Amazing, luxurious rooms that are large, well designed and filled with beautiful furniture. The staff are friendly, professional and very competent. Some have been at Sea Island for many years. But the food and beach club are not up to the standards of the property and the people. But our sense was that the people who go there regularly think it's so great but it really isn't.

This was our second time here. Spent 3 days on our travels down south.
The Good: The Ocean view suite at the beach club was stunning! Spacious and beautifully appointed with a gas fireplace and magnificent view. 2 bathrooms and small but efficient kitchen.
Truly, this is where The Cloisters excel! Great Fitness Center and stunning spa. The property and amenities are all top drawer and very well taken care of.
The Bad: In my opinion the food is just not up to the heights the rest of the resort is. Found this on our first visit and the situation has not been improved. Disappointing! In a property as wonderful as The Cloisters, the food should be a lot more than glorified country club fare.
It is a major missing link. The other issue , though small in comparison, is the $20 charge to use the fitness facility. Really, at $600 a night for our room, this charge seems petty and unnecessary.
Have stayed at many high end resorts, ie. Four Seasons, Peninsula etc. and none of them charge to use the Fitness Centers.
Again, this is where I feel The Cloisters is a Country Club first that welcomes outsiders in but nickels and dimes them for the privilege while reminding them during breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The new Cloister may not be quite what the old was, but times have changed and it is still a lovely and elegant resort. The lobby and public rooms are gorgeous and the guest rooms very spacious and well decorated. Staff was friendly enough but service and food at Tavola and at breakfast left a lot to be desired. These issues need to be addressed before this becomes a five star resort.

Actually we stayed at the Cloister's Cottages, which is very close to the Cloister's Hotel. Actually everything is close together. The unit we had was fantastic. - four bedrooms (2 master's), five bathrooms, outdoor enclosed patio, heated pool, four fireplaces, kitchen with every possible appliance (all top of the line), about 3,500 square feet. Plus their was daily maid service, gardener and pool cleaner. Also the beds were extremely comfortable. Despite having four couples, we had plenty of space. We didn't want to leave and we will be back.
Everything on the island is convenient - grocery stores, restaurants and golf courses. The golf courses were excellent. We had caddies every day, which was a real treat.
The entire trip was first class!