The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is the perfect parent’s escape from NYC. We love chilling with the fam but we can’t resist a little romance, Southern charm, and hospitality. Once you descend upon this 10,000 acre barrier island of coastal South Carolina, you’ll discover ten miles of top beaches, delectable southern cuisine, a haven for wildlife, five championship golf courses, signature spa, and endless romantic experiences.
Romancing the Stone
From the moment you walk into the beautiful seaside mansion, you will feel right at home. There are grand spaces filled with luxurious yet welcoming trimmings from southern décor to southern sweet tea. There’s something undeniably bonding and welcoming. It’s got rich history, beautiful scenery, endless recreation, pristine beaches and Southern charm for miles.
The service is impeccable and the setting will sweep you off your feet. The Sanctuary’s large and elegant guest rooms allow for a couple’s escape in the lap of luxury. Anyone will feel right at home in one of the 255 spacious rooms (90% have ocean views). The rooms have lavish amenities like marble baths with soaking tubs, handcrafted furniture, and proper southern trimmings like bourbon pecan nuts and bourbon at your disposal. You can enjoy the latter on your private balcony.
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The Water’s Edge
Kiawah Island is recognized as one of the two most romantic beaches on the East Coast as well as one of American’s finest beaches and it’s easy to see why. This 10-mile long beach is private and pristine. It also offers numerous beach-related activities, including ocean seining, stand-up paddle boarding, biking, and surfing. Or you can just take it easy, sit back and relax with your love, sip your beverage of choice, and take in the ocean waves and sounds.
The outdoor pool complex features saltwater pools and has separate family and adult pools. The infinity-edge adult pool is next to the ocean and it is beautiful and serene. Score a highly coveted lounge chair at the pool’s edge overlooking the ocean, then rotate between swimming and deep conversation as you and your loved one happily gaze out at the ocean.
There are many scenic bicycle rides and jogging routes and we recommend checking out a bicycle at the Sanctuary Bike Pavilion and going for a ride to explore the island. And be sure to pause after riding on the beach to savor the moment. The Nature Center offers viewing of local animals, tours and workshops and outdoor adventures like marsh creek canoeing and ocean kayaking. We enjoyed the Dolphin Encounter tour, searching inlets, creeks, and marshes for Kiawah’s own inshore dolphin pod. We were lucky to have several dolphin spottings and even cruised right alongside a mom and baby dolphin. It was a magical moment.
Sanctuary Spa and Championship Golf
To truly escape from it all, cast you cares away at The Sanctuary Spa. The garden-themed spa is complete with a solarium, sauna and steam room, lounges, and whirlpool. The treatments are based on Kiawah’s indigenous qualities–ocean, marsh, and botanical gardens. We suggest you drift away with the Southern Classic Massage, the classic, full-body aromatherapy massage, using custom-blended aromatic Sanctuary Massage oils to help relax, revitalize or recover. After you’ve melted into your chair you can continue to pamper yourself at the spa or in the full-service salon and then retreat to the solarium to complete the experience.
Kiawah is one of the best golf destinations in the country and avid golfers will enjoy the five championship golf courses on the island. The Ocean Course is world renowned as one of the most beautiful and challenging golf courses. In addition to the Ocean Course, Kiawah offers four additional championship courses that challenge and entertain players of all skill levels.
Wining and Dining
The Southern cuisine is a highlight of the resort. At the Ocean Room, the signature steakhouse, everything is grand from the grand staircase leading up to the historic gates at the entry and all the fresh seafood and steak once you enter. We savored every bite of our romantic dinner here and were wowed by the oysters and dry aged bone-in rib eye. The Atlantic Room is the signature seafood restaurant right on the famous Ocean Course. It has sweeping ocean views and stunning sunsets (and was my personal favorite) as well as fresh and delicious food like the must-have crispy shrimp, seafood stew, and blackened monkfish with purple rice grit cakes.
The Jasmine Porch had a feeling like you were truly on you family’s porch enjoying a meal of traditional Lowcountry favorites. It was all mouth-watering and delicious. Every night we enjoyed the property and ocean views whether sitting on Adirondack chairs on the great lawn looking out at the ocean or in front of the fire pit or inside listening to the live music or piano players.
You’ll want to make The Sanctuary your own Southern mansion. Since that’s not an option, you can bring home magnificent memories along with a healthy dose of Southern charm and hospitality courtesy of The Sanctuary.
To learn more, visit kiawahresort.com!
