Vacation Rentals by Owner

Beautiful Cottage

Guest: Steve & Karen (Canada)
Date of Stay: 03/08/12 Review Submitted: 03/23/12

A beautiful cottage. This was our 5th vacation on Kiawah and this cottage was the nicest we have stayed in. Kitchen was very well stocked with pots/pans, dishes, BBQ tools etc. We didn't lack for anything. Lots of DVDs & books for a rainy day. The cottage was very clean and very well organized. The owners responded promptly to any questions we had previous to our arrival. Overall it was a great vacation experience. We will definitely book here again.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Wonderful Getaway

Guest: Joe (Louisville, KY)
Date of Stay: 05/21/11 Review Submitted: 06/01/11

My wife and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary by spending a week alone at this wonderful cottage. The pictures and description of the home are very accurate. Though the cottages are pretty close to one another you definitely have a feel of privacy and space. The cottage was very clean and neat - with an uncluttered and airy feel. The developers did a great job of building within the natural habitat with lots of trees all around. The location was fabulous for us. 2 minute walk to the pool, 5 minutes to the fabulous uncrowded beach, 5 minutes to a set of shops including a restaurant and ice cream shop, 3 minutes to golf course clubhouse etc. Bicycling on Kiawah is fantastic. Freshfields market which has a great variety of shops and restaurants is a little over 2 miles away via a new bike trail and other restaurants, shops and parks located on Kiawah are an easy and pleasant ride away. Because the island is very flat there are few hills and most of the bike trails are shaded with lots of scenery around every turn. Bring your own bikes or rent them - either way it is a great way to get around. My wife went to the beach every day and we certainly appreciated the owners having beach chairs and other beach equipment available for our use. The outdoor shower is a great amenity - post beach. The fact that there is no development right on the beach on Kiawah makes the beaches themselves seem so much more natural and pleasant. Communication with the owner was quick and pleasant - I would gladly recommend Kiawah and this property to anyone.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Beautiful Place . . .

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 12/20/10 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

Beautiful place for a quiet brake from the hustle and bustle and the start of a break from school. Thank you for all of the "little and big" amenities in your home We loved our stay here despite the rain!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers

Our experience ...

Guest: J&T+3 (Charlotte, NC)
Date of Stay: 07/31/10 Review Submitted: 08/12/10

We stayed here for a week- 3 children and brought our seasoned nanny/housekeeper with us. Very small, somewhat dated- looks like they simply painted to bring it in the 21st century. However albeit small, it was comfortable and allowed for some night time family bonding over boardgames. We spent the majority of our time away from the home during the day, while our nanny helped care for the baby, as well as clean the place daily(mopping/ changing sheets, etc.). We ate one meal (breakfast) in the home and ate out every evening. Upon leaving, we cleaned for over 3 hours- going through an overly extensive list the owner left. Less than a week later we received a threatening email from the woman owner making accusations of a horrible mess we had made and saying she was cashing our deposit check. Her claims are based solely on the complaints coming from a lady that cleans for her. Surprised that she would hide behind an email instead of voicing her opinion via a phone call, we reached out. She told us she was angry over "toothpaste in the sink" as well as other "things"(claims that her maid had told her, which owner never saw herself). She claimed to have pictures of this disaster, which we asked to see... she said she at least "owed us that". However, we never received the damaging evidence(because their was none). At the end of the call, her main complaint was an extra hour of time that her maid spent. Again, this is a tired maid, NOT a professional cleaning service. The owner proceeded to cash the deposit check and has not answered our calls. When I think of the times we'll be going to Kiawah in the future (2 weeks a year), and the tens of thousands of dollars this woman gave up in rental income- in addition to the warnings I'll share with my co-workers and friends, I certainly hope the measly deposit check she is pocketing was worth it. It's not the money that is troublesome. In fact, we stayed an extra day in a club level Suite at the Sanctuary. It's simply being taken advantage of. If you decide not to take this advice, make note of everything, plan on doing a COMPLETE scrub/deep cleaning (not simply cleaning up your remains, wiping counter tops, cleaning out the refrigerator, etc.).... AND still plan to lose your deposit check. Thank you owners for your lack of professional courtesy and putting a damper on what should have been an incredible and memorable week for our family!

Owner response:This family called me on the Thursday before their checkout to ask if they could extend their stay because they were enjoying being at the cottage SO much. We had a great conversation but, its summertime, and new guests were arriving that coming Saturday. So, imagine my surprise when my two wonderful cleaning ladies, that have been with me for over five years, called in utter disbelief at the state of things in the cottage. The phone call that Saturday morning encompassed everything - from the stained couch cushions (I've had them reupholstered), to the utter mess in the kitchen/bedrooms/bathrooms/glass doors smeared with liquid soap (?) . . . . they have never had to call me ever to complain about the condition of the cottage until that departure cleaning. Now, I don't know if the guests left the "nanny" to pick the place up or what, but I did forward pictures to her that were sent to me from my cleaning ladies and I did cash the check with the understanding that a portion of the security check would be returned after "the extra cleaning time" was deducted. The guest was angry and rude and emailed me to not to contact her again and to keep the money; which made no sense because naturally I would have to cash the check in order to collect "a portion" for the above reasons. So, I passed the entire amount on to my cleaning ladies, they probably earned it. I have never had this come up before. I certainly appreciate each and every guest that has ever stayed with us. I replace everything on a regular basis just for the reason of wear and tear and because we love that cottage and enjoy sharing it with families looking for a lovely vacation spot. I think because it is so nice, people do take good care of it. This was a most unfortunate incident and it caused both my cleaning ladies and me much stress; especially after receiving the initial phone call telling me how great and beautiful the cottage was. The guest even said they had friends at another cottage who, when they came by, could not believe how much better their cottage was over the place they had rented. (?) So, disregard her comments totally, I do not know where she is coming from!

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Saw a bobcat!

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/08/09 Review Submitted: 03/18/11

Such a well organized and well kept cottage, its a pleasure to stay here! After eight years of visits to Kiawah, we finally saw a bobcat! Thank you for letting us stay at your cottage, er have so many wonderful family memories!

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Guest: Kathleen Walker (Summerville, SC)
Date of Stay: 10/03/08 Review Submitted: 10/03/08

Rented this fabulous find in May to share a big birthday with best friends. We were thrilled with the cottage! The online description is more than reliable. Super clean, bright, well thought-through appointments and layout. Everyone loved cooking in the kitchen, flopping in the L/R and dining in the screened porch. Beds were very comfortable, too. It will be a delight to check back in again some day.

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Guest: Carole Hoffman (Huntington Beach, California)
Date of Stay: 09/01/07 Review Submitted: 09/01/07

My husband and our friends the Westmorelands stayed at the cottage 8/18/07 thru 8/24/07. I must say I was truly impressed! Everything was so clean, organized and very accomodating. The cottage is only 2 minutes from the pool and 5 minutes (walking) to the ocean. Beautiful beaches, with warm water and not crowded. Kiawah Island is a place everyone should visit. Reminds me of Hawaii but with Pine, Oak and Palm trees. Truly a place to relax and have fun. We enjoyed many nights BBQing and having wine. Restaurants at the Sanctuary and different golf courses are very nice and excellent food. Newton Farms grocery store has everything you need from Prime meats, sushi, excellent wine selection and more! Thank you so much for letting us enjoy "a little bit of heaven." We will be BACK!!

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Guest: Melinda 1 (Cincinnati,OH)
Date of Stay: 07/16/07 Review Submitted: 07/16/07

Dear Ballards, Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home with us.The kitchen layout is wonderful.I have been coming to Kiawah for 30 years and your home is by far the nicest! Thanks again, Andy & Melinda Jones

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/24/06 Review Submitted: 07/24/06

June 11 – 18Thank you for letting us enjoy the perfect “home away from home” – you really thought of everything when furnishing the house. The Milgrub and Marshall families thoroughly enjoyed our stay – despite the 95-degree heat! We will definitely recommend your house to others who are looking for a beach getaway.Amy, Brian and Alex MarshallAdam & Michelle MilgrubPennsylvania

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/24/06 Review Submitted: 07/24/06

February 17, 2005Dear Debbie, Dave, Amanda and Sean, What a beautiful cottage! The work you have done to update the home is amazing! We’re not sure there was an amenity that was overlooked. You even managed to have good sunny weather for us for the three days we were here! We are honored to be friends of your parents and to be invited to your cottage with them. Thank you and best wishes in the coming year. Our stay here will be a wonderful memory. Carla and Bill Lohrer Troy, Ohio

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Guest: Coach & Dianne Smarr
Date of Stay: 07/24/06 Review Submitted: 07/23/06

(Copied from our cottage guest book).Jan 2006Dear Ballards,We have truly enjoyed our weekend at Kiawah. We love your cottage and can see that much love along with lots of sweat was put into making it a home away from home. You can be very proud.We hope you’ll let us stay again. Thank you again! Coach and Dianne Greenville, S. Carolina

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Guest: Stewart Family
Date of Stay: 07/24/06 Review Submitted: 07/23/06

(Copied from our Guest Book) Dear Ballards,We really enjoyed the beach house. It is awesome! You have a kitchen “to die for”. I have never stayed at the beach and had such a well equipped kitchen. It had everything we needed and then some. Thanks for letting us enjoy your wonderful home. This is our first time to Kiawah and we will be back!The StewartsGreenville, SC

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Guest: Fish Family
Date of Stay: 07/24/06 Review Submitted: 07/23/06

(Copied from our cottage guest book). June 24, 2005 Dear Dave, Debbie, Amanda and Sean, Thank you for making our summer vacation awesome! We loved the time we spent here and thoroughly enjoyed our stay at your beautiful home! You did a fantastic job decorating! We definitely would love to come back the same time next year 2006! Love, The Fish Family Wisconsin

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Guest: Slonaker
Date of Stay: 02/17/06 Review Submitted: 02/16/06

(Copied from our cottage guest book). Ballards, What a wonderful treat to spend a few days at the Ballards’ Mallard Nest!! You’ve done such a great job of renovating. Hope you have before & after pictures. The furniture is so comfortable and the kitchen is so well stocked. Thanks so much for letting us enjoy it. John & Linda Slonaker

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Guest: Slager
Date of Stay: 02/26/05 Review Submitted: 02/25/05

(Copied from our cottage guest book). 2/26 – 3/26 ’04 Dear Ballards,What a charming island get-away! Everything was perfect except for the weather. Our fifth year spending March on Kiawah and it was the coldest, however, better than the snow we missed in Wisconsin. Spring weather made a wrong turn somewhere. Don’t know what the cottage looked like before the renovation, it is now perfect. We had a wonderful time and love historic Charleston. Our hope is that all who stay in your cottage treats it “gently”. With warm regards,Beatrice and William SlagerGreen Lake, WI

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