Perry Lane Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel

Savannah is a small-city family destination, with moss-draped, tree-shaded squares; Savannah Riverwalk; Forsyth Park, the District’s largest green space; numerous museums (Telfair, Savannah’s Children’s, History and Railroad Museums); galleries and all the artsy appeal of a college town. There are walking, Segway and bike tours, ghost walks, plus house and garden tours. And, the city is mecca to Girl Scouts who visit the birthplace of founder Juliette Gordon Low.

When the recently built, art-filled, 167-room Perry Lane Hotel opened in June 2018, visitors found a serenely beautiful hotel housed in two, five-story buildings on either side of an entry drive. I noticed the first family-friendly amenity outside the main lobby door, where bikes await. That lobby greets with high ceilings and a black-and-white-checkered floor in the lobby, reminiscent of an airy Southern foyer in an historic Savannah home. The décor is striking: ‘old world’ millwork, arched doorways, gas lanterns by the entrances and cobblestone streets.

Perry Lane Hotel Lobby. Photo: Perry Lane Hotel

Art-filled lobby lounges await to the right; to the left, there’s indoor access to the grab-and-go market (kids just have to give their room number to charge breakfast), café, wine bar/bottle shop and the spacious bistro-like restaurant, Emporium Kitchen + Wine Market. It’s a place to find snacks or sit at a table for fresh, simply prepared pasta or a decadent grilled cheese. (Yes, there’s more sophisticated fare for grown-ups!)

The lobby elevator leads to an exciting rooftop playground for kids of all ages: an appealing pool, a yard for bocce ball and cornhole and the adjacent pergola-topped Peregrin, with its views of ships in the river and church steeples. On the ground floor in the second building, there’s a fun-filled arcade and game room adjacent to the sleek Wayward Bar, with its whimsical motorcycle suspended from the ceiling.

Photo: Perry Lane Hotel

In both buildings, wide corridors provide wall space for some of the 1,200 pieces of artwork; the gracious light-filled rooms and suites are painted with a variety of blues, decorated with custom curvilinear furnishings, marble tops, built-in cabinetry and objets d’art. Parents appreciate connecting rooms, 24-hour room service, cribs and rollaway beds along with all the high-tech amenities.

The hotel displays 3,600 eclectic objets d’art, supposedly collected by a fictional grande dame, Adelaide Harcourt. Among the artists who produced the artwork, 75 live in Savannah and 81 have ties to Savannah College of Art & Design (figure drawings by SCAD students decorate 60 guestrooms).

Photo: Perry Lane Hotel

Outside the hotel doors, the city is a foodie destination, too. Along with author Pat Conroy, I’m also a longtime fan of the fresh, locally sourced menu at Elizabeth on 37^th, and remember well my first family-style Southern meal at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room. On this past visit, my cousins — who live in Savannah — introduced me to famed Southern fare at the lovely The Olde Pink House. (Happily, it has reopened since its devastating fire!)

On my next trip, I’ll try for a reservation at The Grey, the notable eatery within a former bus station.