Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (“Toyota”) provided me with compensation and use of a VEHICLE for a short period of time. The opinions I have shared about this vehicle are my own.

I know I’ve been building this up for a bit but I am so excited to share me and Joshua’s most recent getaway to Savannah + St. Simons island. Two Friday’s ago Joshua and I made our way to Savannah, GA. IT’s somewhere Joshua had never been and I had only visited for 24 hours, a very quick trip. Even though I’ve already been here, but only briefly, I already have a dream of one day finding a home in savannah, ga. There’s so much you can do and see here and I just think this place is perfect. Who knows what the future holds.

Our Toyota Corolla made our drive smooth and easy! We left late Friday morning, in order to beat the traffic. This allowed us to hit cruise control and enjoy the ride! One thing I have to point out about the cruise control on the Toyota Corolla is the car has a pre-collision system. This advanced safety system is designed to alert you, and even may apply the brakes, if it detects a potential frontal collision with another vehicle. Aka it let’s you know when you’re getting too close to the car in front of you. Which I honestly need and really loved!

Another great feature for a 3.5 hour car ride, satellite radio. Joshua is the biggest fan of this! He seriously loathes commercials so satellite radio is everything to him. I also, don’t hate the constant music and endless entertainment. That just meant I could sing the WHOLE entire car ride. Sorry Joshua! ! 

photos by tank top photography 

We arrived in Savannah around 1:30pm and headed to our hotel. I literally waited until the day of to book our hotel #whoops. So we ended up at the Residence Inn which I was kind of bummed about as I wanted to stay somewhere with some Savannah character. But it ended up being amazing! This particular Residence Inn has renovated several cottage homes behind the main hotel and they are now hotel rooms. We ended up having one of these and it was HUGE. Not to mention the outside is so historic and adorable. I would honestly highly recommend staying there {just ask for a cottage room}. It’s also walking distance to everything!

Next we headed to The Paris Market where we met Wendy from Apt. B Photography for a photoshoot {see photos here, here, here, and here}. The Paris Market was my second favorite place in Savannah that we visited {favorite to come}. You absolutely HAVE to stop if you’re visiting Savannah. There’s a little bistro where you can grab macaroons, pastries, flatbreads, paninis, sparkling water, frosé, and wine. Additionally, they have a market full of amazing items. Including artwork, jewelry, candles, kitchenware, clothing, interior design books, candy, and more.

After spending some time in the store, we started shooting photos and then heading to different locations. Luckily, we had the Toyota Corolla and Joshua to keep the air on as we travel from location to location and I partook in outfit changes. It was SO nice to hop in the air in between looks and have the air on full blast! The car definitely cools down quickly, which is a huge plus when dealing with serious Savannah heat + humidity.

Following our photoshoot and drives around the different Savannah squares we headed back to our hotel for a quick change. Then it was off to dinner. We ate at The Collins Quarter which was a quick walk from our hotel. I was so happy we walked after all we ate, I needed to move ha! Next week I’ll be sharing a full posts on our meals during the trip and a restaurant guide! Let me tell you though, The Collins Quarter was my FAVORITE place in Savannah that we visiting. Amazing! You absolutely have to go if you’re in town.

Saturday we spent the day exploring. We drove around the different Savannah neighborhoods and revisited some of the squares from the previous day. We then popped back into The Collins Quarter for brunch as we were told by several we HAD to! I am now telling you, you HAVE to. Their brunch is out of this world {again, more to come next week}. Following brunch, we hopped back into our Toyota Corolla and drove down to the river. Thankful we had rear backup camera when it came time to parallel park. Seriously that feature is a dream. We then spent a little time walking around and exploring the Riverfront Plaza. Savannah Bee Company has a shop here {as well as downtown} which is a MUST hit shop when visiting.

After we explored all of River Street it was back to the Toyota Corolla for us and we were St. Simons Island bound. Once we started getting close there were moss covered trees everywhere. I was truly in heaven. A little kid with their face smushed against the car window. We took some time to drive around the village and surrounding neighborhoods. We were loving the lane departure feature as there are some serious bends on the island. A couple roundabouts too.

As the rain clouds covered the sky, we decided it would be a good time to check into our hotel and lounge for a bit. We made reservations at the Ocean Inn and Suites and sadly this did not turn out as well as the Residence Inn in Savannah. I would not recommend staying here. The overall building + rooms are very different from the photos online. I will say though, the location is perfect. However, there are other places you can stay. Including St. Simons Inn and the Village Inn and Pub. Additionally, if you want to stay on the beach and a little further out from town there’s The King and Prince, The Cloister at Sea Island,  The Inn at Sea Island, and The Lodge at Sea Island.

Following that excitement we were off again to fill up our bellies at NANCY’s. Y’all this place is a must for any fashion lover. The restaurant is a boutique during the day and at night you’re still able to shop around. So fun! Joshua and I really indulged here and I cannot wait to share more in my food guide. Since we were basically in a food coma we headed to the local Harris Teeter and picked up a movie ha. Vacations are all about lounging right?

Sunday we made a short drive to the beach. There are several public access points but what you’ll find is come afternoon there aren’t a lot of beaches. The water comes all the way up to stone barriers. So we headed to an area called Myrtle beach that was recommended to us. Here we had beach all afternoon and were able to walk for quite a ways to check out the homes along the beach {my favorite}. We also played lawn {beach} dice, bocce ball, and soaked up lots of rays!

We took a break for Mexican. Do you even go on vacation if you don’t indulge in Mexican food?! Bubba Garcia’s was the place to go and the perfect mid afternoon beach break. Y’all this place is GOOD and my top recommendation for lunch on the island. Then back to the beach for us. Another feature I love about the Toyota Corolla is the USB port. This was perfect for charging my phone in between activities. Being a blogger {and someone who loves taking photos of their hubs} I drain my battery pretty fast. So this little feature was incredibly helpful!  

We then indulged again for dinner that evening at Georgia’s Sea Grill. YUM! Famous for their crabbed stuffed hushpuppies. Yes that’s a thing and yes they are incredible! We then popped into a couple local places in the village before turning in for the night.

Monday we spent some time walking around the village again, popping in and out of shops. We also walked the pier, snapped a view photos, and watched the fisherman. Deciding we were quite tired from the sun and all of our adventures, we piled all of our luggage and ourselves into our Toyota Corolla. Wanting to “house hunt” we drove around a couple neighborhoods on the island and explored some back streets. Then we were Charlotte bound. Thankfully the Toyota Corolla is very comfortable, which made the 5 hour car a whole lot better!

Overall, we had an incredible trip with a vehicle made for exploring a new city! We already have another trip to Savannah in the books and are beach bound again in September. Stay tuned for that trip!

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