Let’s start with this, shall we?
A mini-trip to the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, has been planned for two months – ever since Karin reached near-meltdown and I resolved that my years-long separation from the ocean had been darn near long enough. We found a deal, saved the cash and blew out of town for the weekend.
It was a seven-hour drive, which is in the middle of “a quick drive” and “too far.” We left early Saturday morning and were seaside by 2:30 p.m. Chuck arranged for us to enjoy massages upon arrival (isn’t he adorable?), and afterwards we settled ourselves in the sand.
Despite being on vacation, I knew getting up with the sun was necessary for me. Karin enjoyed the extra sleep while I enjoyed a personal Sunrise Spectacular with The Creator.
The only other onlookers were dedicated runners (God love them!) and sweethearts walking hand-in-hand. There was also the occasional dog owner tossing a tennis ball into the ocean for his retriever.
We specifically chose a beachfront hotel for this reason – the flexibility to do what we each wanted without disturbing the other. Even though I woke up earlier than Karin, we were both ready for beach bumming by 8 a.m. in order to maximize our very short time.
By the afternoon we forced ourselves to clean up and drive 20 minutes to Charleston (to be pronounced with a long southern draw, like Chaawlston). Already in love with Savannah, I knew I’d love Charleston, which is a much larger city with equal the charm. With only hours to spend there, we drove around before parking to walk in an attempt to see as much as possible. On reference from an old high school friend, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Fleet Landing and watched a partial sunset on a nearby pier.
The architecture of the Old South is so romantic.
When the sun started to set, we drove back to the Isle of Palms to finish the evening on the beach. People were still swimming, still frolicking, still trying to hang on to every second in the sand. I don’t blame them. Having never been a real beach person before, I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed just sitting and listening to the waves. It was intoxicating.
I have a dozen more photos to share, but I’ll save Day Two for tomorrow. The second sunrise was even prettier.
Great pictures! Isle of Palms has this laid back ambience that reminds me of those movies based on Nicholas Sparks’ novels. Your sunrise by the beach photo is perfect!
Isle of Palms SC real estate for the most part is comprised of second homes and investment rentals, especially in the Wild Dunes resort. Most of the vacation rentals go for $4000 – $7000 a week depending on if the house is on the oceanfront or not.