My family spent a week on Kiawah in early September. We opted for an ”affordable” US vacation instead of a pricier all-inclusive Caribbean resort. I will not make the mistake again. Be prepared to be nickel and dimed all week long at the Kiawah Golf Resort & Spa and their Villa’s.

Pro’s:
Island and beach are pretty.
My daughter enjoyed the kids camp (Camp Kiawah)
Con’s:
Fees, fees , fees for everything.
9.5% sales tax
7.5% Resort fee
$27 a hour to use the tennis court
$35 a day for beach chairs
$10 for the nature walks
$45 a day for bikes.
Etc. Etc.
Can’t explore the island, restricted to the hotel and villa areas.
Bugs.
Villas are aging and needed cleaning (smelled like a wet cigar)

The fees were particularly annoying since you have to pay a “resort fee”. Yet this resort fee only provides access to the island. They are very secretive about all the fees too. When I booked the $1400 villa for the week, I was told I have to put 50% down or $700. No problem. Its when you check out that they charge you an additional $1400 for the remainder of the villa rental, the 7.5% resort fee that covered nothing, plus 9.5% sales tax. When I pointed out that my deposit of 50% should then have been $1100, I was told this was more convenient. BS. Despite the what was almost $300 in “resort fees” you still had to pay $27 a hour to play tennis, $10 per person for the nature walks, $60 a day for the kids camp, and $35 a day for to rent beach chairs. When researching Kiawah, there are all presented as available to guest of the resort and villa and I would have thought the resort fee included these basic vacation amenities, but no. Basically, plan on spending 30% more than you budget.

I did see in the local market that [---] had the same villa I rented available for $400 less. I not sure if it provides access to the community pool (yes, you can’t use the hotel pool, surprise surprise), or if it too has hidden fees, but if you need to go to Kiawah, that might be a cheaper way to do it than to book through the resort like I did.

The villa’s themselves aren’t in great shape the kitchen is nice, but bathrooms desperately need new tubs and lighting. The coach smelled like a wet cigar and the rugs like a dog. Also, the window treatments were pathetic. They looked nice, but didn’t work. So despite being on vacation the whole family was up at 6:30 with the sunlight. I finally took the shower curtain out of the bathroom to block the light in my daughters room so that we could sleep in a little, but hen we’re sharing a bathroom again.

Charleston is awesome and I highly recommend it, but it took about 45 min to a hour drive. With traffic one day it took 1-1/2 hours. Next time, I’d stay closer to Charleston or even book a few nights in town instead of by the beach.

Ultimately, I don’t like being hassles by stupid expenses or undisclosed fees. I prefer resorts that are upfront with the expenses and don’t hide them everything. For this reasons, the trip annoyed me. Plus, the quality of the accommodations did not live up to the expectations described.

My family (2 teenage children) stayed at the resort for a week - stayed once before 10 years ago - some good things, some bad.

The good: area is beautiful, lush, good for biking (trails and on beach), very nice beach, spacious room (deluxe villa), close to Charleston (30+ minutes) with lots of shopping and sites (plantations...), and friendly staff.

The bad: millions of mosquitos (including many in the room - we went hunting the first night), we were booked into a tennis villa (our view 10 feet from the tennis courts not my idea of scenery - I would avoid!), the decor came straight out of the 1960's (think Archie Bunker's living room - definitely NOT deluxe), and NO internet in the room (apparently about half the rooms do not have this - they have free wireless in a few cafes, which close at 10pm - so after 10pm, you have to sit in the one sofa by the check-in desk - so if internet is an issue, check this out when you book - was a big issue for my kids!). We don't golf, so can't comment on that.

Overall, except for the dozens of mosquito bites we each got, and the internet issue, it was an enjoyable trip.

We (me, wife and two children (7 and 5)) just returned from a week at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. We truly enjoyed our stay. Most of my comments are very positive; however, there are a few areas that need improvement.

I booked everything through the resort. Very easy. Everytime I called they were very helpful. I made reservations for the restaurants, camps, golf and spa weeks in advance. When we arrived everything was in order except my wife's spa treatment. That was missed and when she arrived they were not able to take her because everything was booked. She was, however, able to reschedule for later in the week.

We booked a ocean front two bedroom premiere villa -- 5127 Windswept. It was on the four floor and the view was amazing. Very expensive, but the view was worth it. It was only a short walk to the beach, which was great. The interior furnishings were upscale. Granite countertops, flat screen tv etc. I must say, however, that there was very little attention to detail. All of the units had been recently remodeled (contractors were still on site). My kids could have done a better job of painting. Very rough and there were bare spots in many places. The folding doors in the bathrooms showed raw wood in many places. The tile was also installed very poorly. It was gritty to walk on. Lastly, I thought the linens were very poor for over $600 a night. No fitted sheet, so we spent every night trying to pull the sheet up so that we were not sleeping on the mattress pad. Those problems aside, we enjoyed the condo. Sitting on the patio watching the waves roll in help to gloss over the problems.

The beach was wonderful. It was great for our small children. There is a very gradual slope into the water so the boys were able to wade 15 to 20 yards into the water. They had a lot of fun in the gental waves. If you are familiar with Virginia Beach or the NC Outerbanks you know how steep the slope is into the water. This was a welcome surprise at Kiawah. Because of the gental slope there is a huge difference between low and high tide. At low tide the beach is extremely wide and the sand is packed hard. This makes for great running and biking on the beach. We brought our own beach chairs and umbrella, but we wish we had rented from the resort. I know now that you can take care of this prior to arrival. Every morning the chairs and umbrella were set up, cleaned and ready to go. Even with a beach front villa, I hated carrying the chair out every day. Do yourself a favor and rent the chairs.

The island itself is very beautiful. Everything is under a canopy of live oaks and palm trees. There is moss hanging from the trees. There are bike trails all over the island. Renting bikes is very easy, so do not worry about bringing your own. We were very surprised by the amount of wildlife. From our patio we watched two deer walking down the dunes. On the beach we saw dolphins riding waves and jumping out of the water. On the golf courses I saw many deer and alligators. I even watched an alligator eat a bird. I was never affraid of the alligators, but maybe I should have been. On a kayaking trip we saw dolphins feeding in the Kiawah river and our guides did a great job of catching small fish and crabs to show the kids. The grounds around the island are extremely well maintained. Everything is perfect.

I expected the golf to be great and it did not disappoint. I played the Ocean Course, Turtle Point and Osprey Point. The courses were in perfect condition. I drove past Cougar Point every day and it looked in the same perfect condition. I wish I had scored better on the Ocean Course, but I will never forget the round. The caddies were great and walking the course helps you to slow down and enjoy the views. It was very windy the day that I played, so I got the true Ocean Course experience. All four of the guys in my group were good golfers and none of us broke 90. We played from 6500 yards. The view from the clubhouse is also fantastic as it sits just across the 18th green from the beach. You can watch the waves crash on the beach while sitting on the porch. The food was some of the best on the island. If you are visiting with your family you should have them meet you for lunch after the round. It was one of the more enjoyable days for my entire family. Lastly I will note that the courses were not very crowded. I waited out a rain delay on Osprey Point and then played alone in under two and half hours. I also played very quickly on Turtle Point.

The food was the biggest disappointment. I will not provide a detailed review of each restaurant (I will list those separately), but in short most of them could have been better. We ate out every night, so we visited most of the places on and near the island. The Jasmine Porch at the Hotel is by far the best of the group. Do not miss the Jazz Brunch on sundays. It was a great way to start the week.

All in all, a great trip. I look forward to returning.

We booked a 2BR villa on the ocean (Shipwatch villa). The view was spectacular, and the boardwalk to the beach was connected to the villa.

But...the villa was in the premier category, and was found lacking in several areas. First, the master bed was very close to sleeping on the floor...must've been an extra, extra stiff mattress. We stayed in a Residence Inn on the way down, and their mattresses are like heaven compared to the villa's.

Second, the kitchen layout was horrendous. There were full cabinets above the sink, so when you were washing dishes or using the faucet you're face was literally 1" from the cabinet door. Very strange design.

Lastly, upon entering the villa, there was a large rug with several dark stains. Not very inviting to say the least.

As I said, the view was outstanding, so that did serve to negate the problems (along with several glasses of wine). But I still feel the stiffness in my back from the rock like mattress.

The island is quite fun for all ages...pool, beach, bike, nature walks, golf, tennis, etc. So, I would go back, just not stay in the Shipwatch villas, unless they decide to swap out the mattress.