This year was our 10-year anniversary. Yay! We had been talking about going somewhere special for our 10-year anniversary for a while and Kiawah Island in South Carolina came on my radar after I saw Kate Bryan from The Small Things blog talk about her stay at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island.
Why did we choose Kiawah Island in South Carolina?
- Romantic atmosphere
- Luxurious hotel with lots of ammenities
- Great weather and clean beaches
- Easy flight distance from Dallas
- A big variety of restaurants on the island
We chose to stay in an “Ocean view room,” and this decision was the only thing I would have changed about our stay. As you can see in the picture below, we didn’t really have a view of the ocean, so it wasn’t worth the extra fee we paid.
What we did on Day 1
- Rented bikes and rode around the island
- Ate lunch at The Ryder Cup Bar
- Enjoyed sitting by the beach watching the waves
- Ate dinner at The Players’ Pub
The morning of day 1, we took a bike ride and rode down the beach to the Ryder Cup Bar. We enjoyed eating lunch out on the patio and watching the golfers play right by the ocean. The weather was perfect, and the food was delicious.
After we finished lunch, we rode our bikes back to The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island on the manicured bike path. The island has 30 miles of paved pathways for bikers and walkers to utilize.
In the afternoon, we sat on the beach and enjoyed the water. The Sanctuary has a full beach service that sets up your chair and umbrella which is so convenient. You can also order drinks and food and have it delivered to your chair.
That evening, we ate at The Players’ Pub. This restaurant was pretty casual, but the food was excellent. I recommend the soft pretzel appetizer. Is there anything better than bread with cheese?
What we did on Day 2
- Pickleball at the pickleball center at Kiawah Island
- Lunch at Tomasso at Turtle Point
- Sat on the patio of The Sanctuary enjoying the back lawn views
- Dinner at Cherrywood BBQ & Ale House
- Sunset walk on the beach
On Day 2, we walked to the pickleball center and played pickleball. They have so many tennis and pickleball courts and you can rent your paddles or rackets from the tennis center.
After pickleball, we drove over to Tomasso at Turtle Point. There was no one at the restaurant and we enjoyed a peaceful lunch with a gorgeous golf course view.
For dinner, we went to a BBQ restaurant on Kiawah Island. This dinner was my least favorite, but the food was still tasty.
Day 2 was by far my favorite day because we got to play pickleball and we had recovered from our traveling day.
What we did on Day 3
- Morning walk on the beach
- Lunch at Jasmine Porch
- Afternoon spent by the beach
- Dinner at The Players’ Pub
- Souvenir shopping at The Nest Market & Cafe
- Played chess in the lobby of The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island
Day 3, I went for a walk on the beach while Caleb slept in and then I went to the gym at the hotel. The gym was so nice and had all the workout equipment you could ask for!
At lunch, we ventured to Jasmine Porch. This Southern restaurant requires reservations for dinner, which we could not make in time, so we went at lunch. The shrimp and grits were amazing!
The afternoon was very chill, and we chose to eat at The Players’ Pub for a second time for dinner.
After dinner, we went to the little market that is on the island. The market had some food, but we went for the souvenirs. I couldn’t leave the island without a Kiawah t-shirt!
After our shopping, we went back to The Sanctuary and sat in the lobby of the hotel. The lobby is so pretty, and they have game tables and cute conversation corners set up. We played a game of chess, of which I lost very quickly.
Things we were surprised by during our stay
- How family friendly The Sanctuary is. We were SHOCKED at how many families with young children were at the hotel. The hotel also had SO. MANY. activities for families. We would bring our kids here in a heartbeat!
- The amenities were incredible. If you needed something, they had it at the hotel.
- The homes on the island are stunning and we didn’t think we would enjoy driving around and looking at them as much as we did.
- The food was very expensive. You go into vacation knowing you will spend a bit on food, but we did not expect the prices to be so high.
Pros and cons of The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island
Pros
- Very romantic, luxurious destination.
- Excellent amenities
- Wide variety of activities
- Very family friendly
- Easy to get to from the airport
- Great range of restaurants to eat at
- Lots of golf courses. If you are a golfer, THIS IS YOUR VACATION!
Cons
- Pricey. Food and lodging will be expensive
Honestly, that’s the only con I could think of! We truly had the best time at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island and we talked about how much we would love to go back, either with our kids or just the two of us.
Have you ever been to The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island? If you have, leave a comment below and tell me about your experience!
If you have never been to The Sanctuary, I still would love to hear where your favorite romantic getaway is. I am always looking to add places to visit to my list.