Savannah Weekend Budget

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Lodging

I signed up for my World of Hyatt account in the fall of 2021. Shortly after I signed up, I received an email promotion inviting me to fast forward to my first free night with Hyatt. The terms were that I would earn 3000 points for my first Hyatt stay and 2000 points for my second Hyatt stay within the promo period. This adds up to one free night in a category 1 hotel. Additionally, Hyatt launched a promo for Q1 2022 that offers 2022 points back for each 2 night stay.

I decided to attempt to double dip and take advantage of both promotions. I booked 2 nights at the Hyatt Regency Savannah and 2 nights at the Andaz Savannah. The Hyatt Regency is a category 3 hotel, so 2 nights at the standard rate of 12000 points per night cost me 24,000 points. At the time of booking, the standard room would have cost $687 for two nights (taxes and fees inclusive).

Andaz Savannah is a category 4 property, therefore I originally booked 2 nights for 30,000 points. As my trip approached, I checked the cash price of my nights and found that I could book the Standard King room for around $330 for 2 nights or an Andaz loft for $362 for 2 nights. Since this cash rate is low (less than the typical points valuation of 1.7 cents per points for Hyatt points), I decided to rebook with cash and save my 30,000 points for a higher value stay in the future. I booked the Andaz Loft so that it would not be too much of a stretch to request an upgrade to an Andaz Suite.

Our trip to Savannah was planned to celebrate my husband and I’s wedding anniversary. I reached out to the Andaz Savannah team by email and used Julia’s (@geobreezetravel) special occasion upgrade template. I was very fortunate to hear back from them, stating that they would try to upgrade us to the Andaz Suite and that they added a $50 food and beverage credit to our reservation. Our upgrade was confirmed in the World of Hyatt app before check in, and we were told at check in that we had the Andaz Suite Breakfast package. If you are traveling for a special occasion, it is well worth looking up a contact at your hotel! This time of year, this suite with breakfast for 2 days was worth over $600 for 2 nights.

You have 2 great options for earning points to book Hyatt stays. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to the World of Hyatt loyalty program at a ratio of 1:1 when you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card. The CSP card has a $95 annual fee and currently has a 60,000 point sign up bonus (after $4000 spent in 3 months). World of Hyatt has a Chase World of Hyatt personal credit card and a Chase World of Hyatt business credit card. The personal World of Hyatt card has a $95 annual fee. For the first year, this is offset by the 30,000 point sign up bonus. Each year after, this is offset by a category 1-4 hotel free night certificate. During peak times, the member rate for one night in a standard room at Andaz Savannah could cost $380 – well worth the $95 credit card fee. The business World of Hyatt card has a $199 annual fee and does not come with an annual free night certificate. The sign up bonus is 75,000 points (after $7500 spent in 3 months). This amount would get you 5 nights at Andaz Savannah at the standard rate of 15,000 points per night (not peak or off-peak).

I sent a direct message to the Hyatt Concierge on Twitter. She assured me that my stays should be eligible for both promotions. My 4044 (2022*2) promotion bonus points have already posted, and I’m still waiting on the 5000 fast forward promo bonus points. If all goes to plan, I will receive a total of 9044 points back in my World of Hyatt account.

Food

Savannah Seafood Shack ($35) – Fantastic low country boil. The two of us split a cup of chowder, an appetizer of clam strips, and one lunch low country boil.

Pearl’s Saltwater Grille ($58) – Outside of downtown Savannah. Nice location with waterfront views. The food was supposed to be upscale but fell short of our expectations.

Rocks on the River (at The Bohemian Hotel) ($53) – Convenient location to Hyatt Regency. Since the Regency restaurant wasn’t rated very well, we grabbed breakfast here instead. It was good.

North Beach Bar and Grille ($38) – Convenient spot for a simple lunch and drinks after visiting the Tybee Lighthouse and the beach

**Chive Sea Bar and Lounge ($142) – This dinner was well worth the splurge. I ordered a cocktail, and he had a beer. We shared the tuna ceviche which, unusually, featured avocado and fruit. I ordered scallops with red curry. He ordered the crab cake with fried green tomato. Everything was absolutely delicious. I would love to have this meal again! Chive does not take reservations, so we just showed up at 5:00 when they opened.

22 Square Breakfast – included – 22 Square serves a decent breakfast (especially when it’s free). Two entrees, one coffee, and one juice would have been in the range of about $50.

Goose Feather’s Cafe ($18) – Great spot for breakfast or lunch. They also have some bakery items, but we did not try them.

22 Square Valentine’s dinner ($74 – $50 credit = $24) – Tasty pomegranate margarita. Ceasar salad was not impressive. Fish special was pretty good but the risotto was not the right consistency.

22 Square Breakfast – included – Breakfast was good, but we wouldn’t have eaten here again if it wasn’t included.

Quick and easy on the road lunch ($9) – Fast food is the best option sometimes

Leopold’s ice cream ($10 + $10) – I had to get my ice cream fix. $10 covered one medium ice cream, one small ice cream, and tip. Our favorite flavor was Savannah Socialite – milk and dark chocolate, pecans, and bourbon-infused caramel!

Entertainment

American Probation Museum entry and speakeasy drink for 2 ($47) – Very fun museum with great history. The bartender in the speakeasy made us great drinks!

Savannah Bee Company tour ($20) – Savannah Bee Company headquarters is currently out on Wilmington Island, a 15 minute drive from downtown. They are moving soon to a location in the heart of Savannah. If you find bees fascinating and love honey, this tour is well worth it! We had a great time!

Tybee Island Museum and Lighthouse ($22) – The typical adult rate is $12 per person, but we qualified for one discounted ticket at $10.

Historic Tours of American Hop on Hop off Trolley Tour ($118) – Great way to get a feel for the layout of Savannah and hear tidbits about some of the major sites.

Ghost Tour booked through Airbnb Experiences ($40) – The Savannah ghost stories were very cool, but our tour guide was not the best storyteller. I would recommend taking a ghost tour, but your experience is probably variable.
Misc

Souvenirs ($111)

Tips ($26) – Tipping the valets, trolley drivers, bartenders, etc.

Free and/or cheap activities

Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist – suggested donation of $3 per adult

Jones Street – quiet neighborhood with cobblestone streets

Forsyth Park – classic Savannah nature, fountain, and historic homes

Tybee Island North beach – We paid $7 for two hours of parking.

River Street Walk – cobblestone streets and shops along the Savannah River

Bonaventure Cemetery – beautiful old cemetery

Total for a 4 day and 4 night weekend for two: $1343

Did any part of this budget surprise you? Did you find this breakdown helpful? Let me know on instagram @pointsforthememories.