The Wild Dunes Resort is actually not one Isle of Palms hotels but two, plus a complex of condo rentals, vacation homes, and recreational facilities. The complex includes not one but two golf courses, several tennis courts and pools. This is a resort that pulls out all the stops to be more than just a place to sleep near the ocean.

The Boardwalk Inn, one of the two hotels, has ninety three rooms and suits right on the beach. Some of the rooms are ADA accessible, which should go without saying but doesn’t always, so it’s good to know they’re doing the right thing. There’s a pool, and the Grand Pavilion and Boardwalk is nearby. The Inn’s restaurant is the upscale, yet casual Sea Island Grill & Lounge. There’s wireless Internet access, in-room dining, in-room personal safes…there are even hair dryers, in case you forgot yours. The place definitely covers all the bases.

The Village at Wild Dunes boasts the same amenities, plus the suites include washing machines, dryers, fully appointed kitchens, and, of course, private balconies. The rooms are connectable so that you can essentially make a suite of a size to suit your party.  The Village is the central element of the resort, and includes easy access to the recreational facilities, the salon with spa services, and a fitness center. And then there are the condo rentals, in three available levels of luxury (and expense; you get what you pay for).

The Village’s own restaurant is the Lettered Olive Restaurant & Lounge, which boasts “sustainably prepared comfort foods in a family-friendly atmosphere.” Other dining option within the world that is the Wild Dunes Resort are the Sand Bar, which overlooks the golf course and serves mostly breakfast and light fare, and the Grand Pavilion Café and Bar, which sits at the end of the boardwalk and offers beach food and coastal cocktails. There are also two eateries serving breakfast and lunch where you can pick up a quick bite; the Hudson’s Market, in the Village Plaza, and the Dunes Deli, near the Harbor Pro Shop

We shouldn’t pass so quickly over those salon and spa services, we mentioned, though. There are manicures and pedicures (including versions without polish, for men). There are foot rubs, massages, and scrubs. Children are welcome, as long as they’re supervised, and though you have to be at least 15 years old to get a massage, there are services with names like “Fairy Princess Facial” that are specifically designed for children.

We also should not neglect to mention the resort’s wedding services; they’ll help you do it all, from providing the location for the ceremony, to catering the reception, to suggesting a photographer. They will not assist with setting up a wedding on the beach itself, which is unfortunate but understandable, since they can’t guarantee the beach won’t be crowded with strangers. They can handle anything from an intimate gathering of a few dozen people or less all the way on up to a real bash with over three hundred guests. They also offer various packages for the lucky couple, including a “last” fishing trip with the guys for the groom (though we should point out married men ARE allowed to go fishing, too) and special pampering for the bride and bridesmaids.

Not surprisingly, guests like this place. A lot of the customer reviews are raves. It’s a good place for families to vacation, the service is good, and the location? You can wake up and watch pelicans and dolphins go by practically in your living room. The beach always means swimming and paddling, sailing and surfing, but the resort takes it up a notch by offering its own series of activities, from eco-tours to kite sailing. Hey, just because a hotel offers something besides an opportunity to stay at the mean doesn’t mean staying at the beach isn’t still really cool.

The Hilton Anaheim hotel was opened in 1984 with the occasion of the Los Angeles Olympic Games and is situated in central Orange County, California. With its lucky positioning, it’s steps away from the famous Disneyland resort and neighbor to the Anaheim Convention Center. So whether you are planning a family holiday or a business trip, Hilton Anaheim is there to offer its amazing services and so much more than a comfortable stay.

Hilton Anaheim Hotel

With a staggering 1,572 rooms and suites and more than 100,000 square feet designed for meetings and events, Hilton Anaheim is the largest hotel in Orange County and second largest in Southern California. Its guests are able to enjoy ample space and professional services for any occasion.

The fashionable and luxurious hotel features, besides the feng shui designed rooms, a promenade parlor inside the hotel, facilities for wedding festivities, an immense ballroom, the Lanai Deck (a perfect place to hold ceremonies), a Mix Restaurant, a Mix Bar, a conference room, a business center with computer and internet access at all times, a fully equipped fitness center, an outdoor pool with children designed play space with four whirlpool tubs, and a lush spa.

The Starbucks Marketplace is one of the most popular places on site and the outdoor heated swimming pool is highly appreciated as everyone comes to enjoy the California sun. When in search of a quiet moment, Hilton Anaheim hotels offer a secluded indoor adult-only pool, where you can relax after a full and

Hilton Anaheim Indoor Pool

extenuating day in the hi-tech equipped conference/meeting rooms. A much frequented place is the featured SPA and training center, where guests can enjoy a cardio or fitness training followed by completely invigorating SPA services.

The hotel features a Mix Restaurant where you can enjoy fresh Californian cuisine or delicious recipes from across the world. The Mix Bar is the place to go if you want to blow off steam, after a long stressful business day, or if in the mood for a party.

Hilton Anaheim takes care of your children as well! The Childcare and Pet Sitting Services are something Hilton hotels have accustomed you to. Activities are held indoors, in a safe environment and your kids will enjoy innovative games with the highly trained, childcare certified staff. Kids Night Out Secure services come with a security team on site.

Hilton Anaheim Ballroom/ Conference Room

If you are on a business trip or have to attend a conference, Hilton Anaheim offers 51 breakout meeting rooms and two 28,500 square feet ballrooms, perfectly equipped for a conference of large proportions. Furthermore, two large outdoor sundecks are at your disposition, whether you prefer your meetings outside, or you would like to have a ceremony under the California sun. The hotel caters to your every need.  Literally, actually, because the experienced event and catering staff will take care that your perfect event is put into practice.
The Hilton Anaheim hotel is a short drive from the four major airports in the area: John Wayne/Orange County Airport (SNA), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Long Beach Airport (LGB) and is easily accessed by all major Southern California freeways.

Situated in the heart of Orange County, “across the street” from the Disneyland Resort and only a few steps away from the Anaheim Convention Center, Hilton Anaheim is indeed in the “center of the action” and has become a “home away from home” to many government officials, professional and collegiate sports teams, entertainers from across the world, business people everywhere and convention participants. And of course, it’s the perfect place for a family holiday with your children, since the Disneyland resort is the main attraction in the area.

In conclusion, the Hilton Anaheim Hotel is the dream destination for everyone as the services it renders are suitable for highly diverse needs: from conventions to business meetings, from ceremonies that include weddings and much more, to a fun holiday with the family in the most entertaining state, California, that includes a trip to Disneyland and many events offered by the hotel. Whatever the purpose of the trip, Hilton Anaheim Hotel will make is the best holiday ever!

Towneplace Suites by Marriott Anaheim is a venture of the famous Marriott hotels chain. It is located near Angels Stadium and extends on 4 floors and 139 suites.

Towneplace Suites By Marriott Anaheim

Provided with essential amenities, this Anaheim hotel invites families, groups and entrepreneurs for a comfortable Anaheim experience. It offers meeting facilities, BBQ area, fitness centers, spacious suites and premium services to its guests coming for pleasure or work.

A number of rooms are provided according to occupancy and additional room space. The Studio room is effective for the stay of up to four people, with 1 queen bed and a sofa bed. 1 Bedroom Suite provides ample space for a comfortable stay of six people with two queen beds and a sofa sleeper. Living area and dining areas are separate from bedrooms in all the suites. Penthouse Room can be resided by up to eight people with one bedroom featuring a king bed and second featuring two queen beds. Living area also provides sofa sleeper for additional space. The Two Bedroom Suite can also entertain a group of eight people as it is provided with two rooms. One room offers a queen bed while other bedroom offers two.

Towneplace Suites By Marriott Anaheim room

All rooms are equipped with much needed amenities including 2 phones featuring voicemail, free high speed Internet, 25inch TV featured with remote control, cable/satellite, cable channels including CNN, and ESPN, Movies, pay-per-view, radio and video games, alarm clocks, in-room safe, table with seating for 2, desk, writing / work, electrical outlet, iron and ironing board. Rooms are also provided with full fledged kitchen facilities for guests and include important utensils like refrigerator, stovetop, oven, microwave, dishwasher, dish cleaning supplies, silverware, pots, pans, and serving dishes, dishes and glasses. Rooms and suites are featured with room services including grocery shopping service and coffee/tea service to guests. Guests can enjoy the complimentary breakfast buffet with American menus first thing in the morning.

Additional service provided by hotel include the American breakfast with fresh fruit, waffles, pastries eggs and much more, local restaurant dinner delivery, manager’s reception, toll free phone calls, coffee in lobby, coffee/tea in-room, concierge desk, safe deposit boxes and front desk. This Anaheim hotel is pet friendly but charges non-refundable sanitation fee. Complimentary on-site parking is available for guests. A premium fitness center with state-of-the art facilities is within anaheim hotel’s boundaries and the outdoor swimming pool and whirlpool conveniently provide relaxation to guests, under the California sun.

Towneplace Suites By Marriott Anaheim pool

Marriott visitors and guests can also enjoy lots of saving deals from the hotel. AAA members are charged with special rates when they stay at the hotel. Executives and corporate individuals also enjoy low rates as they enter their valid codes on registration and senior and government officials benefit of discounted rates as well.

Sports fans can enjoy the proximity to the Angels Stadium while Anaheim Convention Center and Disneyland stand only minutes from the hotel doors. Honda Center is situated in a walking distance from Towneplace Suites by Marriott Anaheim, to entertain guests with concerts and events.  Great amenities, comfortable accommodation and affordable rates, that is what this Anaheim hotel offers all its guests.

Alamo Inn & Suites is located a block away from the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center, both being the most sought after locations in Anaheim. Affordable rates with essential amenities are offered to guests coming either for business meetings or leisure. Alamo Inn provides easy access to all the worthy places to visit in Anaheim.

Alamo Inn & Suites Anaheim Hotels

Alamo Inn & Suites offers 86 spacious, comfortable rooms with a number of daily necessities including king or queen beds, refrigerator, microwave, hair dryer, cable TV with HBO, CNN, ESPN, wake up calls, radio/alarm clock and Wi-Fi facility. Guests can freely get invigorated after a long day, in the outdoor swimming pool or get a royal treatment at the indoor spa. The inn features 24 hour front desk service, guest laundry, ice machines and free parking. The wireless Internet service is completely free of cost, while guests can also enjoy complimentary coffee in the lobby area. The inn welcomes its guests to explore Anaheim offering tours, shuttle transportation arrangements and car rentals. Disneyland Hopper Tickets can be bought from the hotel’s front desk. The shuttle services to and from airport, or tour services to Anaheim should be booked 24 hour in advance for maximum convenience.

The young arrivals, under 18, can be accommodated free of charge if travelling with adults. Rooms with poolside view or on first floors can be requested from the hotel before reservation. Adjoining rooms or accessible rooms can be requested by groups for extra convenience.

Alamo Inn & Suites room

Disneyland Resort, Disney’s California Adventures and Downtown Disney District are located within a mile from the hotel. Those are the places where guests can be entertained by famous Disney characters and magical rides. Downtown Disney District provides ample food choices near the hotel, where a list of famous restaurants offer excellent dining options to their guests. For a great shopping experience, Downtown Disney displays huge shopping centers with Disney souvenirs and brand stores. The Grove of Anaheim and Anaheim GardenWalk provide lots of shopping options in Anaheim. The magnificent GardenWalk is located 0.9 miles from Alamo Inn, while the Grove of Anaheim is within 2.3 miles.

Angels Stadium is an attraction for the sports lovers visiting Anaheim. It is located 2.4 miles from the hotel and provides unforgettable sporting experiences. Honda Center is located 2.9 miles from the hotel, the mammoth hall famous for its events, sport features and unbelievable concerts. Guests can also be entertained at Knott’s Berry Farm – the first amusement park in the state, still offering thrilling rides and events to this day. Located only 5.1 miles from the hotel, guests can also seize the opportunity to “get soaked” in Knott’s Soak City Park for water fun and water rides.

Alamo Inn & Suites outdoor area

John Wayne Orange County Airport is located 9.3 miles from the hotel, whereas Long Beach Airport is 12.6 miles away. Guests can book in advance a spot on the shuttle service that will pick them up and drop them off at the hotel. Alamo Inn & Suites provides affordable rates with essential amenities and touring services, for an unforgettable Anaheim experience.

est Western Plus Raffles Inn & Suites is located in a short walking distance from the most wanted Disneyland attractions. With a premium position, the anaheim hotel provides maximum amenities and exciting discounts on special occasions, to make the stay unforgettable.

Best Western Plus Raffles Inn

Standing amidst the famous attractions of Anaheim, families, business workers and tourists can joyfully stay with convenience during vacations or work trips.

Best Western encompasses a number of rooms suiting individual and family requirements: deluxe rooms, two-bedroom suites, deluxe family suites and kids suites facilitated with essential amenities. All rooms generally include an entertainment center with 27″ TV, cable w/pay-per-view movies and Nintendo 64, am/fm alarm clock radio, coffee/tea maker, microwave, refrigerator, hairdryer, full-size iron & ironing board, work desk with data port, mirrored closet, key-card entry system and complimentary high-speed Internet.

Deluxe rooms are available with either one king bed or two queen beds with effective amenities at hand. Two-Bedroom Suites have quality queen beds in each room and a sofa sleeper to entertain six guests with comfort.

Best Western Plus Raffles Inn room

Deluxe Family Suites can take up to eight guests with an additional room provided with bunk beds, sofa sleeper and two bathrooms separated with French doors. California Kids Suites are provided with a separate entity for kids where they can play while parents stay with wanted privacy and freedom. Kids Room has bunk beds, activity table, TV with games, sofa sleeper and a separate bathroom.

The hotel features many services and amenities like complimentary deluxe continental breakfast, safe deposit box, guest laundry with applicable fee, 24 hour front desk, ice and vending machines, doctors on calls, free wireless Internet available at public areas, air conditioned lobby and breakfast area and multilingual staff. For our visitors in need, essential services are provided like wheel chair accessibility, parking and hearing impaired facilities. Corporate individuals’ needs are undertaken with great care by provision of fax services, photocopy services, audio/visual equipments, equipment rentals, availability of computers, business center, meeting facilities and data ports. Outdoor parking is available for the guests and the outdoor heated pool and hot tub to relax and unwind is available within the hotel premises. The staff warmly assists its guests to Anaheim exploration with sightseeing tours, local shuttle service to shopping malls and availability of Disney Park Hopper tickets at front desk. A gift shop and newsstand is also available in the lobby.

Best Western Plus Raffles Inn pool

Best Wester Plus Raffles Inn offers exciting fun packages for families and guests. Movie Night Package allows one-pay-per-view movie and a packet of microwave popcorns to munch during family time. First Visit to Disneyland Package includes one-pay-per-view movie, packet of popcorns and free parking for one vehicle. Disneyland Birthday Celebration Package includes one pay-per-view movie, one bag of microwave popcorn, free parking for one vehicle per room and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

Business meetings and events can be arranged in the meetings halls provided with podium, television, whiteboard, projector screen and flip charts.

Located near local Anaheim attractions, Best Western Plus Raffles Inn anaheim serves a long list of amenities to its guests for maximum comfort.

At the Hillview Country Inn, you’ll be welcomed into the innkeeper’s homes—quite literally. They live at the Inn, and the common areas are essentially their living room. This is both good news and bad news.

If you like the homey touch, they’ve certainly got it. By all accounts, the couple who owns the Hillview are excellent hosts, always delighted to share their home and the whole, marvelous Napa Valley with visitors. They’ll give you a tour, offer you cookies and candy and homemade apricot brandy, and happily keep you company at breakfast if it’s company you want. There are even four cats wandering about. Homes always seem homier with cats.

If you like cats, that is. The cats are not allowed in guest bedrooms, but they get pretty much everywhere else, meaning that cat hair is a fact of life at the Hillview. This won’t bother people who keep cats themselves, but not everyone would choose to live with cats, and therein lies the other side of the Hillview’s hominess. The place is a home, and along with that comes the pets, the mild clutter, the occasional dirtiness and mustiness, and the minor but cumulative maintenance problems that homes typically have. We don’t mean the place is a pit, but—look, isn’t there something around your house you’ve been meaning to get to for years? It’s like that. Not everybody wants to vacation in someone’s home. Some people vacation to get away from home.

But of course, if you want to stay in a Napa valley hotel, there are plenty available to choose from. The Hillview Inn provides a different service, and by all accounts the innkeepers provide it very well. And we like cats, so to us it sounds like a great place to stay.

The Inn is a converted 100 year old farmhouse. It no longer has its own farm, but the grounds still sport fruit trees and gardens. There’s a narrow stairway to negotiate to get up to the rooms, which will cause an obvious problem for some, but for others the stairs will be a charming reminder of the property’s farmhouse history. And the innkeepers will be happy to carry your bags up if that helps.

There are only four rooms at the Inn, each with its own bathroom. Each has its own character, but they are fairly similar in terms of their amenities; queen-sized bed, phone, TV, a nice view of either the garden or of nearby vineyards, and often sitting rooms or a little nook where you can curl up and read on rainy days when you don’t feel like going out and exploring Napa.

When you do feel like exploring Napa, there are, of course, the wineries. Everyone knows the Napa Valley has hundreds of world class wineries. You can explore on your own, or join any number of tasty organized tours. Critically acclaimed restaurants, live music, art galleries, theater, and museums of history and art also spice the region with culture. What you may not realize is that Napa is also a great place for outdoor recreation. Get out on the network of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, or take a road bike for a spin on the Valley’s miles of quiet, scenic roads. Do you like white water padding? Get out on the river. Prefer quieter water? Farther upstream, the Napa River has that, too.
And however you spend your day, you’ll have this friendly little home to come back to.

The Hillview Inn is a bed and breakfast, and as such, check-in is at precisely 4 00 PM. If you want to arrive at some other time, you need to call at least 48 hours ahead to make arrangements. Front desk hours will vary, too. If you have questions about this, you can call the property, and if you do, be sure to say hello to the cats.

If you’re going to stay at the Candlelight Inn Bed and Breakfast, you might as well stay five days in a row, especially if you’re relatively new to the  Napa Valley. The reason is that while many napa valley hotels and inns offer suggestions for exploring the region, the Candlelight actually provides a complete suggested itinerary—but it’s five days long.

The first day features wine tasting and suggests routes so you can drive from winery to winery, starting and ending at the Candlelight Inn and without wasting time or gas. The day finishes back at the Inn with complimentary wine and cheese, and a relaxing in-room massage. The second day is focused on the town of Napa, and includes more wine and some amazing food. On the third day they recommend going to the town of Calistoga, with its petrified forest, its hiking trails, and its spas. Day four begins with an early morning hot air balloon ride, then continues with window shopping, and ends up with dinner—there’s a nap back at the Inn scheduled in there somewhere, too. The fifth and final day takes you to St. Helena for golf, plus either hiking or riding, window shopping, wine tasting, and more food. This isn’t a package you have to book through the Inn; you can do all these things on your own, except for getting the in-room massage at the end of the day. But the itinerary is organized around the Inn as a starting point, and you might as well stay at the Inn and take full advantage of all of the Innkeeper’s careful planning.

Not that you really have to stay all five days, of course. There actually may be a two or three night minimum for weekends, depending on the time of year when you visit, but if you’d prefer a shorter stay you can always ask. Sometimes something will open up.

The Candlelight Inn Bed and Breakfast is housed in a building that was built back in 1929 by a local postmaster. The English Tudor style architecture adds both interest and beauty to the property. Breakfast is served in three courses, beginning with fresh fruits and yogurt and moving on to a choice between pancake or French toast dishes. Then, finally, you get more complex and creative delights, such as a spinach and mushroom strata seasoned with tarragon. The property boasts a pool, high speed wireless Internet, complimentary drinks and snacks, free onsite parking, sending and receiving faxes at no extra charge, the delivery of a daily newspaper, and a movie library. The grounds are not extensive, but they do feature a number of big, shady redwood trees to lounge around under, and of course there’s the Napa Creek.

There are ten rooms, which is fairly large for a bed and breakfast in Napa. All ten rooms have air conditioning, a flat screen TV with DVD and CD player, a private bathroom, bath robes, a hair dryer, and a telephone. Most also have a private deck or a balcony, a two-person marble whirlpool bath, and a romantic fire place. Each room has its own design and personality.

Customer reviews are solidly positive; visitors rave about the excellent, friendly service and the great food. Many compliment the Innkeepers by name. Oddly, the innkeepers’ names are not consistent from review to review. Presumably the innkeepers work as a team, and customers rave about whichever team members are on duty during their stay.

When looking up the Candlelight Inn on the Internet, bear in mind that it’s a popular name; there are Candlelight Inns in several different states. Being aware of this might same you some time, as it’s all too easy, otherwise, to waste fifteen minutes reading all about some hotel in Pennsylvania by mistake.

That that we have anything against Pennsylvania.

The Chablis Inn is last place on our list of Napa hotels—meaning it is by some measure the least popular. Since plenty of beloved places are near the bottom of the list, we figure there must be something funny about the ranking. So we were hoping that the last hotel would be the subject of wild raving by grateful customers—it would have been deliciously ironic.

Well, there are no raves—but there are few complaints, either, just measured, solid praise. The Chablis Inn is a motel, but it’s a good motel, and they offer some services and perks that no one else does.

The location is good, of course; this is Napa, after all, and even within Napa it’s pretty well-placed. The hotel is just a mile from both Napa Valley Drifters Hot Air Balloon and California Wine Tours, and only two miles from the Napa Valley Opera House. Two miles isn’t really very far. Imagine walking back to the hotel some evening, arm in arm, perhaps, with your beloved, the soaring tunes of the opera still ringing through your head….

There are certainly places that mostly offer a place to store yourself while you sleep, and in the Napa Valley, where there are so many interesting things to do (and spend money on), cheap and basic definitely has its charms, but we wouldn’t put the Chablis in this category. It is cheap, certainly, but we don’t think you’ll find a stay here unpleasant.

Amenities start out simple enough. There’s an outdoor pool, and all rooms have free wireless Internet, coffee maker and complimentary gourmet coffee, a wet bar with mini-refrigerator, iron and ironing board, hair dryer, cable TV, and a telephone with data port, voicemail, and TTY capabilities. Some rooms also have whirlpool tubs with massaging shower heads. The hotel is non-smoking, and parking is free. So far so good.

But the Chablis is also rated two out of five possible “eco-leaves,” although they don’t specify which environmentally responsible practices have earned them this rating. If two out of five does not sound especially good, bear in mind that the vast majority of lodging options in Napa do not claim to have any environmentally responsible programs at all.

And the Chablis is pet-friendly, or at least dog-friendly. Call ahead to reserve a spot for your dog, and remember there’s a twenty five dollar fee for canine guests. It is the dog-friendliness that suggests the Chablis might be a bit different from most Napa Valley hotels; if you want to go out without your dog (which not all pet-friendly places will let you do), they may ask permission to take your dog into their office, so he or she won’t get lonely while you’re out. They’ll also give you the contact information for local animal hospitals and the nearest emergency vet. Now that’s service!

They also provide a suggested “Dog Lover” itinerary, listing parks, restaurants, and wineries where both you and your dog will be welcome. There are four other suggested itineraries with themes; the Frugalista, the Napa Native, the Sipper, and the Thrill Seeker. The Frugalista, in case you are wondering, is for visitors who want to have a good time without spending a lot of money—it is possible, even in Napa. There’s a trip adviser you can talk to as well, if you want to brainstorm ideas for your trip one on one. It’s a little, simple thing, to offer targeting trip advice, but it is such little things that make the difference between just any old motel and a nugget of low-key awesomeness.

So if the Chablis doesn’t quite receive raves, maybe it should. And last but not least…the Chablis is last but not least.

The Seaside Inn is cheap and it’s right on the beach. For many people, that’s enough, at least for a short visit. Whether the Seaside Inn offers more depends on who you ask. Customer reviews are extremely mixed, being evenly distributed from this-is-the-worst-place-I’ve-ever-stayed all the way to this-place-is-the-best-place-I’ve ever-been and every gradation in between. Most probably a fair review is somewhere in the middle, something along the lines that the Seaside Inn is an effective, even pleasant, place to use as a home base while you go about the more important business of enjoying being at the beach.

There is complimentary wireless internet access here, and all rooms have microwaves, refrigerators, and coffee makers. Coffee and tea are complimentary, as is a continental breakfast. There is valet laundry service Monday through Friday, which we admit is a little odd (what? No one has dirty clothes on the weekends?), but it is a nice touch. Another nice touch is that there is a pool on the hotel roof, showing off a nice view of the ocean. There are two sun decks as well. You can watch the sun come up over the Atlantic Ocean from the hotel pool, or from your balcony if you’ve got an ocean front view. All the rooms are non-smoking, but you can smoke in some outdoor areas of this isle of palms hotel. Rooms open out onto shared balconies and the salty sea air. There is even concierge service. So it’s not like there are no conveniences or amenities to be found here.

But we know you came for the location. So does the Seaside Inn; that’s why they picked that name, of course, and it is the location, more than anything else, that they boast of on the website. The Inn is quite literally on the ocean front of the Isle of Palms, so you can run out of the hotel door and right into the water. Remember to put on your flip-flops, as the hot, white sand might burn your feet otherwise. And the beach means kayaks, sailboats, windsurfing, canoes, and so on, all for rent nearby. There are marshes and creeks not far off that are great for crabbing and fishing, too. Don’t forget that you have your choice among many fine restaurants and beach front bars.

Local features include a fine marina that offers 3-phase power; golf, tennis, and other sports facilities and opportunities; para-sailing; power boat rentals; deep sea fishing; and luxury harbor cruises. There are osprey nests, and you can watch pelicans fish and dolphins jump. Loggerhead turtles nest on the island, and you might see them come up on the beach to lay their eggs. If you see baby turtles heading out to sea, don’t get in their way!

Other possibilities a little further afield include hiking in a nearby nature preserve, or visiting the Magnolia Plantation or the Boone Hall Plantation. Both of these are now museum properties showcasing several centuries of local and regional history. The Magnolia Plantation is also famous for its extensive flower gardens, and the Boone Hall Plantation is still a working farm. Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were famously fired, is also nearby—or, for a look at more recent history, you can visit the battleship, Yorktown. The Yorktown was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy, saw action in the Pacific during World War II and again during Vietnam, and is now the centerpiece of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.

Whatever kind of local business or diversion attracts your attention or claims your time here on the Isle of Palms, you’re going to be doing it while you’re awake. Maybe you’ll also have a fabulous time at the Inn; some people do. But even if you don’t, when it comes right down to it, all you really need from a hotel is a place to be asleep. It’s an affordable means to an end, and that end is served nicely by the Seaside Inn.