Kiawah/Charleston Valentine's Weekend

February is a bargain time to stay at the Sanctuary at Kiawah. It is still considered the winter season (i.e. lower rate) but it usually gets pretty warm towards the end of the month. The rate almost doubles starting in March when the spring rate kicks in. We initially booked an oceanview room (which was really a pool-facing room with partial oceanview) but decided to upgrade to an oceanfront room at check in. The south-facing balcony with an ocean view like this was totally worth the upgrade. We found out that it was cheaper to upgrade at the front desk than booking an oceanfront room upfront. However, one runs the risk of no availability.

If you want to stay active, the resort offers golf, tennis, and a range of other activities. We took some great private lessons at Roy Barth Tennis Center. The rate was very reasonable starting at $75 per hour (go for the head coach if possible for $5 more). There is one drawback with this resort that they charged extra for activities that are usually complimentary, especially in light of the expensive room rates. For example, $20 per person for morning yoga class, $12 per person for half-day bike rental, etc.

Wenche’s Airbnb house in Mt. Pleasant was our very first Airbnb experience and it gave us the confidence that there would be many more to come. Located in the quiet Mt Pleasant area, the place is not far from downtown Charleston (10-15min drive over the Ravenal Bridge). The house was large and beautiful, and had that southern charm to it. Our room, the Red room, was spacious and spotless. Wenche was a superb host - she cooked great breakfasts, knew all the ins and outs of the Charleston area, and shared many tips about where to go and eat taking our short stay into consideration.

colorful houses

an alert kitten on watch

a carriage tour through the town center

There is nothing ordinary about the Ordinary. Housed in a beautiful old bank building, the spacious restaurant has two dining floors along with additional seats at the raw bar. The high ceiling and the classy decor create an elegant feeling yet the dining atmosphere was quite casual and relaxed. The food was extremely fresh and well-prepared. We stuffed ourselves with a triple-deck seafood tower and a few other tasty plates.