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Friday, November 10, 2017

Kiawah Island: Oceanfront Opulence Near Charming Charleston


Recently my wife Linda and I traveled to Kiawah Island Resort.  This world class resort has been rated 5 stars by the Forbes Travel Guide. From San Francisco, we flew to Charlotte and then took a short flight to Charleston, South Carolina. From this charming Southern town, it is an easy 1 hour drive to this opulent Oceanside resort.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a very proud and attentive staff with a " I love my job attitude” that provided you with fresh water and cool towels. The warm ocean breeze was also very refreshing after a long day of air travel from San Francisco. 
This 5 Star hotel offers well appointed rooms on the ocean, world class spa, bicycles to pretend you are 12 years old again and a rich Golf history with 5 great courses. There  are also larger villas for family  reunions  or business functions. 

We had an ocean front room complete with spectacular views from our balcony. After getting settled in our stunning room, we took the shuttle to the Atlantic Room at the famous Ocean golf course. It is around a 15 minute heavenly ride winding thru beautiful scenery and deer grazing along the way. The sunset also made for an elegant backdrop to the Ocean Club restaurant that also has an awesome selection of golf apparel at the Golf shop located next to famous Ryder Cup Room voted in the top 10 of 19th holes in the world. 

Chef Nick Torno and Sous Chef Stephanie Wampole prepared us a feast at this restaurant that specializes in seafood. There are many other food restaurants from sushi, barbecue and steaks to satisfy any foodie appetite. 

We had an oceanfront table and were pampered by our knowledgeable and professional waiter Brett. 

We began our dinner with a flute of champagne and the famous “crispy shrimp” with sweet chili sauce on a bed of Napa cabbage seasoned with Yuzu and black sesame. We now understand why this is their specialty as we both said “it was simply the best.”

We then ordered a bottle of Pahlmeyer Cabernet Sauvignon that was decadent, delicate and delightful.

This foodie frenzy continued with 2 types of Mac and Cheese. Lobster Mac and Cheese with béchamel, lobster Demi and herbs and truffle Mac and cheese that were both equally great. Our server Brett suggested to mix them together which made them even greater.

Next was Oysters on the half shell with cocktail sauce, mignonette, mango hot sauce and lemon were fresh and very soothing to the soul. 

Chef Stephanie highly recommended the “She Crab Soup” with North Carolina Crab, Sherry and Crab Roe that was rich, smooth and seasoned to perfection. Her recommendation did not disappoint and was better than fantastic.

For the entree, Linda ordered fresh grouper with creamed corn, sweet potatoes, Country Ham-Crab-Radicchio Salad and Cranberry Agro Dolce that was fresh and fantastic. I ordered the scallops with Farro, melted leeks, pea purée, tomatoes and radish that was presented picture perfect and tasted even better.

We concluded this great dinner with an assortment of sugar delights crafted by pastry chef Shannon Yelmoni. We enjoyed the spiced pumpkin macaroon with roasted apples, pecan crumbles and vanilla ice cream. Next we had the maple cold brew affogato with nutmeg biscotti, cocoa tuile, and carmel waffle chips. 

The highlight and grand finally was the Honey Cheesecake. Fresh figs, buckwheat oat crumb and blackberry thyme reduction made for a great ending. 

We began our next day with a stroll on the beach followed with lunch at the famous Ryder Cup Bar before we played golf at the world renown “Ocean” Course.

Before 12pm, it is a walking only course with required caddies. After 12,  you can take a cart and mandatory forecaddie. We chose to take a cart and played with another fun couple from Florida celebrating a birthday. There are multiple tee choices for every skill level and the ladies found their tees to be fair and friendly.

The Ocean course has a rich Golf history. In 1991, this Pete Dye designed gem, hosted the Ryder Cup and was billed as the “War On The Shore”. The United States edged Europe for a 1 Point Ryder Cup victory when Bernard Langer missed a 6 foot putt on the 18th hole. The Senior PGA Championship was held in 2007 and the PGA Championship in 2012 and scheduled again in 2021. 
Golf Digest rated this course as the number 3 public course in America and the toughest resort course. The winds rival courses in Ireland and require as many as 8 clubs more. We had an unusual “no wind”day and enjoyed the ocean views on many of the holes. 

After golf, we enjoyed a sunset dinner on Osprey Point at the Cherrywood BBQ and Ale House. We met sous Chef Toya who was beaming with joy after just winning the “Mac Off” for the 4th year in a row. 40 Charleston restaurants compete for this coveted award.  Cherrywood  was  crowned both the critics' choice and people’s choice  Champion. 

We began our dinner with this 4 cheese Mac and understand why they won as it was fantastic. We enjoyed a Napa Kendall
Jackson bottle of Pinot Noir with the USDA Prime brisket,  guadillo peppered rub, smoked overnight with fresh made cole slaw.  It was the “best” we ever had eaten.

We finished this barbecue feast with a cool slice of freshly made key lime pie.

In conclusion, Kiawah Island Sanctuary Hotel is a Sensational Southern Refuge that is a “must do” for your bucket list. 

After breakfast on the deck of Jasmine’s Porch Restaurant overlooking the Atlantic, we had a driver pick us up to continue our Southern Sojourn to the nearby town of Charleston. 

In Charleston, we stayed at The Restoration Hotel centrally located to shopping  and restaurants in this charming, historical Southern town. Assistant Manager Emre  Scarlata worked in San Francisco for 6 years and runs a first class show with a happy staff of employees with pleasing smiles proud to be working at this modern Charleston hotel. Richard, the concierge, was very helpful with information, directions and making reservations for us. 

The hotel offers a nightly happy hour, spa treatments and heated pool with great views. 

Richard also helped us rent a very fun carriage ride with an informative guide taking us to many places around the city. It only takes an hour and well worth the time to get an extensive education on Charleston’s rich history.

The enchanting mule drawn carriage ride is like being in a “live movie” seeing the multi colored homes on famous Rainbow Row, massive churches, and Southern Mansions including the one where the movie “Notebook” was filmed.

In the evening, we were invited to a 4 course wine tasting dinner at the Watch Restaurant on top of the hotel with stunning views of the city.  Before dinner,  we enjoyed a warm evening, southern sunset, live music and drinks overlooking Charleston.  The Watch also has other nightly activities to enjoy such as Monday Burgers and Wednesday Yoga. 

The wine dinner was hosted by a young Southern California winemaker from Santa Barbara Gavin Chanin that featured his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines that were very enjoyable.   All of the guests at the sold out dinner enjoyed an evening of wine, food and lively conversation hosted by this impressive young winemaker working hard to make his mark in the competitive wine world.

Our final day in Charleston began with a breakfast that was served in our spacious suite with a private balcony overlooking the vibrant downtown area. The College Of Charleston is located near the hotel and adds to the youthful “Red Bull” feeling of this high energy city. 

We then enjoyed a “King Street” shopping experience with many name brand and local stores as well as the city market which features local merchants selling their hand made goods. Jewelry, silk scarves, handmade baskets, African soap, honey tasting, and lemon cookies were just a few of the items for sale. The lemon cookies have been produced since 1927 and provided us with a euphoric and sensational, southern sugar buzz. 

For lunch we went to the highly rated S.N.O. B. Restaurant (Slightly North Of Broad St.) featuring low country cuisine and outstanding service in a casual upscale atmosphere. 

Linda ordered the grilled salmon salad with arugula, couscous, feta cheese, toasted pine nuts, dried fruit, and lemon shallot vinaigrette that was over the top. I had the lunch express with butternut squash soup, pecan crumbles, local crème fraiche with the entree of the day roasted half chicken. It was served with warm bread, salad, roasted pumpkin, radish, cranberries, candied pumpkin seeds and Russian kale that was succulent and sensational. 

For dessert, we shared banana crème pie with caramelized banana and rum caramel that soothed our souls.

Our farewell to Charleston dinner was held at the Charleston Grille per the recommendation of Emre Scarlata. This charming gem is where world class jazz music is paired with mouth watering cuisine and spectacular service. 

Linda ordered the seared fois gras with crepes, blackberry preserves, and port reduction that brought a big smile to her face. We also split an order of Brussels sprouts with bacon-peanut vinaigrette that were heavenly. I ordered the Charleston Grill Crab Cake with Creek Shrimp and Lime Tomato Dill Vinaigrette that was also amazing. 

For dessert, we split the crème brulee prepared to perfection. We concluded our meal was a shot of “ice cold” Rumple Minze 100 proof peppermint schnapps. “One shot of Rumple Minze is fun and 2 your are done.”

At the end of the day, Charleston is a charming city filled with kind Southern hospitality, food and fun.  It is a definite “must do” to add your bucket list.

For more information and to make reservations go to: