Congratulations, Mark Bryson of Savannah, Georgia! Your beautiful photograph of Crane Cottage wins for you two nights’ accommodations at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

Mr. Bryson’s photograph will appear on Flickr as well as other social media and promotional publications of the Hotel. His photographic image, which appears on the right, was taken in October, 2009 while he was visiting Jekyll Island. “The caption for this photograph is ‘Crane through the Oaks.’ I’m always glad to advertise the beauty of Jekyll Island,” said Mr. Bryson.

You may have some “real beauties” in your collection of photo images, too. If you enjoy sharing your best shots of your Jekyll Island visit with others on Flickr, run them by us first. Be eligible to win a two-night stay at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel! The contest is held monthly, and winners are announced in issues of this newsletter.

Flickr is an image hosting website, web services suite, and online community. An exciting way to share and embed photographs, it's also a service used by bloggers to host images they embed in blogs and social media.

Your still photographs may be eligible for this Jekyll Island Club Hotel competition. It's this easy. Email your still image entry to flickrcontest@jekyllclub.com as an attachment. In the email, be sure to include the following information:

Name of the photographer
Contact information: phone number and email address, city and state
Caption of your still image
Date the image was captured
Permission for the Jekyll Island Club Hotel to use the image on Flickr, YouTube, and other promotional media.

A few rules:
1. The image must have been taken by the contestant on Jekyll Island.
2. Contestants may enter one image each month.
3. Deadline for submissions is the last business day of the month.

You, too, can be a winner!

At last, spring is here and it’s time to plan those trips to the beach and go for a dip in the pool. At the Jekyll Island Club Hotel it also means the season opening of two of our favorite outdoor spots. The Hotel’s Beach Pavilion, located oceanside on Beachview Drive, is the oasis you’re looking for after a couple hours’ walk along the Atlantic. In early April, the Pavilion offers a shady respite which has grilled burgers and hot dogs, ice cream, beverages, and light snacks. Beach umbrellas and chairs are available for rent, and picnic tables are available. The view of the beach and the ocean from the Pavilion and the ocean breezes are delightful. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

The Poolside Bar and Grill also opens at the beginning of April. Conveniently located near the Hotel's pool, it's the place for that afternoon burger, grilled chicken or hotdogs and your favorite beverage. The service bar has delectable summer drinks, snacks, and sodas. The hours are 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.

Opening the menu at Courtyard at Crane is a culinary adventure not to be missed. Chef Rob Sartorio enters boldly into spring taking advantage of fresh local produce and shrimp, the region’s favorite seafood. His list of specialties begins with a classic pairing of jumbo white shrimp and marinated artichokes. For this dish, he sautées the artichokes and shrimp with spinach, garlic, fresh herbs and Chablis and serves it over cappellini pasta. With Chef Rob’s Mediterranean Spring Rolls, a piquant combination of chicken, feta cheese, and sundried tomatoes, he serves a refreshing cucumber tzatziki. So perfect.

Also on the new menu is an Anti-Pasto Salad to which Rob brings his Italian heritage into play. Capicola, Genoa salami, ham, and provolone cheese are julienned over a bed of mixed greens with artichokes, Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes and pepperoncini. Voilà! Chef Rob's new Steak Salad is grilled sirloin steak served over mixed greens with corn and black bean relish, tomatoes, cucumbers, caramelized onions, and julienned carrots with a bleu cheese-balsamic vinaigrette.

The soup du jour reflects the chef's discerning way of combining flavors that please and surprise. A baker's dozen of imaginative sandwiches rounds out this new lunch menu for spring. Don't miss his newly introduced Turkey Jack Wrap of shaved smoked turkey breast, Monterey jack cheese, lettuce, tomato chipotle mayonnaise in an herbed tortilla. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 until 9:00 p.m. Lunch prices: $9.95 to $15.50.

View the entire new spring lunch menu.

During the last year, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel has held a drawing periodically for a free Dinner for Two. Patrons of the Grand Dining Room or Courtyard at Crane restaurant could enter the drawing by completing comment cards and leaving them with their servers. The winners of the final drawing are John and Lisa Hofmann of St. Simons Island, Georgia. They have their choice of dinner for two at either of the restaurants. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hofmann!

“This is certainly a most pleasant surprise. We have favorable memories of our numerous visits over the years to the Hotel as well as to Crane Cottage. We especially appreciate the friendly folks at Crane who catered our Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary dinner last February,” said Mrs. Hofmann when she was notified of their good fortune.

The winner of the recent Jekyll Island Club Hotel drawing for the Bed and Breakfast Package is Natalie Peek of Palmetto, Georgia! Congratulations to Ms. Peek.

“What an absolute honor,” said Ms. Peek when she learned of her winnings. “I am completely stunned. We stayed at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel several years ago to celebrate my husband’s fiftieth birthday, and it was there that he proposed to me. This means so much to me that we will be able to go back to revisit such a special place. We are looking forward to walking on the beach, sightseeing and just having time together. Thank you very much.”