3-5 day inexpensive trip (cost, hotel, hotels, vacation)

[fisher33]

My husband and I live in Charleston, SC. He's about to graduate from school and we'd like to go on a vacation before we move to TX (first real vacation since our honeymoon two years ago!).
I have been looking everywhere; Hilton Head, Beaufort, Asheville, Chateau Elan, etc., etc., but everything is so expensive. We just want to play a little golf (one round) and do a couple spa treatments somewhere not too far from home (6 hours max preferably), but somewhere nice.

Anyone have any hidden gems I don't know of that are great? Or am I just asking too much? haha. I guess I should tell you our price range, but I don't even know how much we want to spend really - probably no more than $1000-$1500 total. I just don't want to pay $300 per night for the room...but is that just the going rate for somewhere nice?

Thanks so much!

[golfgal]

Myrtle Beach!! The golf mecca of the US. There are hotels for every price range there and plenty of places to golf. We stayed at the Legends when we went. I don't know how much it cost but it was nice enough and they have 4 on-site courses so easy to get to/from the course. I would love to go back there.

[fisher33]

Thank you for the suggestion. I like Myrtle Beach too, but I was looking for something a little different. We actually go to Myrtle Beach often, so it's not really anything different to us. It would be like vacationing in Charleston...haha. Again thank you so much though, for the suggestion.

[AnotherDayInParadise]

What about St. Simon's Island, GA? We have stayed here and would do so again in a heartbeat.

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by fisher33

My husband and I live in Charleston, SC. He's about to graduate from school and we'd like to go on a vacation before we move to TX (first real vacation since our honeymoon two years ago!).
I have been looking everywhere; Hilton Head, Beaufort, Asheville, Chateau Elan, etc., etc., but everything is so expensive. We just want to play a little golf (one round) and do a couple spa treatments somewhere not too far from home (6 hours max preferably), but somewhere nice.

Anyone have any hidden gems I don't know of that are great? Or am I just asking too much? haha. I guess I should tell you our price range, but I don't even know how much we want to spend really - probably no more than $1000-$1500 total. I just don't want to pay $300 per night for the room...but is that just the going rate for somewhere nice?

Thanks so much!

Since thee are just two of you, use Priceline. I got the Doubletree in PA fot 65 a night for three nights. I used Hotwire and got the Westin in Arlington for 125 a night plus taxes and the Westin up in Boston Copley Place for 131 plus taxes. This was for a family with three small kids. These are normally 300 plus per night. Also some hotels are cheaper on weekdays (resort places like Atlantic City) and some are cheaper on weekends (NYC) .


I say Priceline for you because you don't have to guess about kids which Priceline makes you do and you can bid next to nothing and get 4 star hotel for the cost of Motel 6. Do use Priceline and Hotwire Forum to help identify the hotel as PL and HW do not tell you until after you book. Also read the tripadvisor reviews to get input and hints from others. You can have a great trip for 1500 bucks or you can pay four times that much and get less.

I just checked Priceline and Hotwire Forum and Hotwire and found this

Hotel: The Westin Resort Hilton Head Island 4*
Zone: Hilton Head Island
Sub Zone: Hilton Head Island
Price: $64/night
Date: Sun 6/3 - Thur 6/7
Amenities: Resort, Beachfront, Oceanfront, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-speed Internet Access, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby, Spa Services, Children's Activity Program

Westin's website was $249/night. Travelocity was $249. Expedia $459 (not kidding)

Bidding Strategy: I had been looking at recent winning bids and ones from the same time frame last year. A few minutes before buying this hotel, I bid $60/night on Priceline for the Resort category, which was turned down. Then I tried Hotwire, and it showed the $64/night.

I don't know SC at all. Seems that weekends are more expensive so Sun through Thursday is the way to go. 65 bucks at a Westin 4 star. Might even include breakfast.

There is also a website that lets you buy Tee times that are othrewise unsold at a fraction of the cost. Google for it.

[fisher33]

Thank you so much Bob - I will definitely look into Priceline/ Hotwire and the golf website. It makes me nervous to not know where I'm staying, but for that money perhaps I should give it a shot. Thanks again for the thoughtful answer!

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by fisher33

Thank you so much Bob - I will definitely look into Priceline/ Hotwire and the golf website. It makes me nervous to not know where I'm staying, but for that money perhaps I should give it a shot. Thanks again for the thoughtful answer!

If you use the Priceline and Hotwire Forum you can identify the hotel before you buy.

[BlueWillowPlate]

What about Amelia Island?
Perhaps it is not completely hidden, but it's certainly not as established and stuffy as some other more traditional destinations.
(You could still do Priceline, there is a Ritz-Carlton here.)

[5FLgirls]

My brother lives in Charleston and he spends a lot of time visiting the Asheville area. Anyway, I saw this website when I was researching for our summer vacation and thought you might be interested:
About This Park - Cheraw State Park - South Carolina State Park

Natural beauty and great golf come together at Cheraw State Park.

An 18-hole championship course winds its way through the long-leaf pinelands of the traditional state park, a course that’s earned notice from the Aubudon Society for the way it’s managed to preserve and protect the habitat it shares with uncommon critters such as red-cockaded woodpeckers and fox squirrels.

The park in South Carolina’s northeast corner also boasts Lake Juniper, a 300-acre impoundment built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression along with the park’s original cabins and picnic facilities.

A boardwalk along the lake helps visitors enjoy the scenic setting, and kayakers particularly enjoy silently scooting into the cypress wetlands at the lake’s edge.

There are eight one-bedroom cabins at Cheraw State Park,

[stacylee926]

We loved St Augustine! We were only there for 24 hrs, but we did the whirlwind tour and would have loved to stay longer.