Kiawah Island Villa

I am thinking of renting a villa at kiawah Island in July and would greatly appreciate any help. It seems like some people have had bad experiences renting villas-I saw recommendations to use Pam Harrington exclusives instead of the hotel. Does anyone have any other recommendations-like where on the island is a good location to stay? Anything else to ask for?

Also, are the no-seeums a problem at this time of year? How about the weather?

I have 2 children; 12 and 14 any advice would be wonderful.

Thank you.

Kiawah Island Villa

I%26#39;m afraid I can%26#39;t give you much help here, since I am a resident. But, one alternative, is to see what%26#39;s available at Seabrook Island, which is right next door. Seabrook is more residential in nature, but there are always places to rent and it%26#39;s %26#39;almost%26#39; as nice as Kiawah. I would assume that Pam Harrington can assist you there.

Kiawah Island Villa

There is a brand new hotel on Kiawah called The Sanctuary. www.thesanctuary.com. It is an extremely nice hotel but very expensive

Thanks for your help.

I was just wondering about which rental types arre the niceset and if they have problems with the no see-umn and reakky hot temperatures during July,

Thank you

Sorry, I missed your question about no see-ums (sand gnats).

I hate sand gnats so bad, I could pull my hair out! That said, I probably wouldn%26#39;t hate them as much if I was smart enough to put on skin protection; but I really don%26#39;t want to get all oiled up if I%26#39;m just going to be out a short time.

Ask any person from the lowcountry, and they%26#39;ll all say the same thing - the best gnat repellant is Avon%26#39;s Skin-So-Soft. they sell it like crazy here. Cream, oil, spray - all kinds.

The little buggers are at their worst in the mornings and evenings. They seem to be a bit %26#39;dormant%26#39; during the heat of the day. And yes, it will be scorching in July.

I truly hope you have as good a time in Charleston as I did when I visited New Jersey. We knock NJ because of TV and stuff, but it is a beautiful state (away from the city, of course).

Thank you for your help. If you wouldn%26#39;t mind I have a few more questions:

-I am confused about where to rent. The hotel has condos in Windsept to rent and this comes with use of the pool (heron i think) and discounts on some hotel activites.

-Pam Harrington also has windsept units for less money but with no pool-and we do want a pool. They also have units in Inlet cove and ocean green with acesss to their pools only. I believe these units cost less but a re less centrally located and do not have discounts on activites.

-I know it is hot but is ok for July. I guess common sense would say stay in the wate during the day and biking and golf early morning and evening.

-I actually have plenty of Avon skin so soft. When you use it are you comfortable enough togo to beaches and pools.

-Any help is greatly appreciated

Hey New Jersey, we rented a villa ( its a condo in NJ) on Seabrook Island on Cyberrentals in July and on our way back from Florida last week stopped by to see what the island was all about. What a great place, the beaches are huge and our villa is right on the beach. You can rent a lot of these places from the owners so the rent turns out to be a little cheaper. Go to that website and see whats available. Believe me, its a lot less then you would pay for a place on the Jersey Shore and South Carolina is soooo much nicer. I have spent most of my life on the Jersey shore ( my parents live on LBI) and think that we will truly enjoy our new experience on Seabrook Island.

Kiawah would be a better place to stay with 2 children, since there are more things for kids to do. Since the Kiawah Island Resort rental company owns the resort amenities, you will have access to the pools and a better rate for other activities. Since the other rental agencies, Great Beach Vacations and Pam Harrington are their competition, the resort limits those companies use of their amenities. Every rental company has a rating system for their villas or condos, so ask for the top or second rated units. You might call the three main rental agencies to compare prices and access to resort facilities.

Check on Night Heron cottages which are free-standing, 3 bedroom units within 5 minutes walk to the beach and are located next to Night Heron park with basketball courts and open play areas. Kiawah has miles of bike paths and several companies rent bikes for the week and will deliver them to where you are staying.

The weather will probably be hot, but there is usually a breeze off the ocean and when there is, the no-seeums are not a problem. Hope this helps.

Thanks so much for your help. I have decided to go to Kiawah but am deciding between a ';B'; unit at Parkside or a ';premiere'; unit at the tennis villas. Do you know anything about these sections? It does seem like since the Sanctuary was built, the resort will only allow access to their pools if you rent through them and the pools are important to our family. The cottages sound nice but are a little more expensive than we wanted to spend.

I did see that some people on ';cyberentals'; were selling condos with all resort priveledges but I would be weary to rent through that site for the first time.

I do have to say that some of the hotel staff was not that accomodating. I must have called atleast 10 times because I kept getting different information. First I was told that there were only a few units left but then in further phone calls there seem to be alot more available. I was told there is no rating system but later found out there is. I was told they don%26#39;t give AAA discounts but then found out there is a 10% discount. So my advice to any first timers at this resort would be to call several times for information.

I would appreciate any advice on what to bring for my trip and will let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks.

We have stayed at Kiawah last summer and are returning this summer. Go to greatrentals.com or crvbo.com to rent villas directly from owners. Some offer the ';resort amenities';. Also, go to kiawahresort.com to check out acitivities that are offered.

Great place to vacation. We%26#39;re going this June with 12 familes for a family vacation! We ALL rented directly from owners and most of us have the resort amenities. Stay in Parkside or Windswept.

Hi again! Thanks so much for your help.

I actually was going to stay in the tennis villa because it was rated ';premiere'; rather than the Parkside unit because I was concerned that it was rated ';B%26#39;. Are the tennis villas inconvenient? I checked out the 2 sites you mentioned but how can you tell if the renters are being truthful?

Once again thanks for your assistance.

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