kathymccue

looking for a home to rent for family with 8 adults and 8 kids.. We would like a pool. We don't care about golf or tennis..I am confused between Sullivan's and Folley's and Isle of Palms.. Any suggestions??? We stayed at Ocean Isle several years (North Carolina) and LOVED it...thought we would try something different.........ANY advice would be greatly appreciated!! Kathy

stumpworks73

Myrtle Beach is certainly the largest family beach vacation destination in SC. The area offers many restaurants and activities for families and large groups. MB can handle peak season crowds. You can stay Pawleys Island or North Myrtle Beach and be nearby resort hub-bub, but not be in the middle of it for the entire time.

Hilton Head is smaller, quieter with fewer commercial amusements for the kids. The area offers great family activities biking, kayaking, crabbing, nature cruising to name a few. HHI has great low country atmosphere and a more natural setting than MB.

The beaches are both SC classics. No preference from one to the other.

My experience is the large home rentals are fairly close in price between MB and HHI. HHI might be a little more expensive, but not much. VRBO will have many offerings. At HHI also check out Sea Pines Realty.

Brian_in_Charlotte

In short, Sullivan's is more exclusive, Isle of Palms has the most rental options and Folly is a bit more lowbrow than the other two.

Rentals on Sullivan's are limited to 25% of the homes, so there are fewer rental options and you'll pay for that. Isle of Palms (my preference) has both gated (Wild Dunes) and ungated areas with lots of rental options. Folly has more lower-cost rental options and a few more rednecks and in some areas has some pretty ugly concrete erosion control devices called groins out in the water (at least they did last time we were there).

To me, any of these are better than Ocean Isle which has been grossly overbuilt.

Gretchen

I think houses with pools are not real common. A place like Litchfield by the Sea has common pools for their houses and also pools for the high rises. Lots of good food nearby, tand comparatively uncrowded beaches.

BetsyinKY

Of the three you mentioned, I would look at Isle of Palms. Many of the homes within WIld Dunes are part of neighborhoods that have a neighborhood pool, if not a private pool. We've been vacationing in that area for about six years now, mostly on Sullivan's Island, and as Brian stated, there are many more choices on IOP than SI. Island Realty, Carroll Realty, and VRBO are all good sources for finding rentals.

suewoo

You've gotten good information. I'd skip Myrtle-way too many people from far way. It's very crowded.

On IOP, many of the oceanfront houses have pools. (My best friend has one of those-lucky me!) Betsy gave you the names of the realty companies can help you.

Another one not mentioned is Edisto. It's nice, but very quiet-take some books if you go. I think you might enjoy staying near enough to Charleston to enjoy town and beach.

OurGreatEscape

If you only want beach and pool, head to quiet Seabrook Island. There are no hotels and the only business located inside the Seabrook gate is the private Seabrook Island Club.

There are several neighbors that have neighborhood pools. A couple of the larger homes do come with pools. We opened our new community Lake House last fall. The LH has a great outdoor pool; a walking track around the lake, and basketball court to shoot some hoops.

Indoors is a fitness center and indoor fitness pool. You may gain access to all with a Lake House amenity card ($10/day/family; indoor facilities are an extra $5/day/PERSON).

Here's a video tour of the Lake House: http://south-carolina-lowcountry.blo...l/Lake%20House

Have fun planning your beach vacation!
Elizabeth

palmettoprincess

Litchfield is another good choice. It is on the far southern end of the Myrtle Beach area if you want to do Putt Putt, waterslides, other tourist stuff, but it is quiet enough.

kiawahvilla

Definitely consider Seabrook Island for the vacation you describe. Residential Seabrook has been a family destination for generations. There's no PuttPutt or waterslide on Seabrook, but the island offers old-fashion family amusements like beach bonfires and horseback riding. Seabrook has a nice three-mile beach; or you can take the short (10 min.) drive to Beachwalker Park on Kiawah to enjoy Kiawah's ten-mile beach.

carolinagirl81

I would absolutely suggest Hilton Head Island over any other beach. Definitely skip Myrtle Beach. It's gone downhill over the years and is too crowded. HHI has wide beaches, lots of rental homes WITH pools, lots of family activities. I would suggest renting in Palmetto Dunes or Sea Pines (home of the famous Salty Dog Cafe). Both of these resorts have LOTS of things to do...pools, tennis, bike rentals, etc. Check out their websites.

dove

Although it has a reputation as expensive, Kiawah, just outside of Charleston, is about the same price as all the other beaches mentioned. 12 miles of gentle ocean and miles of bike trails, a nature center, nature hikes. During the summer, there is a free activity of some type every evening. Sunday evenings in the park is a kazoo concert, Wednesday's a "carnival" with a train, rock climbing, food, Thursday a "dive-in" movie.

All of these are free. Our 5 grandchildren are busy day and night. Fun things to do in a beautiful setting.

stephieje

Seabrook Island is beautiful. We spent a week there a couple of years ago and thought it was an absolute gem. We loved watching the deer at close quarters and have never seen so many dolphins! It amazed us how many people we met who had vacationed there for generations. Rent bikes, cycle on the beach, go crabbing, enjoy the peace and nature!