Folly Fun

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I adore the low country area of the American Southeast. I still keep an eye out for jobs there. A few weekends ago I had a girl’s weekend with Gail and Rach at the super laid back Folly Beach. It was a perfect weekend and exactly the relaxation that I needed.

The view from our room

Folly Beach is a few miles south of Charleston, SC and it takes several hours to get there from our location, so it was late on Friday evening when we got there. We stayed at Tides at Folly Beach, which is the only hotel on the beach in the Charleston area. I am giving it a mixed review, but slightly on the negative side. The location was perfect, easy access to downtown Charleston, and of course, right on the beach. It also recently underwent a mega renovation, so all the rooms were updated and very nice. I also loved the fact that all of the rooms are beachfront, so we had a great view every morning! Now, the downsides…. 1) the service pretty much sucked. They didn’t replenish the towels by the pool, they took forever to clean the room the next day, when we needed extra towels for the bathroom, they didn’t have any and the service was consistently bad. 2) The bathtub was filthy when we got there, and I am not just talking a couple pieces of hair… but giant piles of sand and hair tossed all over the place. 3) Add in the elevator breaking down and them being rude about it, some snarky comments from bartenders and some disastrous parking and you get not my highest review. I’d say a 2.8 out of 5. Maybe a boost up to a three because the view was so perfect.

We got up early on Saturday and spent the morning by the pool. The pool overlooking the ocean- perfection. There are few things I love as much as being able to lay by the pool, listening to the ocean, feeling the breeze, reading a book and drinking a frozen alcoholic beverage. That was fabulous. We moseyed down the short main street (Center Street) to have lunch at Taco Boy. Taco Boy does not get the best recommendation from me. The food that we had was good, but very overpriced. The food was overshadowed by the most horrible service I have had in years. I mean, it was awful… couldn’t even get a simple drink refill, Rach’s beer wasn’t even cold, the waitress kept blaming it on the kitchen… but really, that is not the kitchen. So I don’t have very good reviews of the restaurant.

Our hotel room

The afternoon was strolling and shopping on Center Street, more pool time and then getting ready for an evening out. We went to downtown Charleston and meandered through the market. But it was super late, so most of the things were closing up in the market. Oh the market, it has gotten a HUGE renovation and is the most gorgeous thing ever. All sorts of beautiful woodwork, natural light and AIR CONDITIONING. It is amazing. We had a yummy dinner down town… love shrimp and hushpuppies and then caught the rest of the game by the old college football team.

Sunday saw more pool time and a visit to two wonderful low country landmarks. First, the Morris Island lighthouse. It was built in the mid to late 1800s and during high tide it is completely surrounded by water. It also leans slightly to the side as a result of the big Charleston earthquake in the 1880s! It was decommissioned many years ago, but it is lovely to look at and they are trying to preserve it. My college suitemate and her husband, Mike, had the most AMAZING picture taken of them a few years ago with the lighthouse in the back ground and I had wanted to see the light since then… I just didn’t realize it would involve a hike down the road in the heat of the day! It was beautiful to see though, so I was happy we got to go.

me in the water

Second place we tried to go was the Angel Oak, a beautiful old live oak that is hundreds of years old on John’s Island. Unfortunately, the city of Charleston kind of sucks and had the wrong times on their web site, so it was closed when we got there. Yes, apparently it is possible to close a tree in the middle of nowhere… they had a giant fence around it, so we couldn’t get close! Bummer.

The last thing we did before heading out of town was to grab lunch at East Bay Deli. It was my second time eating there, and it was amazing! They have a huge deli menu and a great salad bar. All with fresh ingredients and big portions. Gail had a yummy grilled cheese with a lot mixed cheeses on rye bread. Rach had a huge Ruben and I had a Cajun turkey sandwich… all yummy! I recommend checking it out if you are in the Charleston area!

Folly Pier

All in all the beach trip was a much needed and relaxing break. Folly was fun, the weather was perfect and I highly recommend a visit to the island if you need a break!

Morris Island Lighthouse