charleston...what ARE the differences?
May 26th, 2007, 04:29 PM
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charleston...what ARE the differences?
Between Folly, Sullivan and Isle of Palms. looking for a couple of week rental and am trying to get a sense of "atmosphere/lifestyle" between these. Would like to avoid golf/ tourist...looking for a laid back atmosphere 
May 27th, 2007, 07:38 AM
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I would repost this with "Folly Island, Sullivan's Island, and Isle of Palms" in my header since you haven't had any replies. People who go to those places may or may not make more than a day trip to Charleston. It would also be useful if you could tell your interests (golf, beach, food, shopping) and expectations (house, condo, resort, campsite) in the body of your message because my guess is that theses differ wildly among the three.
Jun 26th, 2007, 11:51 AM
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You may also want to consider Kiawah Island and Edisto Island for a rental. While they are further from Charleston -- Kiawah, 40 minutes; Edisto, an hour --, both are excellent beach destinations with a large number of rental houses. Kiawah also has a lot of villas and condos right on the beach.
I do not think that Sullivan's Island allows short term rentals. I believe they require 30 day rentals or at least more than a week.
Wild Dunes at the Isle of Palms has a range of options, from the Boardwalk Hotel to condos on the beach. Choose carefully as there is a serious erosion issue on some parts of Wild Dunes.
Folly Beach is close to Charleston and has gone much more upscale in recent years. Still some of that biker bar culture, but also a number of large, luxury houses on the beach. Folly rentals are now as expensive as Kiawah, but without the long, wide beach.
It truly is a matter of what you want: great beach, Kiawah. Close to Charleston, Folly. Village atmosphere, Isle of Palms.
More rustic, Edisto.
And remember that hurricane season makes it all very risky in late August and Sepember.
I do not think that Sullivan's Island allows short term rentals. I believe they require 30 day rentals or at least more than a week.
Wild Dunes at the Isle of Palms has a range of options, from the Boardwalk Hotel to condos on the beach. Choose carefully as there is a serious erosion issue on some parts of Wild Dunes.
Folly Beach is close to Charleston and has gone much more upscale in recent years. Still some of that biker bar culture, but also a number of large, luxury houses on the beach. Folly rentals are now as expensive as Kiawah, but without the long, wide beach.
It truly is a matter of what you want: great beach, Kiawah. Close to Charleston, Folly. Village atmosphere, Isle of Palms.
More rustic, Edisto.
And remember that hurricane season makes it all very risky in late August and Sepember.
Jul 6th, 2007, 08:10 AM
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We were just at Kiawah and took a day trip over to Edisto. My first thought about Edisto was how cool and 'retro' it seemed to me. Even though many of the houses are new/newer, there is a '50's- '60's beach vibe with the houses close together right on the beach with the ground levels mostly open for parking, storage, etc. Along the main drag there are very few trees so everything is super sunny but you don't think 'nature' when you get to town, though. It's so different from Kiawah that I thought it would be really cool to stay there. Even houses and condos right on the ocean at Kiawah have a walk down a usually long boardwalk over the dunes and to the beach. At Edisto you literally walk down the stairs of the front houses and onto the sand. We also took our 9 year old son to the Serpentarium, which he loved. I thought it was pretty cool, too. You can't be freaked out by snakes and such, though. You can get a coupon for the Serpentarium at the tourist/rental office right when you come into town on the right. They also do AAA discounts. We ate lunch at The Sea Cow - pretty good, very busy regular lunch place. There's a state park with camping at Edisto.
Jul 7th, 2007, 04:23 PM
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I would say that of the three, Isle of Palms is more touristy. The "golfers" are all on Wild Dunes resort which is far removed from most of Isle of Palms. I prefer Sullivan's Island myself, because the water seems cleaner somehow. Folly is WAY more laid back, and you won't find any golfers here, trust me.
Jul 24th, 2007, 11:55 AM
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We stayed with a friend when we were in Charleston and, when she took us to the beach, she took us to Folly. She said it was the cheapest and most casual of the beaches. I think it's also the only one that allows you to drink on the beach (good or bad, depending on your viewpoint). We had a really good dinner at a tapas place there - on Center Street.
Jul 27th, 2007, 08:41 AM
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Folly Beach is generally a younger crowd and it definitely gets more crowded than the other two. Sullivans is very quiet and laid back but you can't do short term rentals. I like Isle of Palms the best of the three. If you look for a rental as far away from the main drag public beach as possible, you won't see crowds at all. The beach is beautiful. Wild Dunes is very nice and if you're not a golfer, no problem - you won't ever see the golfers. They have all types of rents. Check out Dunes Real Estate or Island Realty in IOP - they have tons of rentals.
