lahayf

My husband and I are looking into a vacation down South-either Charleston, Kiawah, or Savannah in April-week after Easter. We have never been to any of these places. I'd like to rent a condo or villa (it's just the two of us), so that we can cook and save a little money. We will be flying in from NY or CT (we live in CT). We love the beach-love nature and quiet places but also would like to see some historic sites. So I'm thinking of a place on Kiawah, with day trips to Charleston and Savannah. But I'm not sure if that seems like too much travel. We don't necessarily need a lot of nightlife, and although we enjoy really nice dining out, we also like to cook and don't mind to-esp if we can get some great fresh local seafood! Any advice would be welcome..I've been told to go to Charleston and do day trips to Savannah, but we love the beach so much (we are big Cape Cod fans but I know it's a bit different down South.)
Thanks in advance for your help.

BetsyinKY

If it were me, I would choose Charleston. I would rent a place on Sullivan's Island or Isle of Palms and use that as my base. From there, you are only an easy 20 minutes from downtown Charleston and all of the great shopping, dining, and historic sites that the city offers. Plus, you still get the beach!

dove

As a property owner on Kiawah and a Charleston native, I am clearly prejudiced about the Island. I've spent time on all the beaches in the area and I do believe that beach-wise, Kiawah is by far the most beautiful and best swimming. No erosion, no clutter and overdevelopment. Good restaurants either on island or nearby and a great grocery at Newton Farms, maybe my favorite grocery anywhere.

Having said that, there are some drawbacks to being 40 minutes from downtown. You should consider what's most important to you -- fabulous beach and views or history or a bigger choice of restaurants. When you've made that decision, you'll know where to go and you'll be happy there.

One point of interest -- the only access to the heated pool on Kiawah is by rentals through the Kiawah Island Resort. That's another decision you should make -- how important is the heated pool.

Whatever you decide, the Lowcountry is delightful in April, even though most of the azaleas are gone.

palmettoprincess

I would vote for Ilse of Palms like BetsyinKY. Good access from the airport. Easy to get to the city. Plenty to do on the island or you could just do nothing. Another thought if you wanted to do the beach and you were interested in Savannah is Hilton Head. Are you a golfer?

Gretchen

Charleston hands down. Can take a day trip to Savannah. YOu could do Kiawah or even Wild Dunes and be near Charleston.

chewy1

Have visited these areas for 20 years.

If you like nature, and you like to cook in on occasion, I would go for a condo in Windswept at Kiawah. The Freshfields grocery there is phenomenal. We've done this many times. There are places to buy fresh fish, enough restaurants to enjoy (Chez Fish) Charleston is a piece of cake drive..maybe 35 40 minutes max and staying in town is not really conducive to cooking in. I've always enjoyed walking the streets of Charleston, then heading back to Kiawah. Sullivans is nice, but its just row after row of beach houses. Kiawah is like a nature preserve with housing blended in. The bike trails are fantastic, and Kiawah's beach, is by far the nicest in that area.

jent103

Another vote for Kiawah - my family has gone there for years and we love it. The new development between Kiawah and Seabrook is very nice and has several restaurants and, as mentioned, a really good grocery. Charleston is an easy day trip. I've not been to Savannah - it seems like it would be a long day trip, but doable.