Hi,
I have a question for someone who%26#39;s familiar with Kiawah. My husband and I are looking at a Shipwatch Villa located in the West Beach area for our anniversary trip in May. I read that ';public access to the beach is available at Beachwalker County Park at the west end of Kiawah Island.';
How close would this public access be to where we%26#39;ll be staying? Also, are the beaches crowded in May? And, which is more preferrable - the west beach or the east beach?
Thanks so much for your help!
West Beach
I%26#39;ll jump in. KiawahVilla will be around soon with her wise words of wisdom.
First thing to understand, Kiawah is a private island with several gates you must pass through depending on where you%26#39;re going on the island. Beachwalker Park and the public access are located OUTSIDE of the Kiawah gate. The public beach is pretty empty most of the time. I have seen lots of folks on that end of the beach on the weekends during high summer.
May is a great time to visit. The weather is warm, not hot; kids are still in school so the beach is less crowded (**crowded on KI or Seabrook Island means you might see 20 people;-}).
Staying in a Shipwatch, you%26#39;ll be able to get to the Kiawah beach no problem. We have a real fondness for West Beach as we stayed many times in a Sparrow Pond cottage. Years ago when the kids were much younger, they%26#39;d love to go spend the day at the Straw Market shopping (to a five year old this was BIG shopping;-})
West Beach
Hi!
Beachwalker County Park, a the western end of the beach, is the only public beach access on Kiawah. Since Kiawah is located in a rural area, 40 minutes from Charleston, the park is busy only on weekend and during the school holiday. Even then, the visitors are usually family groups make the long drive early so that they can settle into chairs and spend the day. Over our years of vacationing on Kiawah with children, we have often chosen to use the beach in that area because of the lifeguards, the access to restrooms, etc. In May, the beach at Beachwalker will be very sparsely populated.
I like both East Beach and West Beach. East Beach centers around The Sanctuary Hotel and Night heron Park. In May, there will be more activity in this area than at West Beach.
West Beach is the older (1970%26#39;s) part of Kiawah. The Shipwatch building is one of the earliest structures. Many of the condos in Shipwatch have been gloriously renovated and the higher floors have (IMHO) Kiawah%26#39;s very best views of the ocean. On the other hand, you should be aware that over the last year there has been some scaffolding on the building, as they are replacing the shingles and doing other improvements to the structure.
Adjacent to Shipwatch is the Straw Market, which has some small shops, a restaurant, etc., and the West Beach Tennis Center. Shipwatch is also very close (next door, though separated by a wooded area) to the old, now closed, locked, and fenced-off, Kiawah Island Inn. Before the new Sanctuary Hotel opened at East Beach in 2004, the Kiawah Island Inn was a major focus of resort activity. Now, it just sits there - dark and forlorn - and a major thorn in the sides of Kiawah property owners, who want something to be done with the site! (One positive note: At least, there will be no hotel guests filling up your beach.)
Ok, whew!
My husband and I are looking forward to a peaceful week where we can unwind, relax, and reconnect. We%26#39;ve been daydreaming of secluded beaches and lazy days spent in the sun, but when I read about public access also being on the west end, my mind was immediately flooded with images of unsupervised, rambunctious children and rowdy teenagers!
So, thanks you two - for putting my mind at ease. :)
I%26#39;ve also been reading about some of the offshore excursions. Are there any that you would highly recommend? Or are there any other activities, sights, restaurants, must-do%26#39;s, etc. you would suggest for first-time vacationers to the island?
Thanks!
Rent bicycles for the entire week. Kiawah has many, many miles of bicycle trails, meandering through the entire island, past all sorts of glorious lowcountry vistas. You can also bike the length of the beach, if you have the energy. By bike is absolutely the best way to see the island.
Plan lunch at The Atlantic Room restaurant in the new clubhouse at The Ocean Course. Atlantic Room has great ocean views, and you will get a look at the famous golfcourse while you are there. Make a reservation so that you will have no trouble getting through the second security gate. Allow about twenty minutes to drive from Shipwatch to The Ocean Course, at the far east end.
Take a sunset cruise from the Bohicket Marina, between Kiawah and Seabrook. From the cruise, you will see the historic and picturesque village of Rockville, on Wadmalaw Island.
Here is a romantic excursion that my husband and I have enjoyed ...
Drive from Kiawah to Rockville, which you saw from the sunset cruise. Along the way, stop for a photo-op (and to be amazed) at 1400-year-old Angel Oak on Johns Island, and tour the Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw.
When you reach the end of the road (literally!) you will be in Rockville. There is nothing to do in Rockville (those folks like it that way), so just take a look round at the ';Old South'; - gracious, family homes, massive live oaks, two historic churches - and start your way back the same road.
Just outside of Rockville, you will see a right turn toward Cherry Point seafood. Drive all the way to the end (road becomes unpaved) directly to a very commercial-looking hanger and dock. Don%26#39;t be shy. Walk right in and buy some absolutely fresh shrimp to prepare at home for dinner.
If you happen to be there May 17, do head over to the Tea Plantation. It%26#39;s ';Flush Festival'; , the celebration of the first cutting of the tea leaves. http://www.bigelowtea.com/act/
Another fun thing to do is visiting the Irvin House Vineyard (http://www.charlestonwine.com/) You could pack a picnic to eat after you sample the muscadine wines.
Another idea is to do a kayaking excursion on the Kiawah River and tidal creeks.
You can take a group tour, in tandem kayaks, agganged through the Nature Center at Night Heron Park. Or, you can tour with a smaller group, and in your choice of tandem or single kayaks, with ';Tidal Trails'; - telephone (843) 768-5680, or email TidalTrails@prodigy.net
Do rent bikes (or take your own), head east (left) on the beach and ride out as far as you can handle (the beach is uninterrupted for 10 miles). Take one of the boardwalks back in and ride through the residential area of the Vanderhorst Plantation. If you are staying in Shipwatch, this is the only way you can see this part of the island, since it%26#39;s behind a second gate. As we were told long ago, part of the fun of Kiawah is to wander through the houses that are being built (we usually only do this on weekends when there are no construction workers there). Follow Ocean Course Dr. to the fire station (on the right), turn left, you will be on either Surfsong or Flyway (I can%26#39;t remember which comes first), you will then turn left on to the other (these are the oceanfront houses). You will be pretty much on your own, you will see very few cars or people. Stop at any of the golf course clubhouses for a drink of water and a potty stop (they all have pro shops, so take your credit card, in case you find the perfect golf shirt or whatever).
Make sure you have a map so that you can find your way back to the front of the island. There are 2 towers which are fun to climb with fantastic views of the Marsh. If you want a little of the island history, take the island bike tour (through the resort), I think it%26#39;s about 7 miles total.
We take our own kayaks (we are down there several times each year, property owners), it%26#39;s wonderful to paddle out towards Capt. Sam%26#39;s Inlet to see the dolphins. You can take a boat trip from Cherry Point Landing, as well, we prefer it to the one from Bohicket. Family business, dad, mom and kids, very laid back and friendly. They are right at the shrimp dock. Actually, there is a pretty little park just before you get to the dock, talk about peace and quiet and a wonderful view!!!
I would add one restaurant to the above and it%26#39;s Chez Fish...it%26#39;s one of those don%26#39;t judge a book by it%26#39;s cover. I love their Goat Cheese Salad.
We%26#39;ll be down there in 2 weeks, I%26#39;m ready to go now!
Thanks for taking the time to share all your lovely suggestions, everyone. I feel more relaxed already just reading about what awaits us in May. I am so looking forward to this trip and can%26#39;t wait to go!
We are also planning our first trip to Kiawah in May. We have been working our way up the coast the last few vacations. Started out on Tybee next onto Hilton Head. Last fall was Seabrook and will be on Kiawah in May. We ate the Sunday brunch at Jasmine,s Porch in September and loved the look of Kiawah. We choose the East Beach because of its central location for beach walking and bike riding. Our anniversary is on the 10th so this also will be a special trip for us too!
We also have bag chairs that we take to the beach along w/a bottle of wine every evening about 5:00 (we have plastic goblets, too, can%26#39;t break on the beach), we%26#39;re just across the street from the beach, so don%26#39;t have far to walk. We sit and enjoy an hour or two just relaxing after biking, paddling, etc. during the day. Depending upon time of year there are some wonderful sunsets. After that we%26#39;re ready to go back to the house to either fix dinner or head out somewhere.
Another restaurant we enjoy is the locally owned ';Gilligans';...it is 16 miles from Kiawah, but great seafood, very casual (they have 4 or 5 locations around Charleston). They buy only local seafood, I think they have ';all you can eat'; shrimp most of the time for less than $15, including sides.
Because many of the close restaurants are $$$, we eat more lunches out than dinners. We also don%26#39;t like to have to get dressed up in the evenings more than about once each time we are there (that%26#39;s usually if we meet friends in town).
