The Ultimate Girls’ Weekend in Savannah: Where to Stay, Shop & Smell Amazing
The Ultimate Girls' Weekend in Savannah
Where to stay, shop, sip, laugh—and smell absolutely amazing.
Amy with LuLu & Oliver gathers a few girlfriends, packs the perfume oils, and heads for Savannah in search of beautiful hotels, unforgettable shops, rooftop cocktails, slow brunches, cobblestone evenings, and the scent that will bring the whole weekend back.
The group text began the way the best weekends usually do: somebody said, “We need to get away.”
Not forever. Not dramatically. Just long enough to remember what it feels like to dress for dinner, laugh until the waiter checks on the table twice, and have an entire conversation that does not involve errands, deadlines, production schedules, or who forgot to order more shipping boxes.
For Amy with LuLu & Oliver, Savannah was the obvious answer.
She already knew the city through long holiday-market days and winter evenings along the river. But this trip would be different. No booth to open. No inventory list. No schedule built around closing time. Just a few girlfriends, a beautiful hotel, excellent shoes that might become questionable by Saturday afternoon, and enough fragrance options to match every version of the weekend.
Savannah is especially suited to this kind of escape. It is walkable but never plain, elegant without becoming stiff, historic without feeling trapped in the past, and social in a way that lets a group move easily from coffee to shopping, from a square to a rooftop, and from dinner to one more drink no one technically planned to order.
Most important, it gives friendship room to become the itinerary.
Come with us.
I have spent enough time in Savannah to know that the city changes depending on why you came.
When we are there for the Savannah Christmas Market, I experience it through preparation, customers, fragrances, lights, long days, and the incredible energy of Plant Riverside District. But I kept thinking about what Savannah would feel like if I arrived with nothing to sell and nowhere I had to be.
So, for this story, I gathered a few girlfriends and imagined the weekend I would create for us: a hotel that feels like part of the experience, shopping that cannot be duplicated at home, restaurants where getting ready is half the fun, and fragrance woven through the entire trip.
Because that is the thing about scent: you may forget exactly what everyone ordered at dinner, but months later one note of jasmine, amber, vanilla, or salt air can return you to the table.
This is the Savannah weekend I would plan for the women I love.
— Amy, LuLu & Oliver
“No girls’ weekend is complete until everyone has a new inside joke, one slightly impractical purchase, and a fragrance that smells like the trip.”
Choose a hotel that understands the assignment.
For a girls’ weekend, the hotel is not merely where the luggage lives. It is headquarters, dressing room, recovery lounge, morning debrief, weather backup, photo location, and the place where everyone says they are almost ready while one person is still in a robe.
Hotel Bardo
Beside Forsyth Park, Hotel Bardo offers a lush, highly styled setting with a resort-like mood, beautiful gathering spaces, and an atmosphere made for women who want the hotel itself to feel like the occasion.
Perry Lane Hotel
A polished downtown base with Peregrin rooftop lounge and easy access to Bull Street, Broughton Street, squares, shops, and restaurants. Visit Savannah also highlights a special Satchel leather-design experience that hotel guests can arrange.
Thompson Savannah
At Eastern Wharf, the Thompson pairs contemporary Southern design and river views with Fleeting, Bar by Fleeting, and rooftop cocktails at Bar Julian.
JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District
Whether or not you stay overnight, make time to visit this extraordinary Kessler Collection destination on the Savannah River. The restored power plant brings together dramatic architecture, art, music, dining, rooftop experiences, riverfront energy, and the unmistakable sense that Mr. Kessler created something far larger than a hotel—he created a Savannah experience.
The Alida
A stylish west-riverfront choice with Rhett for dinner or brunch and The Lost Square above it—ideal for a group that prefers to keep the first cocktail close to the elevator.
The Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront
Eclectic design, direct river access, and Rocks on the Roof make this a natural fit for a glamorous, slightly moodier Savannah weekend.
Friday flirtation, Saturday indulgence, Sunday recovery.
Arrive & Make an Entrance
Check in, unpack far too many outfits, walk a square before sunset, toast the weekend from a rooftop, and choose a dinner table worthy of everybody getting dressed.
Shop, Sip & Smell Amazing
Brunch, Broughton Street, Bull Street, books, leather, beautiful objects, fragrance touch-ups, a little hotel reset, and cocktails above the city.
One Last Beautiful Morning
Slow brunch, Forsyth Park, one final shop everyone swore they did not need, and the drive home wearing the scent that now belongs to Savannah.
Arrive slowly. Savannah rewards the women who do not rush her.
Check in and establish headquarters
Claim beds, steam dresses, line up cosmetics in a way no hotel bathroom was designed to accommodate, and place one shared fragrance tray where everyone can experiment before dinner.
Take the first walk beneath the oaks
Begin along Bull Street, moving through Savannah’s sequence of squares. Madison Square, Chippewa Square, and Monterey Square are not boxes to check; they are reminders to slow down and look up.
Order the first rooftop round
Peregrin at Perry Lane offers polished city views and shareable food; Bar Julian gives Eastern Wharf a contemporary riverfront angle; Myrtle & Rose creates a romantic garden atmosphere at Plant Riverside; Rocks on the Roof keeps the river and live music close.
Choose dinner by the mood of the group
The Olde Pink House delivers classic Savannah atmosphere. Common Thread offers modern coastal cooking. The Grey brings celebrated food into a restored Greyhound terminal. The group that wants river views may choose Vic’s on the River or another waterfront favorite.
Decide whether “one more” means one more
It almost never does. Savannah’s hotel bars, intimate cocktail rooms, rooftop lounges, and illuminated riverfront make a second stop feel less like a poor decision and more like narrative continuity.
Friday fragrance: Black Velvet
Dark fruit, white flowers, cream, and woods—dramatic enough for dinner, soft enough to become more interesting as the evening gets closer.
Brunch first. No important shopping decision should be made hungry.
Savannah understands brunch as both meal and social structure. The right choice depends on whether the group wants garden romance, river views, a polished hotel table, all-day brunch, or enough coffee to recover from Friday’s narrative continuity.
Myrtle & Rose
Botanical cocktails, Southern-inspired brunch, floral design, and sweeping river views create one of the city’s prettiest group-brunch settings.
Bar Julian
At the Thompson Savannah, Bar Julian brings skyline and river views to an energetic rooftop setting that photographs almost as well as the group thinks it does.
Rhett
Inside The Alida, Rhett offers warm Southern hospitality and a convenient transition to The Lost Square rooftop afterward.
Ordinary Pub
Useful when the group’s definition of morning has slipped into afternoon. Visit Savannah notes that brunch is served throughout the day.
Municipal Bar
Seasonal plates, cocktails, and an all-day rhythm from breakfast through dinner in the heart of Broughton Street.
Foxy Loxy Café
A charming Bull Street house café with a courtyard, coffee, food, prints, art, and enough personality to make a quick stop become a long one.
The Savannah shops worth leaving suitcase space for
Savannah shopping is strongest when the day moves between streets rather than malls. Broughton Street supplies energy and variety. Bull Street offers books, cafés, design, and local character. City Market adds art and easy wandering. Side streets provide the discoveries no one intended to make.
The Paris Market
A two-level world of antique and modern finds, jewelry, soaps, textiles, books, tabletop pieces, curiosities, gifts, and a sunlit café. Visit Savannah describes it as a whimsical Parisian flea-market experience on Broughton Street.
Explore The Paris MarketE. Shaver Booksellers
Rooms of books inside a historic building near Madison Square, plus premium teas and the resident bookstore cats who understand that every girls’ weekend needs at least one quieter chapter.
Satchel
A SCAD graduate-owned leather-goods boutique known for beautifully made bags and accessories. Perry Lane guests can inquire about arranging a personalized design experience.
shopSCAD
An ever-changing collection of art, accessories, jewelry, décor, and design by SCAD artists—a strong stop when the goal is to bring home something genuinely connected to Savannah’s creative identity.
Savannah Bee Company
Honey, mead, body care, gifts, and a brand story rooted in bees and conservation. It is approachable enough for group tasting and polished enough for gifts.
Independent Boutiques on Broughton
Mix national names with local fashion, shoes, accessories, gifts, and specialty shops. The fun is moving between something familiar and something unavailable at home.
Alex Raskin Antiques
For the friend who loves old houses, unusual objects, beautiful wear, and the possibility that a purchase may require an entirely new room.
City Market Artists
Studios, galleries, small artworks, photography, and gifts make City Market an easy place to meet makers and find something tied directly to the city.
LuLu & Oliver
During the Savannah Christmas Market season, visit LuLu & Oliver at Plant Riverside District to explore concentrated perfume oils, solid perfumes, hair and body fragrance, stone candles, refills, and the scent that becomes the souvenir no one can see.
What to wear for every chapter of the weekend
A girls’ trip has several personalities before lunch. There is the coffee version, the shopping version, the rooftop version, the dinner version, and the Sunday-morning version that swears everyone is going straight home after brunch.
Forsyth Park Morning
Honeysuckle & Jasmine — luminous white flowers and Southern-garden softness for fountains, live oaks, and the first coffee walk.
Shop Perfume OilsBroughton Street Shopping
Mojave Ghost — airy woods and translucent florals that feel polished, effortless, and easy to wear from boutique to café.
Explore the LibraryThe Paris Market Mood
Bibliothèque — peach, plum, flowers, vanilla, and patchouli for rooms filled with books, textiles, curiosities, and collected beauty.
Find Your ScentRooftop Golden Hour
Coastal Sol — warm light, soft skin, and a relaxed coastal glow as Savannah turns gold above the river.
Shop Hair + Body MistDinner After Dark
Black Velvet — dark fruit, white flowers, cream, and woods for candlelight, old rooms, and a table everyone remembers.
Shop Perfume OilsSunday Softness
Crème Blanche — creamy, intimate, and quiet enough for brunch, hotel checkout, and the drive home with the windows cracked.
Shop Solid PerfumeLayer fragrance like you packed the trip on purpose.
Begin with Solid Perfume
Press a soft layer onto pulse points while getting dressed. The balm creates an intimate foundation and slips easily into the smallest evening bag.
Add Rollerball Perfume Oil
Apply the concentrated signature to wrists, inner elbows, neck, and décolletage. Perfume oil wears close to the skin and develops gradually with warmth.
Mist Hair + Body
Add a lighter veil through hair and across the body for movement. This is the layer that catches the air when you walk through a hotel lobby or lean over the rooftop table.
Carry the smallest ritual
Choose either the rollerball or solid perfume for touch-ups. There is no reason to carry the entire hotel bathroom through Savannah.
The girls’ trip gift idea
Let each friend choose a different LuLu & Oliver fragrance before the trip—or select one shared Savannah scent for everyone. Months later, wearing it becomes a private reunion.
Return to the hotel. Change the shoes. Raise the standard.
By late afternoon, everyone needs a reset. This is why the hotel choice mattered.
Order coffee or a small snack, place the shopping bags in one glorious pile, shower, change, and let the room become a dressing salon. Someone plays music. Someone borrows earrings. Someone announces that her original outfit was wrong and is relieved she packed six alternatives.
Then choose the evening according to the group:
The Olde Pink House
Historic rooms, Southern food, candlelight, and the kind of visual identity that tells everyone exactly where the photograph was taken.
Common Thread
A thoughtful, contemporary expression of the region inside a restored historic house—excellent for a group that cares as much about the food as the atmosphere.
The Grey
A celebrated restaurant inside a restored Art Deco Greyhound bus terminal, where the architecture and culinary story are inseparable.
Vic’s on the River
Historic surroundings, river views, and a traditional Savannah dinner mood that works well after a full day downtown.
The Green Room
Stylized cocktails and elegant surroundings for the group that wants the evening to feel curated before dinner—or instead of rushing into it.
A Rooftop Finale
Peregrin, Bar Julian, Myrtle & Rose, Electric Moon, Rocks on the Roof, or The Lost Square can all extend the evening with a different Savannah view.
The farewell brunch no one calls farewell brunch.
Sunday morning begins with several declarations that no one is hungry, followed almost immediately by brunch.
Choose a table that allows everyone to review the photographs, divide the purchases that somehow ended up in the wrong bags, and identify the weekend’s official quote. Afterward, walk through Forsyth Park or one final square before checkout.
There is always time for one last stop. The Paris Market for the thing someone kept thinking about. E. Shaver for a book to read on the way home. A bakery box for the car. A final coffee. A perfume oil discovered during the market season and chosen because it now smells like all of this.
The weekend ends, but the fragrance does not.
The beautiful, practical girls’ trip checklist
Comfortable Walking Shoes
Savannah is best experienced on foot, and historic pavement has no sympathy for aspirational footwear.
One Excellent Dinner Outfit
Bring the thing that makes you stand differently when you wear it.
Rollerball Perfume Oil
Portable, concentrated, alcohol-free, and made for pulse-point touch-ups between shopping and cocktails.
Shop Perfume OilsSolid Perfume
A compact balm for handbags, travel, and discreet refreshing at dinner.
Shop Solid PerfumeHair + Body Mist
A light fragrance veil for getting ready together and refreshing before the evening begins.
Shop the MistRoom for One Unplanned Purchase
The object you love most will rarely be the one you came expecting to find.
The finest souvenir may be invisible.
Savannah has a scent even when no perfume is present.
It is rain on old brick. Tea olive and jasmine. Coffee from an open doorway. Wax and wood inside a historic room. River air. Hotel linen. Garden soil. Citrus lifted over a cocktail. Vanilla from a pastry box. Leather in a small studio. Smoke and amber after dark.
A beautiful object can remind you of the trip when you see it. Fragrance can remind you without warning.
That is why a perfume chosen in Savannah becomes more than something to wear. Every future application contains the possibility of return: to the hotel room full of laughter, the rooftop at sunset, the bookshop cat, the impossible shoes, the dinner table, and the women who were there.
Find Your Signature Scent
Use mood and fragrance family to discover the scent that feels most like you—or the friend you are shopping for.
Take the JourneyThe Art of Giving Fragrance
Choose perfume by personality, format, memory, and the way someone moves through the world.
Read the Gift GuideA Southern Christmas Worth Traveling For
Continue the Savannah story through Plant Riverside District, the Christmas Market, artisan gifting, and Southern holiday tradition.
Read the FeatureSavannah girls’ weekend FAQ
How many days are ideal for a Savannah girls’ trip?
Two nights and three days allow enough time for shopping, dining, rooftops, historic squares, and brunch without making the weekend feel over-scheduled. A third night gives the group room for Tybee Island, a spa afternoon, or a slower pace.
What is the best area to stay in Savannah?
The Historic District is best for first-time visitors who want to walk to squares, Broughton Street, restaurants, and the river. Eastern Wharf offers a modern riverfront experience, while Forsyth Park hotels create a quieter, more residential atmosphere.
Do we need a car?
A car is unnecessary for most Historic District weekends and can become a parking responsibility. Ride services, walking, trolleys, and hotel transportation may be easier. A car is useful for Tybee Island, Wormsloe, or destinations outside downtown.
Where should we shop?
Begin on Broughton Street for The Paris Market and a mix of boutiques, then walk Bull Street for E. Shaver Booksellers, cafés, galleries, and design-focused shopping. Add City Market and side streets for local art and unexpected finds.
What perfume is best for a Savannah weekend?
Floral scents suit Forsyth Park and garden walks; coastal scents fit the riverfront; creamy musks work beautifully for shopping and brunch; darker fruit, woods, and amber suit dinner and rooftop evenings. LuLu & Oliver’s Signature Scent guide can narrow the choice by personality.
When can we shop LuLu & Oliver in Savannah?
LuLu & Oliver participates in the Savannah Christmas Market at Plant Riverside District during the holiday season. Market dates, booth placement, and product offerings should be confirmed through current LuLu & Oliver social updates and the official market schedule.
Should restaurants and rooftops be reserved?
Yes. Popular dinner tables, brunches, rooftops, and holiday weekends can book quickly. Reserve the most important meals first and leave the rest of the itinerary flexible.
Editorial note: This feature is written as a creative LuLu & Oliver girls’ getaway narrative informed by Amy’s ongoing connection to Savannah through the Savannah Christmas Market and independent editorial research. It is not a claim that every scene occurred during one literal trip.
Planning note: Hotels, restaurants, shops, rooftops, experiences, menus, hours, reservation policies, and market participation can change. Confirm details directly before traveling.
Independent feature: Businesses are mentioned editorially; inclusion does not imply sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation.
