Beautiful Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms

Psst. Here’s a secret about my recent vacation to South Carolina:

I liked Charleston… but I fell deeply in love with Isle of Palms.

Welcome, Tartlets, to Part 2 of my South Carolina vacation. As I said in my previous vacation post, Mr Tart and I spent a few days in Charleston, then we headed to the nearby Charleston sea islands for a few days of relaxing on the beach.

Of course, we didn’t do that much relaxing. That’s really hard for us. We like to see things, go places. But we made sure to spend our last day of vacation on or near the beach.

Our first stop once we left Charleston was to visit Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island. This fort dates back to the Revolutionary War and was actually used through WW2.

Mr Tart loves history, so while he tracked down a tour guide, I enjoyed yet more breathtaking views from the fort’s various look-out points.

Wandering Fort Moultrie and its grounds (and the air-conditioned visitor center) was a great way to kill some time before we were able to check into our Airbnb on the nearby Isle of Palms.

Okay… I admittedly splurged a bit on this portion of our Charleston trip.

It’s always been my dream to vacation on a beach somewhere.

Not near a beach. Not a few blocks away from the beach.

Specifically, I want to wake up and immediately see water. To be only steps away from the sand and crashing waves.

See that photo? That’s the view from our vacation rental’s screened-in porch overlooking the ocean.

It was also the view from our bedroom.

THIS IS WHAT I WOKE UP TO IN THE MORNING.

Thanks, Port O’ Call, for making all my beach dreams come true.

You were worth every freakin’ penny.

I fell in love with this little condo on the beach. To my relief, it was exactly like the photos that were posted on the Airbnb site. The place was well-stocked with anything you would want for a beach vacation; it was easy to check in and out; and it was steps away from the water.

My only regret? That we didn’t spend MORE time on the island and in this rental.

The first morning (okay, the only morning) we were there, I kept waking up and peering out the patio door to see if it was light enough to walk on the beach.

Once 6am came, I couldn’t wait any longer. I hopped out of bed, shimmied into my shorts, left a note for a sleeping Mr Tart, and ran outside to Live The Dream.

Isle of Palms at sunrise is just as breathtaking as you’d imagine.

Since it was so early, there were only a few other people out walking on the beach. It was populated enough to make me feel safe about walking alone at dawn in a strange place, but the stretches of pristine sand were still empty enough for me to take some gorgeous scenic photos.

Our condo was located near the tip of Isle of Palms, which means I had two great stretches of beach to explore.

I meandered one way for awhile, and then I turned and walked back, going past the condo and toward the end of the island that curves around a bend.

Pelicans flew overhead. Sandpipers scurried about. I’m pretty sure I saw a dolphin or two crest the waves out in the not-so-far distance.

IT WAS MAGICAL.

I spent over an hour splashing through the warm waves lapping at the shore and picking up as many conch shells as I could find.

Because conch shells are EVERYWHERE on Isle of Palms. Particularly near the tip of the island.

The whole beach is really seashells galore. They litter the sand, their pearly insides glistening like jewels in the rising sun.

I even stumbled across a sanddollar. No, not the bleached-white kind you find in souvenir shops. This one was alive and the exact same shade as its namesake. Pretty awesome.

I went a lil’ cray-cray scooping up as many shells as I could carry. It wasn’t until I got back to the condo that I realized I wouldn’t be able to bring all of them on the plane back to New Jersey.

Well, I could, but TSA might get a lil’ suspicious that I’m started some kind of illegal shell-trading business.

I headed back to the condo just as the resort people began setting up beach umbrellas and the full heat of the day was setting in.

The rest of the day was spent lounging on the beach, reading a book. When it became too darn hot to do that anymore, Mr Tart and I retreated to the shade of our screened-in porch and continued doing absolutely nothing until dinnertime.

Oh, except for when we went alligator hunting.

Our Airbnb is located in the Wild Dunes resort, which is a HUGE gated community that spans a good length of the Isle of Palms; there are dozens of mini-resort communities and condo associations within it.

One of the communities had a water feature, and on our way back from lunch, we pulled over and decided to see if we could spot any alligatators.

First, we spotted this guy, who in turn spotted us and decided to flap his wings in what was quite the territorial gesture.

I think we were definitely more afraid of him than he was of us. He looked like he meant business. And also kinda like a Jurassic World extra.

Then, someone tipped us off that there was an aligatgor cruising through the pond up ahead.

We dashed over and saw this guy taking a leisurely swim. #MissionAccomplished

All right, you guys, that’s pretty much it. Especially since I’m crying while writing this, remembering how wonderful our stay at Isle of Palms was. **sigh**

Oh, wait! I promised you more food recommendations, didn’t I?

Although we had some hits and misses in downtown Charleston, it was nothin’ but love for eateries on Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms. The food was delicious everywhere we went, and unlike in downtown Charleston, we didn’t have to wait for a table or be laughed at when we asked the hostess for a walk-in seat.

Again, I was too busy eating to take photos of our food, but for those of you who tuned in for some restaurant recommendations, here’s my list of Do’s and Dont’s for the Sullivan’s Island/Isle of Palms culinary scene.

Yummy places to eat:

Poe’s Tavern – this is where I ate one of the best goddamn burgers of my life. I had the  Pit & Pendulum beef burger. The restaurant’s Edgar Allen Poe theme is tons of fun, and there’s a lot of cool art inside the beach shack-like building. We were lucky enough to snag an outdoor seat, and it was nice to sit outside in the shade and look out on Sullivan’s Island main street.

Coconut Joe’s: good basic beach and grill food, good drinks, stellar views, and an ocean breeze. This is where I had my delicious Miami Vice (my favorite drink!) made with coconut cream. Yummmm. Plenty of outdoor seating overlooking the ocean. Bring a jacket for when the sun goes down.

Long Island Café: not to be confused with Long Island, NY. Isle of Palms is an island that is quite long, hence the name. We stopped here for lunch on our Day of Relaxation. A slightly more upscale vibe than the restaurants right on the beach, but still a casual place to grab sandwiches, fresh seafood, and a glass of wine for a lil’ mid-day treat.

Acme Lowcountry Kitchen – hands down, the best place we ate the entire vacation. I can’t recommend this place highly enough. I’m still dreaming about their food. OMG, how I wish I could go back there right now and order everything on their menu.

How good was it? We went to Acme Lowcountry Kitchen on our last night in town; the portions were huge but I didn’t want to waste anything, so I took the leftovers home.

By “home,” I mean I wrapped pecan-crusted honey chicken in tinfoil, stuck it in my carry on, and ate it while sitting at the gate before boarding our 7am flight back to Jersey.

The airport security check point was fun:

Me, holding up the foil-wrapped package: “Can I bring this on the plane? It’s chicken. From a restaurant last night.”

TSA lady who’s obviously a kindred spirit: “You go on, honey. You eat your chicken. I don’t blame you.”

Places we do NOT recommend:

Viscious Biscuit – the rival biscuit place to Callie’s, though I have no idea why. Viscious Biscuits were dense and heavy; it was like eating rocks. Avoid. Head to Callie’s instead.

Okay, Tartlets. That’s it — for real, this time. I hope you enjoyed Part 2 (and Part 1) of our Charleston, South Carolina vacation.