Wild Dunes Resort

I had the most wonderful long weekend getaway to Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms, South Carolina last weekend. I love that something that feels like such an escape is actually only a 3 hour drive from Charlotte. And not only that, but it’s of course located right outside my favorite city, Charleston! There are so many reasons why Wild Dunes Resort is such a perfect getaway and vacation spot, and what I just mentioned are just some of the logistical reasons! I’m generally a pretty practical person so having some place that doesn’t take too long to get to (if I only have a few days!) but still provides me with that full resort style vacation feel is something special. I can’t wait to go back when I have more time to spend there!

PS: The winner of the giveaway is announced the end of this post!

Check out my recap video below to get a good feeling of the resort, or watch it on my YouTube channel here. (Be sure to subscribe to my channel to never miss a video!)

Alright, now let’s dive into this recap!

We headed down on Thursday evening after work and arrived to an extremely comfortable room complete with a full kitchen (dishwasher and refrigerator included!), a huge bed, private terrace, beautiful bathroom, and even an in-room washer & dryer. You can watch the room tour on my Instagram highlights under the “Travel” icon. We were staying in The Village at Wild Dunes and even though we got there when it was dark, I could tell it was going to be so beautiful! It was late by the time we arrived, however had we been feeling up to it, we could have taken a 1 minute stroll down the sidewalk to the Coastal Provisions bar for a little night cap. We didn’t do it the first night and instead went right to sleep, but we definitely visited later in the weekend.

The next morning we woke up pretty early, ordered breakfast to the room, and then Craig settled in to do some work while I headed to the fitness center to get my workout in. I love that they have not only 1 but 2 fitness centers in The Village area. One is more of just full of cardio machines and medicine balls, but doesn’t have a lot in terms of machines or free weights. But then there is the main fitness center, just a short walk across the parking lot, that has 3 different rooms full of free weights, machines, cardio machines, etc. Pretty much anything you need to get a great workout in. I love to workout on vacation so it’s important to me to have the option to do so with an onsite fitness center.

Friday I spent the rest of the day at a poolside cabana. The pool at The Boardwalk Inn is adults only, which is nice because it’s so quiet. But don’t worry, if you’re looking to bring your family, the Grand Pavilion has two separate pools that are both beachside that are for kids and adults alike. The poolside cabanas are first come, first serve, so I was out there around 11am and picked an open cabana. There are servers that come around and you can order food & drink. So basically I had no real need to leave all day long, and I pretty much didn’t until about 5pm when we decided to head up and get ready for dinner. That is my idea of a dream day!!

Friday night we had dinner at Coastal Provisions, which is located inside The Boardwalk Inn and an easy 2 minute walk from The Village, however we wanted to take the more scenic route, and went down to the beach first for a little stroll through the soft sand at golden hour.

Dinner was delicious and I absolutely adored the beachy decor and ambiance at the restaurant. They really nailed it…I wish the decorators could come do my house 😉

Saturday we had a great day and I was up to see the sunrise to shoot some workout videos. The sunrise was so beautiful!! Then I met up with Craig for a delicious breakfast, back poolside at Coastal Provisions. It was just such an easy spot to walk to and the food was great, so why not!? Craig got the breakfast platter and I got the greek yogurt bowl with a small side of steel cut oatmeal…and all the berries!!

Breakfast was followed by a workout of course! Craig hit the gym for a lift and it was my cardio day, so I hit the sidewalk that runs through the expansive Wild Dunes property and got a 5 mile run in. Then we hit the beach!! We laid out by the ocean for a couple of hours just relaxing before heading up to the pool to grab lunch and an afternoon beverage. It was definitely a leisurely day but hey, that’s what vacations are for, right?? I will say, that afternoon we were a little bit more active because we grabbed a couple of beach cruisers from the bike rental and cruised around! It was seriously such a perfect day to ride around. It was sunny and 72 pretty much the whole weekend…we were so happy with the weather!!

Saturday night we took advantage of the Resort’s proximity to Charleston and we got a ride into town to grab cocktails and appetizers at our favorite spot, The Rooftop Bar at Vendue. We hung out there a bit and then decided to walk around a little before heading to dinner. We had reservations at Husk so we meandered the streets until we arrived. We were seated at a beautiful table on the second floor balcony which I loved!

Sunday we slept in a little bit before begrudgingly packing up to leave. I mean, who ever really wants to leave the beach? Not me! It helped we were going to temper our departure with another pit stop in Charleston for more walking around and brunch. I could walk around that city all day!! But we didn’t have all day unfortunately, so we got a couple miles in around town before landing at another favorite spot, The Watch Rooftop Kitchen and Spirits. I came here back on my bachelorette party, and then Craig and I also came back last year when we did a Charleston weekend. It never disappoints. Finally, we headed back to the car to make our way back to Charlotte.

I know I will be back and I am looking forward to that day! I highly recommend Wild Dunes Resort as the place to plan your weekend getaway or vacation. No matter how many days you have there, you will no doubt enjoy every moment of your time. I know we did! It truly was the best weekend ever.

And now for the winner of the GIVEAWAY! The winner will receive an overnight stay, complete with a complimentary dinner at Coastal Provisions and Barrier Island Eco Tour! The winner was randomly selected using random.org, and the winner out of almost 600 entries is:

#456, Samantha Jane from @Petite.On.The.Go!! Congrats! Please email me or DM me on Instagram to claim your prize!