From the time I transferred from the West Coast to The South, long before "The Book" and its resultant hooplah, I wanted to visit Savannah, Georgia. Just the name, Savannah, rolling off the tongue like a morsel of southern sweet potato pie, conjured images of antebellum splendor; white-washed plantation manors, oak-canopied avenues, fireflies charming a summer's night...

The word "savannah" actually means "marshy plain," which didn't exactly fit my preconceived vision of this genteel southern city. When I finally did go, I wasn't disappointed. It was everything I had imagined and more.

It was raining when we arrived, my daughter and I, but we rented a car and went into the historic district, built around 22 squares as designed by James Oglethorpe in 1733. (He actually incorporated 24 squares, but only 22 remain.) There were the huge oaks, dripping with Spanish moss, just as I had pictured them. There were the houses; Colonial, Victorian, Georgian. We parked as the rain let up and went to the river for a walk.

Although we didn't know it, we were lucky that it was the first Saturday of the month, because that is the day that the local artisans line up along the waterfront to sell their wares. Called "First Saturday," it's a festive arena, and we got to be part of it, purchasing handmade gift items for family and friends.

The View at Night Photo courtesy Hyatt Regency

Walking along Riverstreet, we went underneath what turned out to be the swimming pool of the Hyatt Regency Savannah. We thought that it was a wonderful location, and even though there are several charming small inns and bed and breakfast establishments in the vicinity, we decided that we would someday stay there.

We got the opportunity fairly recently; unfortunately it was for only one night. The entrance is on Bay Street, with a sweeping portico and very polite valets. The lobby seemed cavernous, huge and glitzy, but it's an atrium and it was nighttime, so it was hard to get a sense of balance. There were some balconies of guestrooms facing into the atrium, and a lot of activity. The young woman who checked me in realized that I was obviously as tired as I looked (I had been driving all day) and made my check-in experience almost enjoyable. It certainly was quick, and she was extremely gracious, which was to be a portent of our too-short stay.

Despite my original misgivings ...I was sure that we had been given the best room in the hotel.

She told me that she had a very nice room for us on the second floor, and pointed to a set of double doors at the top of the escalator that went to the meeting rooms. At first I thought I had misunderstood her since those doors seemed to lead into meeting space, but I took the keys, got my luggage and my daughter, gave the valet the car, and headed up.

Finding the room was a bit confusing, being behind the meeting space,

View from the River Photo courtesy Hyatt Regency

but once we got there we were very, very grateful. Facing directly onto the river, this room is one of only a handful that actually has a riverfront balcony. (The thing that looks like a black strip on the photo at right is actually the floor with the balconies.) Since it was hanging over the walkway along Riverstreet, it felt much higher than the second floor. We had left the activity of the lobby and the meeting space behind, and we were in our own little world.

We dropped our bags by the door. My daughter immediately snuggled into the oversized stuffed chair at the far end of the room. I opened the armoire that held the television and turned on the news. Then I went and made myself a pot of coffee... the pot and complimentary coffee were on a corner shelf near the entrance. While it brewed, I opened the drapes, pushed aside the sheers and opened the sliding glass door. It had recently rained and the air outside was still and sweet. I went onto the balcony and just stood there; the cables of the bridge over the river were strung with lights and it was beautifully reflected in the water below; the horns of tugs could be heard in the distance. Despite my original misgivings about the location of the room, the fact that we had to fight our way through the crowd of a just-adjourned meeting, the pile of flattened cardboard boxes in the corridor making me feel as though we were in somebody's basement, I was sure that we had been given the best room in the hotel. I silently blessed the young woman who had assigned it, and just stood for awhile in the cool late spring breeze.

The morning showed that the furnishings I had thought brownish in the light of the lamps was actually a pleasant mauve color. I was so grateful for the coffee maker; I again just stood on the balcony with my morning coffee in hand while my daughter slept. We had a long day's drive back to Raleigh but we didn't want to leave.

These rooms are smaller than most others in the hotel because the balconies are inset about 30 inches, but I would take that any old day. The furnishings were very pleasant and plush; the coffee maker, extra pillow and blanket in the closet, iron and ironing board and excellent bath amenities were real pluses. There was a violation of one of my basic tenets of elegant accommodation, though: Fluorescent lighting in the bathroom. It was softened somewhat by the coverings, but there was no mistaking that it was fluorescent.

The hotel has a very nice indoor pool and a very well-equipped fitness center. There are several dining options, including room service and a take-out coffee bar in the lobby. As usual with upscale properties, the minor irritants are easily ignored when the staff is terrific, as they were here.

I don't usually like big convention-oriented hotels, but this one is an exception. The location alone makes it worth the entire stay; the staff is wonderful and welcoming and the riverfront balcony was just icing on the cake.

BOOK HYATT REGENCY SAVANNAH