P.J. Thomas: Finding Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, S.C.
NOT EVEN the threat of a hurricane could stop my husband and me from a planned getaway to the Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island, S.C. We had heard it was a special place, and we were determined to get there.
NOT EVEN the threat of a hurricane could stop my husband and me from a planned getaway to the Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island, S.C. We had heard it was a special place, and we were determined to get there.
Favorable reviews had us expecting a Caribbean-caliber beach resort on Kiawah, a barrier island 30 minutes south of Charleston. As we pulled into the shaded, oak-lined drive, we knew we had made the right decision.
At the entrance to the Mobil Five-Star Award-winning Sanctuary, bellmen snapped to attention, gathered our belongings and discreetly checked for our names on the luggage. By the time we arrived at the front desk, the clerk, in a voice dripping with genuine Southern hospitality, declared, "Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, we've been expecting you."
A wall of windows in the lobby provided an expansive view of the ocean. Hardwood floors and comfortably overstuffed furniture created the feel of a visit to a country home, albeit a rather large one.
The lobby bar was a masculinely furnished "gentleman's room," while the Morning Room across the lobby was furnished in a softer, feminine decor, both reflecting the 19th-century design on which the resort is modeled.
Antiques and art add to the comfortable elegance. That a guest was playing the piano on our arrival added to the feeling that we had dropped by the home of an old friend.
Owned and operated by Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the Sanctuary sits along 10 miles of some of the prettiest beachfront on the East Coast. The resort offers a variety of options for visitors, including villas, condos and private homes.
With no jet lag to recover from - and hopefully no lost luggage to worry about - you can immediately start to enjoy your seaside holiday. The island is dotted with million-dollar beachfront homes, but they sit well behind sand dunes, allowing unobstructed views and walks along the shoreline.
Ninety percent of the Sanctuary's 255 luxurious guest rooms and suites have ocean views. The bathrooms' exquisite decor, Jacuzzi tubs and sensual rain showers made it hard to leave the comfort of the room.
But the waves were calling, and low tide had exposed more than 100 yards of beach from the dunes to the ocean - nature's therapy at its best.
Sunsets of breathtaking orange and red glowed each evening, ours to enjoy from one of the swings located along the property or from a seat at the casual Seaside Grill or in the more formal Ocean Room Prime steakhouse, where nearly every table allows a view of nature's light show.
Jasmine Porch is an equally elegant and comfortable dining room specializing in sumptuous Low Country cuisine and a grand breakfast buffet. Guests can also dine at eight restaurants at the other resorts on Kiawah Island.
Other features of the Sanctuary include family and adults-only pools, conference rooms, supervised children's and teen programs, tennis, biking and, of course, championship golf, something the area is well-known for.
But it was the Mobil Five-Star-rated Sanctuary spa that had guests raving during our visit. The spa entrance was like walking onto a Southern porch surrounded by flowers and palms, with a soothing waterfall and generous use of Charleston's signature brick.
Men and women stretched out on chaise lounges in the quiet comfort of their respective solariums.
To play up its Southern theme, the spa's 12 treatment rooms offer such delights as a Mint Julep Facial or Low Country Verbena Body Polish.
"My husband has been in there for four hours," said a woman who had driven from Charlotte, N.C., for a long weekend.
Prices at the Sanctuary are in line with those you would find at a Caribbean resort, but since it's reachable within a day's drive from Philadelphia, it's more economical. And flights from Philadelphia to Charleston are as low as $215 for a round-trip ticket. *
P.J. Thomas is editor and co-publisher of Pathfinders Travel Magazine for People of Color, a nationally distributed publication founded in 1997, and co-host of "Travel with Pathfinders" on WPGC-AM in Washington, D.C. Contact her at