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| When Miss B asked if we could go to the beach during her stay in Atlanta Of Course we said Of Course!! So on week four of her month stay Off we went to an old favorite... Kiawah Island...South Carolina... A little apprehensive with all the shark attacks along the Eastern Coast we couldn't let our girl down... So we loaded up the car with only inches to spare... And off we went... |
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| It was a little hard finding a rental from Monday to Monday but we wanted the NYC Mom and future SIL to join in the beach fun so after scouring the Internet I found a Small Family Run agency to rent from... Who offered this beautiful.... right on the ocean "Villa" More of what I would call a condo... the view was breathtaking.... |
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| I have to say the rental was exactly as described. Newly re-modeled apparently by the same man who did the HGTV Dream House on the Island a few years back... It had everything you could possibly need for a week Away from Home.... |
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| At almost 2,000 sq. feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths it would suit us fine for the three of us for a few days until the NYC Gang arrived... We rented the week prior to Labor Day which is considered the Last Week of Summer so we were very surprised How vacant the entire island was... Kiawah is a private island just South of Charleston Part of the island has rentals and the larger portion is home to multi-multi million dollar homes.... Which normal people.....like us....were restricted from seeing... Of Course the Boss was miffed about that since we were paying a pretty penny at almost $7,000. for the week to rent the unit we were in....they made you feel like the Help.... |
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| Here is the Master BR...which the husband didn't get to Sleep in....story about that at the end... But needless to say he was not happy... |
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| Cute guest room with two twin beds.... Nobody slept in this room.... Which the husband was not happy about.. Story about that at the end.... |
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| Wonderful colors and if I could I would have stolen that light aqua table....very 1940 ish.... |
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| Another Bedroom....actually a Queen bed but so ridiculously high it looks like a twin... Yes....you needed a step stool to get in to it.... but with beautiful custom bedding... |
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| It's adjoining Bath.....a tub for Midgets.... |
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| Okay now we can discuss where the Boss spent a week.....yes...that's right....in the children's quarters.... up in the hot loft...with some wacky stairs to get up to it... And the stairs were not the reason why Sophie didn't sleep Up here.... |
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| cute area in the kids loft...But the table was a little small for the Boss... |
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| The view to the Living Room from the Loft... |
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| Beautiful Kitchen.....I thought...Until I started to actually use it...First mistake the builder made... You don't use marble counter tops in a rental unit... Big Mistake... I spent the week trying to make it look clean.... Impossible....Once you get water stains on Marble they are impossible to remove....It was a mess.... And why you would position the stove facing the parking lot Instead of the beautiful ocean view is a mystery to Me... |
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| Let me critique that gorgeous Viking Range.... It was horrible....there I said it...to all you people who cook on glass top ranges... How do you do it???? I love to cook and can cook all day long....not on this thing!! First you can't regulate the temperature like you can with gas... I know you who own one say that you can....but you can't. The top was impossible again like the marble to look clean... Hated it....would eat KFC everyday if I owned one... More about Viking...below.... |
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| I have to say the house was equipped with everything You could possibly need.... all large appliances were stored in this pretty cabinet... |
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| The only thing nice about the range was the color... A beautiful light aqua... |
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| Time out for a little beach fun with the "B" |
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| And what's better then flying a kite with the Grandpa.... He bought this fabulous pirate ship Kite on day two.... And then we promptly had no breeze for the rest of the week.... |
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| Balls of some description..... |
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| Cute linen slipcovers |
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| that great table.... |
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| Sophie commented how all over the house there were tiny pieces of furniture.... |
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| Pretty painting in the guest BR |
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| Custom pillows everywhere.... |
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| Very Cool fixtures.... |
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| Look!! An Ikea Chandelier! |
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| the ever popular sea shell |
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| More Loft decorations.... |
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| At first I loved the kitchen cabinet hinges.... Until you tried to open them with wet or greasy hands.... very difficult... |
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| Don't get me started on the Viking Fridge.... Not much better then the stove.... It had a wacky double door and weird space inside... I will keep my Sub-Zero thank you very much... |
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| Very Cool glass vintage looking knobs everywhere... |
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| A Fabulous shower in the Master Bath... |
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| beautiful tile work..... |
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| I loved how the fixture over the bathroom sink just came right out from the tile... |
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| And the light fixtures came out of the mirror... |
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| Nice touch of an antique chair in the Master Bath Dressing Area... |
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| I loved this Duvet cover on the twin beds in the "Off Limits" room.... |
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| I asked the rental management office if they could find out from the owner where they purchased it But I never heard back....So if anyone is familiar with this pattern please let me know! |
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| The guys spending some time along the Battery in Charleston.... |
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| Love this picture..... |
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| We had good fried shrimp one night on our ride back to the Island from Charleston.... |
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| B loves her shrimp.... But notice she also had the ever popular with every Kid alive.....chicken fingers. |
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| We were all amazed at this beautiful sky one day which appeared out of the blue....It had not rained...it was not a Rainbow....It was there in different shapes then Poof....it went away.... |
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| Just what a City Kid needs...some color in her face..... We had the best time in the ocean....the water was warm but a bit too muddy looking....so being a Grandmother... I would only go out so far....I was on "Shark watch" Hey....isn't that what grandmothers do.... Worry.... |
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| The Kiawah Beach is glorious..... And again....we wondered where all the people were??? |
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| And here is my advise if your planning in the future to take a beach trip.... Leave the Damn Bikes at home.... Your never going to ride them and you will worry the whole ride that they are going to fall off the back of the car.... Or worse that one of the pedals is going to go through the rear window when going over a bump in the road... B did try riding hers without her training wheels for about 30 seconds and the FSIL did go out for a ride One day until thunder forced his return... So leave the bikes at home...Just rent them when you get where Your going.....And now for the reason the Boss slept in a child's bed for a week after paying Almost $7,000.00...... drum roll please....... |
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| Yes thats' right....The Dreaded.... "Palmetto Bug" Let's call it what it is People... A huge Roach... That was found on Night One.... climbing under the covers of the Bed that Miss B was about to get in to.... Not Happening....it would have scarred her for life.... So Grandpa graciously gave up his spot in the King Bed for his granddaughter.... And he slept the whole week up in the Loft.... Thank Your Grandpa.... |
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| I know what your thinking..... That doesn't look like it's a bed.... No....that's not the bed of the original sighting... That would be the Kitchen Counter top where they would Come Out every night to see how grossed out we could get... We had to sleep with the lights on in the main Part of the House... We called The Management People on the first night and they said..."Oh it's because we have had a lot of rain".... Normally they might get away with that from people from the North....But living in the South for 37 years of which 7 were spent in South Florida.... You can control them in your home if you have regular pest control service.... We have rain in Georgia...we have trees everywhere....we have Palmetto Bugs...But not in our Home... It's Called Pest Control!! Oh and I forget to say this unit was on the second floor... After we saw them all over the kitchen we insisted they come and spray.....we still don't know if they did because we saw them all week long.... And the "management" people knew the Boss was sleeping in the loft.... And how bad is it when an 8 year old referred to it as "A 5 Star Roach Motel" So when we asked on the day we were leaving if we might be able to stay an extra hour and check out at 11:00 a.m. instead of 10:00.... (the kids flight back to NYC was not until 4:00) I was promptly told.... "No....we need to get in to clean because people are checking in at 4:00"..... Maybe the maids were going to spend the day having "Roach Races"..... To add insult to Injury we walked over to the shopping area on the island one day and all the shops were closed except for one... when I asked the girl why nothing was open and why there were no people she told me.... "Oh the Season here is Over".....when I said how odd that I paid "in season" prices and was not told the season was over and things would be closed....she said... "Oh they aren't going to tell you that"..... |
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| So in summing up the Adivari's Summer Vacation.... We found the people in this part of South Carolina to have Zero Southern Charm.... the vacationers...the handful of them....were unfriendly...the natives were even more unfriendly.... Everyone seemed pissed off.... So different then here in Georgia where I am used to Everyone saying hello and have a nice day.... Maybe the Palmetto Bugs in their Beds Have something to do with it????? Good Bye Kiawah! |
7 comments:
It's a beautiful "villa" but what is up with the bugs? Well for Miss B you made her summer vacation an amazing memory.
Sounds like the beach was the only fun place to be. It will be a memory for sure...you and The Boss maybe not so good, but Miss B will have wonderful memories being with her grandparents and probably laugh about this some day.
On another note...I agree with you about the stove, I have one of "those" flat tops and I hate it too. I would have preferred gas but hubby wanted electric. It has been almost 37 years since I cooked on gas that I am use to regulating the stove top (but still hate it).
Hubby has an uncle and aunt that live in one of those multi million dollar homes on the island, but we have never been. I have only seen pictures of the house when they send a Christmas card.
Sue, you have a way with words....what a fun post! Loved all of the home interior design pics too. Yup...Palmetto bugs are the worst, but you are right, pest control would have taken care of it. We owned a condo in Charleston for 8 years and only had a couple of "sightings" during those years because we kept it sprayed. Miss B is one lucky grandchild, and wow, I must say, the Boss must really looooove his grand daughter to sleep in that trundle bed 7 nights for 7K per week!
Rose (Santamaker)
Sounds like an "interesting" vacation. Palmetto bugs are, without a doubt, the grossest. I remember trying to kill one while working in Florida. It was the early 80's and we all had Dr. Scholl's exercise sandals. The real wooden kind. I tried beating that damn bug to death with the wooden shoe - it just wouldn't die. And this was in a hotel.
Gotta love the Boss for taking one for the team - or more specifically, the "B." I'm guessing you have lots of stories about this vacation to talk about for a long time.
If you are looking for a different place for a beach trip, have you considered Bald Head Island in North Carolina? You can only get there by boat. No cars on the island - only golf carts - except for the trash removal. Very quiet and remote, though the houses range from cottages to multimillion dollar houses. Bikes are everywhere - you would actually ride them. We spent a day there and saw most or the island by bike.
Just hate those giant palmento (roaches). Gee the condo was just beautiful. You did have a lot of issues - are you going to complain and try to get some money back? How sweet Boss was to Miss B. What a lucky, lucky girl. I know you had fun on the beach though. I kn ow you had a WONDERFUL summer. Now get home with us sweet southern pleasant and warm southerners. Lol
Sorry you had a nightmare vacation...I would have left upon seeing the first roach and insisted on a refund! I have said for years, just because you are from the south doesn't mean you are full of southern hospitality...I found that out many years ago when in Florida.
I hope you find a wonderful place for vacation next year with B.
One of my true fears of the time we lived in Florida. Palmetto bugs. I have a silly story about my night with one...ack.
It is a lovely area but when it closes up, it closes up. But it looks like you still have some very sweet memories of your time with Miss B and that is all that really maters!
Love,
Sue
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