedral was glorious throughout the night and day! (PS If you want our view, be sure to request room 1201!) The location of the hotel was just the right place between crowded River Street, the shopping district on Broughton, and the Historic District. The centralized location of the Desoto Savannah makes it the perfect place to rest after the long trip into Savannah from Atlanta- but it definitely makes the drive worth it!
Wow, what a stunning place to stay! My husband and I honeymoon’d in Savannah a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with the city & have been trying to think of a good excuse to make it back. We stayed in a historic home that had been divided into apartments, which was wonderful-but I think for a shorter stay then the Desoto would be perfection!
xoxo, SS
Southern and Style