Jack L.
Yelp
My family and I came down so I could run the Kiawah Island Marathon. This is basically the only hotel within 20 miles. There is The Sanctuary, but as it's name implies, it is a sanctuary, not a hotel. I used some Marriott points for this property.
There are a lot of things to love about this place. The hotel itself is beautiful. The lobby is large and open and decorated in a craftsman style with faux wildlife taxidermy. There is a large gas fireplace that is beautifully laid in front of the pool area, which also overlooks the lake/river in the back. Great scenery. Since it is Christmastime, there is a large white Christmas tree and other festive decorations making this place warm and inviting. The breakfast is slightly upgraded from traditional Marriott property fare: biscuits and gravy, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, Greek yogurt, fruits and granola all adorn the buffet.
The workout center is one of the nicest I have seen. Free weights, cable machine, bikes, rowing machine, treadmills, elliptical. Very nice, almost like a full gym.
Now to the not-so-good. Since it was a race weekend, the hotel was full of runners. The hotel did a nice job of catering to use runners by opening breakfast early on Saturday morning. However, the desk staff were not so well informed as to the logistics present at the race. My wife was looking for the shuttle to take them to the race on Kiawah, a 20 minute drive. They stood outside the hotel, as directed, for 20 minutes waiting for the shuttle. It never arrived because the hotel does not have a pick up point. The pickup point was at the gas station. I would think that ALL hotel staff would be aware of this. Sadly, they weren't.
I was also a little peeved at the points of ingress. The note is a decent size, and the parking is wrapped around the side of the building. The only problem with this, is that there are no entrances on the side of the building. There are three exit doors, but no re-entry is given. This is extremely inconvenient. If one parks at the edge of the parking lot, one must traverse the entire length of the building, may 40 yards, to gain entry. On a day when the twos were around 40F and it was a driving rainstorm, this is more than inconvenient: it's a pain in my ass. Why would a hotel have only one legitimate entry? I don't know.
The walls in the rooms are very thin. I was awakened this morning by the people next door having a normal conversation, and was kept awake by the same activities.
The rate they charge is absorbent for the actual accommodations. Put this hotel in Columbia and it would be $100 a night. Here it is $300. I guess that's the cost of island living. That price still isn't justified.
I loved the race so much that I am coming back next year, and will most likely stay here again given it is the only "hotel" within 30 minutes. I am probably being picky but there are certainly things that could be changed:
- more doors with exterior accessibility, walls that contain the sound of normal conversation, staff that are aware of local activities and events.
I would probably recommend this hotel due to its Marriott membership, which is a nice bonus.