Tybee Island Hotels & Places to Stay

Tybee Island doesn't have a hotel row. It has exactly four places to stay — one old-school resort, one beachfront simple stay, and two B&Bs — and that smallness is the whole point of the island. If you're booking Savannah and wondering whether the beach deserves a night or two of your trip: it does, and this is the complete menu.

One thing to know before you pick: Tybee's lodging splits by geography. South Beach is the busy end — closest to the pier, the ice cream lines, and the people-watching. North Beach is the quiet end near the lighthouse, where the streets turn residential and the pace slows way down. One property sits in the middle of the action, one is right on the sand, and two share the calm side. Where you sleep decides what kind of beach trip you get.

Everything here is on the record from the island's own listings — addresses, pools, porches, and what's actually included — so you can match the stay to the trip you want. If you want the full Savannah side of the decision first (Historic District, River Street, the airport corridor), that's our where-to-stay guide — Tybee is its own call.

Disclosure: Some links in this guide are affiliate links, including our check-rates buttons. If you book through them, The Local Savannah may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only feature places we'd recommend to a friend — commissions never determine our picks.

The South Beach Classic: Hotel Tybee

Hotel Tybee (1401 Strand Ave) is the classic family oceanfront resort on South Beach: over 130 years of history on this stretch of sand, two outdoor pools, a poolside tiki bar, and a walkway that puts you straight onto the beach.

This is the pick if your Tybee trip is a beach trip — kids, sand toys, and days where the car never moves. Two pools mean the resort hangs together even when the weather turns, the tiki bar keeps the parents happy, and the South Beach location puts the pier and the ice cream lines within walking distance. It's the one property on the island built to absorb a whole family week. Check rates at Hotel Tybee

Right on the Sand: DeSoto Beach Hotel

DeSoto Beach Hotel (212 Ocean Ave) is Tybee's only direct beachfront hotel — the one stay where the beach isn't across the street or down the block, it's the yard. The oceanfront pool is heated and cooled, so it works year-round, beach access is direct, and breakfast is complimentary every morning of your stay.

This is the simplicity pick. No resort sprawl, no scene to keep up with — just the sand out the door and a beach day that starts the moment you're ready. If your Tybee plan is "wake up, beach, repeat," the DeSoto is the shortlist-topper. There's no validated booking CTA for this one yet, so book direct at the official site.

The North Beach Charmer: Surf Song Bed & Breakfast

Surf Song Bed & Breakfast (6 17th St) is the historic option — an 1898 Victorian on North Beach, steps from the lighthouse and the ocean. The wrap-around porch is the reason to book it, the outdoor pool covers the afternoons, and the beach gear is there to borrow on your way down to the water.

This is the character pick. A Victorian house, a quiet end of the island, and a stay that feels like the island's history rather than a hotel corridor. The lighthouse a short walk away means morning photos without the crowds. Check rates at Surf Song

The Quiet Retreat: Tybee Island Inn Bed & Breakfast

Tybee Island Inn Bed & Breakfast (1310 Jones Ave) sits in the quiet residential end near the lighthouse and Fort Screven — a tropical retreat of a property where southern breakfasts are served in the garden gazebo and the porch swings do most of the evening entertaining.

This is the romance pick. The location is the quiet residential side of the island, the gazebo breakfasts are the slow-mornings ritual, and the whole place is built for couples more than crews. If the trip is two people and an unhurried pace, this is the one.

How to Split a Savannah-and-Tybee Stay

The honest answer from the directory: Tybee is twenty-something minutes from downtown Savannah, so the split decision costs you almost nothing in drive time. Three ways people do it:

• All-Savannah, day-trip Tybee: sleep in the Historic District, take one beach day. The Tybee day trip guide covers the full itinerary — lighthouse, pier, and when to head back.
• Split the week: nights downtown first, nights on the island after — or the reverse, if you want the trip to end slow. Our where-to-stay guide has the Savannah half; this page is the island half.
• All-Tybee: base on the island and day-trip into the city. It works — you trade walkable dinners for the porch and the tide, and the drive in is simple.

One booking note: if the dates are set, the check-rates buttons above (Hotel Tybee and Surf Song) show live availability, and DeSoto books direct at its official site.

Quick Picks

• Family beach week: Hotel Tybee — pools, tiki bar, pier within reach.
• Sand-first simplicity: DeSoto Beach Hotel — the only stay directly on the beachfront, breakfast included.
• Historic character: Surf Song Bed & Breakfast — the 1898 Victorian, North Beach quiet, porch nights.
• Romantic slow-mornings: Tybee Island Inn Bed & Breakfast — gazebo breakfasts, porch swings, the quiet residential end of the island.

Compare every property in town on the hotels directory hub — and if the B&B idea is the part that hooked you, our Savannah B&B guide covers the historic-inn scene on the Savannah side of the bridge.