gay travelers in Savannah

Greetings -

My partner in I will be celebrating our 15th anniversary in June and would appreciate some advice on where to stay in Savannah. We%26#39;d like to have easy access to the main historic district and other attractions. As far as type of lodging,I%26#39;d say we%26#39;re open to anywhere that%26#39;s neither extravagantly expensive nor no frills. [Ideally we%26#39;d spend no more than $125 a night or so.] We%26#39;re pretty open about the type of place -- could be a mainstream hotel, funky guest house (gay-oriented or not) or even someone%26#39;s carriage house that they rent out in their back yard. The most important piece is that the folks there be friendly to us as a gay couple - it would kind of spoil the anniversary to have to deal with bigotry. One more question (and please don%26#39;t be offended, Savannah fans). We%26#39;ve also considered Charleston SC as an alternate destination. We like exploring a city, checking out historical sites, shops, parks and scenic attractions, museums and fine dining (we loved New Orleans for example). Which destination would be better - Savannah or Charleston? Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

gay travelers in Savannah

I like Savannah much better than Charleston. I am biased but I have been to Charleston a number of times and just don%26#39;t like it as well.

As far as bigotry goes, I don%26#39;t think you will have any problems here, particularly if you stay in the Historic District, we have a pretty large gay population and problems are rare as far as I know.

June is a busy month and not too far away. I would recommend you start contacting the downtown places right away. Maybe look through the reviews on this site and pick a few to call.

gay travelers in Savannah

Savannah is a very gay-friendly city. You won%26#39;t have any problems there. Since even the most basic hotels in the historic district run at premium rates (location, location, location) you may have a difficult time finding lodging within your price perameter. I would suggest either the Thunderbird on Oglethorpe - it has been renovated and advertises it is the ';hippest hotel'; in Savannah - it is great, but the location is a couple of blocks off the beaten path - or priceline a minimum 4 star hotel in the historic district and put in your minimum. Of course, you will be charged immediately for your stay, but the four stars (Westin, Hyatt, Hilton, Mansion) would be an absolute bargain at $125 a night.

My partner and I just returned from Savannah, our 3rd trip, and Savannah always seems ready to accept all guests. We saw quite a few other couples there as well. Try Savannah Getaways for a little carriage house. We stayed in one, back in a little alley, and felt like locals. You might try to up your budget if you can as it is a relatively expensive place to find accomodations. Went by the ';Thunderbird'; and found it lacking in it%26#39;s location and ambience. We have never felt any animosity towards us in Savannah. Charleston is a very beautiful city also and if you have the time, it is worth a visit too. The previous 2 visits we split our time between Savannah and Charleston but this time we spent the whole time in Savannah. While Charleston is a ';must see';, it is perhaps just a bit too touristy and ';gussied up';. Savannah feels more real, a little ';edgier'; and definately more quirky. We find that it just oozes atmosphere in all of the neighborhoods, even the ones that are dilapidated. If you are renting from private individuals or staying at a b and b, just be upfront and ask ';do you have a problem with a gay couple staying in your home?'; The worst that can happen is they will say yes and then you can just say ';no thanks, then'; and move on to the next. Savannah and Charleston are the imho the two most beautiful and idyllic cities in the USA. Being from the west coast you will be swept away by the architecture and atmosphere. Good luck and enjoy. We would live there part time if that were possible!

Try going to www.savannahgetaways.net. There is a huge list of guest houses that are available to rent for a weekend or longer. The price is UNBELIEVABLE and these places look beautiful.