Town of Kiawah Island

Absolutely a beautiful place to visit it’s one of my favorite getaways in south carolina!

Kiawah Island really doesn’t have much of a town. A convenience store next to the guard check-​in station and a small well laid out shopping area that’s really cute with some good restaurants, fun shops and a pretty decent grocery store. There are lots of condos & beach houses, many of them regularly rented. Several golf courses & communities dot the island and The Sanctuary is a nice high end hotel & spa located on the island.
As mentioned, you must have either a resident or renters pass to access the island or you can get a short term pass for a specific destination from the guards at the entrance. Since access is so controlled, everything feels very safe here. The rental bikes aren’t even locked up, which actually boggled my mind when I first saw it. That level of safety & comfort is pretty awesome.
The beaches here are spectacular! The beach at low tide is about 100 yards deep and so flat and perfectly packed down that you can ride bikes on the beach. Amazing!
The nearest city is Charleston, SC and it’s about a 45 minute ride away from Kiawah. That’s honestly Kiawah’s biggest shortcoming — it’s pretty remote from actual civilization. It’s darned pretty when you get there, though.