Tybrisa At the Beach — Hotel in Tybee Island

Wonderful Vacation, Nightmare Drive||Tybrisa at the Beach is one of our all-time favorite resorts. Each apartment is a two-bedroom, two bath unit with full kitchen and sitting room, and a balcony overlooking the beach and Atlantic Ocean. A hotel down the street boasts that it is “The only Tybee Island beachfront hotel.” So I guess that Tybrisa is a resort instead of a hotel, since it is right on the beach. One bedroom has twin beds, the master bedroom has a full or larger bed. One bath has a tub, the other has a walk-in shower. My only complaint here is the placement of the toilet paper roller is a bit awkward, but we usually take a couple of rolls of our favorite TP and place them within reach. However, the complementary soap and shampoo smell better than any other place we’ve stayed. The staff has always been wonderful, and the resort has gated on-site parking, half of it under the apartments on the ground floor. All street parking in Tybee Island is pay-as-you-go. Several of the best restaurants On Tybee Island are within short walking distance of the resort. The location is fantastic, and I’ve taken hundreds of sunrise photos from my balcony.||Now the bad news. The fantastic location setbacks. Sand and grit infiltrate everywhere! You cannot sweep or mop enough to keep the floors from feeling gritty. I told my wife that I was bringing my leaf-blower next time. We were there during Helene, and we found blown sand in our window grooves, covering our balcony, and even inside our car. The sea-side location also creates more wear on the building itself, and maintenance hasn’t quite kept pace. The Wi-Fi was damaged some time back, and very poor our last two visits. However, it was fine this time until Hellene came through. Then the island had TWO tornado warning, with more targeting inland Georgia. The power went off after midnight, sowe had two days with no AC, no TV, no hot water, no lights, no fridge, no stove, and no coffee for my caffeine-powered wife. So we read by daylight, slept at dark, and cooked on the outdoor grills. We debated leaving early, but Hellene would be right over the route to our home. We had friends watching our livestock, and we’d had this vacation scheduled for a year. It was a good decision. The ride home was mostly sunny. Some places along the route had electricity, and the roads were clear and dry – until they weren’t.||The horrible part: The 7 hour trip home took almost 19 hours...

Clean and comfortable, but very dated.||This was our first time at Tybrisa at the Beach. ||Welcoming staff were very friendly. They really cared about us having a pleasant stay. Tim ( manager) even escorted us to our room. Nice touch.||||We were given room 201 (north end unit). It was very clean and neat. That was the most important detail. However, furniture IS tired, dated and in need of replacement. Some bedroom furniture is badly worn and scuffed. Fridge and stove were rusted around the handle and edges, and some cupboards have badly swelled (pressboard cabinets after moisture issues?). Not pretty. They have tried to cover this with several coats of paint. Didn’t work.||Stacked washer and dryer appear modern but washer is VERY NOISY. Other appliances are older but clean and seem to be working.||||Pleased to see vinyl flooring throughout! Can only imagine if it still had original carpet! Yuk! Bed was comfortable. Ran out of hot water after one bath. Hmmm? ||||Main bathroom has been upgraded with a walk-in shower stall. Very nice, bright and clean! However, there was a constant “sewer like” smell. Finally got on all fours and found the source to be the drain in the new shower enclosure. Either p-trap is missing or leaking. That trap should stop any back odors from the sewage system. ||Kitchen is well equipped. Some nice modern knife sets, coffeemaker, etc.||All rooms appear to have views of the ocean which is great. Good size balconies.||||Windows and sliding doors are new and work well. Nice and quiet.||||Internet went down within one day. They said it was the providers fault. We had no internet for 6 out of the 7 days. ||||To the owner and/or Management: based on suite 201, I would recommend the following to receive a future 5 star rating.||1. Replace all furniture. ||2. Replace appliances or at least all that show extreme wear.||3. Replace kitchen cupboards. They are literally rotting. Can’t keep lathering on paint to cover this.||4. Replace most interior doors. They are showing their age. Paint has been plastered on thick multiple times to cover rusted hinges and damage. Doors and trim can only take so many coats. Not attractive.||5. Increase how water tank size. If 6 people occupy this 2 bedroom unit, and 1 or 2 showers back-to-back, the hot water will run out. That will be a problem.||6. Find out why the sewer smell is coming up out of the shower...

My family has been enjoying Tybrisa for decades, which is a good place to start my review. I recognize that I have plenty of nostalgia and memories in this place, which add to my love of it. The location is ideal - walking distance to the beach, pier, and shopping area with T.S. Chu's, and walkable to several popular restaurants and other stops. It's on the East side of the island, so for early morning people, the sunrise is a lovely view just out on the deck. The security of a gated and monitored resort is really nice to have. Tybrisa has been here a while, so the units are not sleek and shiny, there might be utensils missing from the drawers, and the clubhouse is just an activity room. But for a family getaway when you want to cook some (or all) of your own meals, and have easy beach access, it can't be beat. There are two bedrooms, two baths, crashable loveseat amd recliner, and pullout sofabed. There is a full kitchen with full size fridge, and washer and dryer in the unit. Maid service is not every day, so maintain the unit to your preference. I like not being disturbed or concerned that my things could be gone through, so a little of my own laundry is no big deal. I love Tybrisa, and for 4th of July fireworks, it is the best spot...