It's half an hour from downtown Charleston and seems a world away. Kiawah, a wetland with a 4,000-year history, was a community of summer-vacation homes (and five championship golf courses) for Carolinians in the know—until the full-service Sanctuary opened its doors just over a year ago. The property was designed in the tradition of a 19th-century seaside resort in all its quintessential southern-ness: grand but not stuffy, conscious of the environment but not overzealous about it, and seamlessly integrated into the landscape. (And they do address you and your kids in the formal!) Activities have a distinctive sense of place—crabbing, shrimping, kayaking, fishing—and yet there is a strong emphasis on leisure time (read: sipping mint juleps on your ocean-facing balcony). Resident naturalists give children and adults the lowdown on the area's 200-plus species of indigenous animals like turtles, dolphins, and pelicans. Whether you're after alligator spotting, golfing on an ocean course, dreamy spa treatments, or biking on the 10 miles of beach (yes, the sand is so packed that you can), anything goes. And there's another option: Do absolutely nothing and stare at the water. From $275 for a garden-view in low season to $625 for an oceanfront in high season; (877) 683-1234.
Next Page: The Sanctuary's southern hospitality
