An aerial view of Kiawah's Turtle Point golf course RELATED LINKS Return to Best Beaches

A magnificent collection of five golf courses and a full-service golfing academy make Kiawah Island one of the nation's top destinations for golf-obsessed travelers. Happily, their non-golfing travel companions also will find plenty to love about this low-key resort community just outside of Charleston, S.C. The island's wide Atlantic beaches extend some 10 miles along the southern coastline, inviting long seaside walks and lazy days lounging on the sand. You'll also find top-rated tennis facilities, three swimming pools, 30 miles of paved cycling trails, nature programs, organized activities for children of all ages and a luxurious spa offering an enticing menu of massage and beauty treatments. Meanwhile the duffer in the family can have a go at Kiawah's famous Ocean Course, a scenic and exceptionally challenging Pete Dye design that will host the Senior PGA Championship in 2007. Four additional courses with layouts by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Gary Player and Clyde Johnston round out Kiawah's golf program with engaging options for all levels of play.

Orientation

Kiawah Island is about 20 miles south of Charleston and a 45-minute drive from Charleston International Airport, with easy road access from the mainland. Much of the 10,000-acre property is given over to fairways, greens and coastal nature areas, with recreational facilities, a hotel and various condos and cottages clustered in two beach villages on the south coast. Additional vacation homes are available in several housing developments around the island, and there's a small county park at the west end (www.beachparks.com) that offers public beach access on what is otherwise a private resort.

Information

www.kiawahresort.com

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