Charleston this summer - advice?

Maybe considering a charleston vacation in Aug 06 which beach is best for kids? age 8 and 10. Should we stay on beach or in dtown Charleston?

Charleston this summer - advice?

Stay at the beach. The best beaches for kids in Charleston are Isle of Palms (stay there or at the Wild Dunes Resort...you rent a house or condo, too), also Sullivan%26#39;s Island (but they don%26#39;t have bathrooms and food ';on'; the beach (you can rent a house on Sulivan%26#39;s Island) or go to Kiawah Island or Seabrook Island (rent house/condo on Seabrook). Kiawah and Seabrook could be expensive, but both have lots of ocean and parks and you can rent bikes, etc there.

Charleston this summer - advice?

Agree with previous post...stay at the beach as will most definitely be more fun for the kids and downtown is just a short drive from IOP or Wild Dunes (www.wildunes.com). Wild Dunes is a great resort for families...a little easier on the budget than Kiawah/Seabrook but still very nice. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks!

Beaching it at IOP will make for some happy kids! Try taking the ferry to Bull Island. You can see some dolphins, alligators and a real barrier island. It%26#39;s a great day trip with kids, but backpack a lunch and some drinks/water as this is the real deal on an unspoiled (largely) barrier island-don%26#39;t miss Boneyard Beach!

What hotels are good on IOP? Wild Dunes dosent have much available all ready for August.

I think that there is only a Holiday Inn and a small hotel called Seaside Inn there. I haven%26#39;t stayed at any of them, but look at the reviews on tripadvisor. You can always rent a house through Resort Quest (www.resortquest.com) or any of the local home rental places.

The difference between the beaches on Isle of Palms and Seabrook is huge. Isle of Palms is busier, but has the look and feel of most Atlantic Ocean beaches.

The beach at Seabrook is located at the mouth of the Edisto River, so there are no/very little waves, calm water, and the environment is a lot different (trees, deer, etc). It feels more like a man-made beach on a great lake or a campground. I think kids would prefer the IOP beaches where they can play in waves.

Try vrbo.com for rentals. There is a large condo complex (don%26#39;t know the name) that has its own small pier right in the heart of IOP. I have seen several units on vrbo.com in this complex. It is a bit pricy. Atleast $1200 for the week.

We found our condo at Seabrook on vrbo.com as well. At the end of August, we paid $130/night for the weekend. It seems to be less expensive there. But farther away from downtown Charleston and no waves.

IOP the best bet for kids. Wild Dunes a good choice there. Even though they didn%26#39;t have anything, try other realtors. We used island realty last summer for a graduation celebration and got a condo on the beach with no problem for guests coming in. Most are privately owned and Wild Dunes doesn%26#39;t handle rentals for many of them. http://www.islandrealty.com/

There are other rental agencies as well if you search for them.

Wild Dunes offers more than just the beach as well. Golf, tennis, activities, etc. About 30 minute drive to downtown. Only because of traffic not distance.