Each time I come down to stay at our family’s home in Kiawah, we always end up walking down the beach to The Sanctuary’s Bar to end our evening. This year the staff was A++++. I have to give a special shoutout to Nel, Britney & Mr. Wesley for going above & beyond the entire week, each night we visited. From seeing some of us waiting in line & before we even got to the front of the line, knowing & having our drinks ready or to helping my grandmother onto our golf cart as she is handicap. They made our family have the most fun we have had in years down here in Kiawah. We look forward to being back over Easter. Thanks for everyone who took care of us throughout the week!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Farfromhomes
We spent 5 days at this resort. The level of service, amenities and quality of the rooms are top-notch. Our ocean view room was very thoroughly serviced each day and our towels, if we had already used them after daily housekeeping, would be refreshed again during turn-down service. We had a little 'frig in our room that allowed us to chill the bottled waters they would provide each day on our nightstands. The light switches in our room all had dimmers on them so you can adjust how light you want the sleeping area and bathroom to be at night. A ceiling fan helped keep air conditioned air flowing over night. All staff we encountered were professional and friendly. We rented bikes for the week and had a great time biking on the beach, their winding bike path through the island as well as through the neighborhoods to see the different houses. The landscaping around the resort building was immaculate and the beach was free of trash an enjoyable place to walk.
R1554PCellenm
I’ve been going here for years, it’s wonderful! The rooms are well appointed like the rest of the hotel. The guys at the beach are fabulous, Robbie and Albert took great care of us! Donalyn at the Ocean Room is always so kind. Charlie and the entire gang on Club Level are fantastic! I love this place!
EJinPa
My husband and I have stayed at this hotel a few times. We kept returning because the property is beautiful, clean, ammentity filled and offer great restaurant options. Although it is quite expensive we felt in the past "you get what you pay for". That was until recently. I made a reservation a couple of months ago for a premiere oceanfront corner room and an oceanview room for family to spend a lovely Thanksgiving with family. I told the reservationist the room numbers that would be acceptable, one of which we have stayed in at Easter. This reservation was for 5 nights and the rate was over $5000.00. At NO TIME was I told those rooms were already spoken for and a subsequent call to ensure those rooms were available was status quo. Just this week I called to make dinner reservations and again asked if my requested rooms were on my reservation. Crickets. Than a "we do all we can to honor your request". Well, I said I was told to request in advance and it won't be an issue. Never was before. Crickets. Than finally I was told, "Those rooms are not available during your stay"! That someone else secured them. YES! THAT WAS ME! No, sorry and we cannot guarantee you will be anywhere near your family. Turns out they want to stick us on the ground or second floor! WOW I have never felt so disrespected when attempting to pay FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS for hotel rooms not to mention the extra thousands on restaurant and bar patronage, golf, etc. ! Having travelled all over the world, most recently Europe, the hotels were exactly as requested. My only thought is that not all of the Sanctuary's guests are valued, made apparent by the deceitful way they treated me each time I called. The last call was made by my husband 5 days ago wherein he asked to speak with the reservation manager and was told he would indeed be hearing from this person. No surprise but NO CALL TO US WAS MADE. Just know you, as a guest, are not valued and they are not willing to work with you at all and more importantly the lie. All is not as it seems at The Sanctuary
JCPress1
The Sanctuary was a beautiful property within a golf community. The room was fantastic - large, comfortable and a killer view. Bathroom was modern and stocked with plenty of amenities. This was a five star experience. One small nit: It took over an hour to receive our luggage once we arrived. And a general comment: Every staff member had his or her hand out for tips constantly. I would rather have paid an extra resort fee so I did not have to worry about carrying cash around! Rent or bring your bikes and ride on the beach!
suecL8132RI
over priced. terrible customer service. reservations line was impossible to reach. when someone finally answered they hung up on me. then i called back and was put on hold for over 15 minutes. they said they were really busy and yet they still have rooms available. Poor management of the property. The setting is magnificent but this hotel needs a complete facelift including personnel. They do not seem to care about the customer. I wish it would change because Kiawah Island is special. Instead of staying here again I am going to use Arbnb.
jed54289
The rooms are very well appointed. The bedding is luxurious. The staff is mostly friendly and helpful. A bit hard to get to. Would be nice if they had a more moderately priced restaurant on-site. Room service was good. The club level upgrade is very much worth the extra price-to get into the club room for meals, snacks and drinks. The location is perfect for all the golfing and other things to do on the island. Valet parking is nice ($28/night) but guest parking is close enough to walk. Great view of ocean and easy to get down to a very nice beach. In case it's "important" they have Pepsi products instead of Coke products (for those of us who prefer Coke). Make sure you ask for a room away from the ice machines-no doors where the ice machines are and the running motor and relatively constant noise of the ice hitting the ice buckets was annoying for the price of the room (we asked to be moved and they happily accommodated us). The only issue was the loud live band on the courtyard steps on Saturday night. Although they stopped at 9 it disrupts the idea of having a nice quiet relaxing evening in the room for the price paid for the room-we might have stayed elsewhere on Saturday night (had we known in advance) since we had to get up early the next morning for our drive home..
CatieGC
Absolutely beautiful location with fabulous amenities. The pool area and its service are wonderful. Waiters really took great care of us. The rooms are stunning and well maintained. Restaurant is great (less formal if you eat in the bar area but just as good).
mossquad
This resort bills itself as a 5-star resort. It certainly has the look of one with one of the best beaches you could ask for. However, the service was not always reflective of a 5-star. There were several times when we had completely indifferent staff, from restaurant staff to housekeeping. The beach staff, the poolside bar and the lobby bar were all excellent. The outlying restaurants, not so much. If you plan to go to the lobby bar (or any of the bars, really) for happy hour, plan to be there early. By 5pm we found lots of kids taking up the seats in the bar, leaving out adults looking to have a drink. The golf course was in excellent condition and overall, we enjoyed our stay.
MerrimackMrs
The Sanctuary is a lovely hotel. It's been a month since our return and I have to say the #1 area that left an impression on me was the housekeeping staff. I believe the housekeeping staff was the best I've ever experienced in my life. Not only were they the friendliest, nicest people, but they did a phenomenal job. We ordered room service twice and they were wonderful also. We were traveling with a group and The Sanctuary staff were the ones who picked us up at the airport. I'll spare the details, but I've never been treated so rudely by a hotel staff member as the young woman who was part of the team that picked us up. I spoke to her supervisor at the end of our stay. He was polite and listened to my grievance, but initially I had a sneaking suspicion that he was apt to believe the young woman who had already told him her side of the story. I do feel though that once he heard things from my perspective he could empathize with me. A special shout out to Cade at the front desk who helped me with an issue with our room when we first checked in. He displayed the level of customer service that I would expect from a hotel of this caliber. I was still rattled from my airport transport incident so it was nice to be treated respectfully.
Horrible service at the beach specifically Keith and Albert. 7 grown men basically selling front row chairs AFTER you’ve paid $800 per night to stay there. One million condos just to the right of you. I would NOT stay here again under any circumstance. Beach is meh, water is murky, and alcohol is really expensive (same price for a glass of Chardonnay as the the whole bottle). Just get on a plane and go to the Caribbean.
imcookn
My wife and I are just leaving The Sanctuary after a 4 night stay in an Oceanfront King Room. This is a special place! From the architecture to the grounds to the public spaces to the finishes to the staff everything is superb! We were fortunate to get a corner room so we had 2 patios with double doors so lots of sunshine. The room was large, clean, and elegantly furnished and housekeeping did an excellent job! We played Osprey Point and Cougar Point golf courses and they were both very nice.’ The restaurants are also very good. So you get what you pay for. Try it, you’ll like it!
Tim Kane
Great service and good drinks.
StephanieNieszel
We stayed here a few nights for spring break. We had two connecting rooms and everything was perfect. We met an employee in the lobby named Art who was so sweet and shows us videos on his phone he had taken with a pack of dolphins. We ate by the pool one day and Jasmines Porch and Tomassos for dinner. Rented bikes. I had stayed here a few times before. I recommend renting bikes before you arrive as once I went they were fully booked out with bikes. They seem to have added a fire pit outside. They should get a few more and create a s'mores bar as Palmetto Bluff has this every evening and it is super popular. I'm glad they converted the gift shop into a coffee shop and grab and go breakfast spot.
Each time I come down to stay at our family’s home in Kiawah, we always end up walking down the beach to The Sanctuary’s Bar to end our evening. This year the staff was A++++. I have to give a special shoutout to Nel, Britney & Mr. Wesley for going above & beyond the entire week, each night we visited. From seeing some of us waiting in line & before we even got to the front of the line, knowing & having our drinks ready or to helping my grandmother onto our golf cart as she is handicap. They made our family have the most fun we have had in years down here in Kiawah. We look forward to being back over Easter. Thanks for everyone who took care of us throughout the week!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We spent 5 days at this resort. The level of service, amenities and quality of the rooms are top-notch. Our ocean view room was very thoroughly serviced each day and our towels, if we had already used them after daily housekeeping, would be refreshed again during turn-down service. We had a little 'frig in our room that allowed us to chill the bottled waters they would provide each day on our nightstands. The light switches in our room all had dimmers on them so you can adjust how light you want the sleeping area and bathroom to be at night. A ceiling fan helped keep air conditioned air flowing over night. All staff we encountered were professional and friendly. We rented bikes for the week and had a great time biking on the beach, their winding bike path through the island as well as through the neighborhoods to see the different houses. The landscaping around the resort building was immaculate and the beach was free of trash an enjoyable place to walk.
I’ve been going here for years, it’s wonderful! The rooms are well appointed like the rest of the hotel. The guys at the beach are fabulous, Robbie and Albert took great care of us! Donalyn at the Ocean Room is always so kind. Charlie and the entire gang on Club Level are fantastic! I love this place!
My husband and I have stayed at this hotel a few times. We kept returning because the property is beautiful, clean, ammentity filled and offer great restaurant options. Although it is quite expensive we felt in the past "you get what you pay for". That was until recently. I made a reservation a couple of months ago for a premiere oceanfront corner room and an oceanview room for family to spend a lovely Thanksgiving with family. I told the reservationist the room numbers that would be acceptable, one of which we have stayed in at Easter. This reservation was for 5 nights and the rate was over $5000.00. At NO TIME was I told those rooms were already spoken for and a subsequent call to ensure those rooms were available was status quo. Just this week I called to make dinner reservations and again asked if my requested rooms were on my reservation. Crickets. Than a "we do all we can to honor your request". Well, I said I was told to request in advance and it won't be an issue. Never was before. Crickets. Than finally I was told, "Those rooms are not available during your stay"! That someone else secured them. YES! THAT WAS ME! No, sorry and we cannot guarantee you will be anywhere near your family. Turns out they want to stick us on the ground or second floor! WOW I have never felt so disrespected when attempting to pay FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS for hotel rooms not to mention the extra thousands on restaurant and bar patronage, golf, etc. ! Having travelled all over the world, most recently Europe, the hotels were exactly as requested. My only thought is that not all of the Sanctuary's guests are valued, made apparent by the deceitful way they treated me each time I called. The last call was made by my husband 5 days ago wherein he asked to speak with the reservation manager and was told he would indeed be hearing from this person. No surprise but NO CALL TO US WAS MADE. Just know you, as a guest, are not valued and they are not willing to work with you at all and more importantly the lie. All is not as it seems at The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary was a beautiful property within a golf community. The room was fantastic - large, comfortable and a killer view. Bathroom was modern and stocked with plenty of amenities. This was a five star experience. One small nit: It took over an hour to receive our luggage once we arrived. And a general comment: Every staff member had his or her hand out for tips constantly. I would rather have paid an extra resort fee so I did not have to worry about carrying cash around! Rent or bring your bikes and ride on the beach!
over priced. terrible customer service. reservations line was impossible to reach. when someone finally answered they hung up on me. then i called back and was put on hold for over 15 minutes. they said they were really busy and yet they still have rooms available. Poor management of the property. The setting is magnificent but this hotel needs a complete facelift including personnel. They do not seem to care about the customer. I wish it would change because Kiawah Island is special. Instead of staying here again I am going to use Arbnb.
The rooms are very well appointed. The bedding is luxurious. The staff is mostly friendly and helpful. A bit hard to get to. Would be nice if they had a more moderately priced restaurant on-site. Room service was good. The club level upgrade is very much worth the extra price-to get into the club room for meals, snacks and drinks. The location is perfect for all the golfing and other things to do on the island. Valet parking is nice ($28/night) but guest parking is close enough to walk. Great view of ocean and easy to get down to a very nice beach. In case it's "important" they have Pepsi products instead of Coke products (for those of us who prefer Coke). Make sure you ask for a room away from the ice machines-no doors where the ice machines are and the running motor and relatively constant noise of the ice hitting the ice buckets was annoying for the price of the room (we asked to be moved and they happily accommodated us). The only issue was the loud live band on the courtyard steps on Saturday night. Although they stopped at 9 it disrupts the idea of having a nice quiet relaxing evening in the room for the price paid for the room-we might have stayed elsewhere on Saturday night (had we known in advance) since we had to get up early the next morning for our drive home..
Absolutely beautiful location with fabulous amenities. The pool area and its service are wonderful. Waiters really took great care of us. The rooms are stunning and well maintained. Restaurant is great (less formal if you eat in the bar area but just as good).
This resort bills itself as a 5-star resort. It certainly has the look of one with one of the best beaches you could ask for. However, the service was not always reflective of a 5-star. There were several times when we had completely indifferent staff, from restaurant staff to housekeeping. The beach staff, the poolside bar and the lobby bar were all excellent. The outlying restaurants, not so much. If you plan to go to the lobby bar (or any of the bars, really) for happy hour, plan to be there early. By 5pm we found lots of kids taking up the seats in the bar, leaving out adults looking to have a drink. The golf course was in excellent condition and overall, we enjoyed our stay.
The Sanctuary is a lovely hotel. It's been a month since our return and I have to say the #1 area that left an impression on me was the housekeeping staff. I believe the housekeeping staff was the best I've ever experienced in my life. Not only were they the friendliest, nicest people, but they did a phenomenal job. We ordered room service twice and they were wonderful also. We were traveling with a group and The Sanctuary staff were the ones who picked us up at the airport. I'll spare the details, but I've never been treated so rudely by a hotel staff member as the young woman who was part of the team that picked us up. I spoke to her supervisor at the end of our stay. He was polite and listened to my grievance, but initially I had a sneaking suspicion that he was apt to believe the young woman who had already told him her side of the story. I do feel though that once he heard things from my perspective he could empathize with me. A special shout out to Cade at the front desk who helped me with an issue with our room when we first checked in. He displayed the level of customer service that I would expect from a hotel of this caliber. I was still rattled from my airport transport incident so it was nice to be treated respectfully.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great place to unwind.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Horrible service at the beach specifically Keith and Albert. 7 grown men basically selling front row chairs AFTER you’ve paid $800 per night to stay there. One million condos just to the right of you. I would NOT stay here again under any circumstance. Beach is meh, water is murky, and alcohol is really expensive (same price for a glass of Chardonnay as the the whole bottle). Just get on a plane and go to the Caribbean.
My wife and I are just leaving The Sanctuary after a 4 night stay in an Oceanfront King Room. This is a special place! From the architecture to the grounds to the public spaces to the finishes to the staff everything is superb! We were fortunate to get a corner room so we had 2 patios with double doors so lots of sunshine. The room was large, clean, and elegantly furnished and housekeeping did an excellent job! We played Osprey Point and Cougar Point golf courses and they were both very nice.’ The restaurants are also very good. So you get what you pay for. Try it, you’ll like it!
Great service and good drinks.
We stayed here a few nights for spring break. We had two connecting rooms and everything was perfect. We met an employee in the lobby named Art who was so sweet and shows us videos on his phone he had taken with a pack of dolphins. We ate by the pool one day and Jasmines Porch and Tomassos for dinner. Rented bikes. I had stayed here a few times before. I recommend renting bikes before you arrive as once I went they were fully booked out with bikes. They seem to have added a fire pit outside. They should get a few more and create a s'mores bar as Palmetto Bluff has this every evening and it is super popular. I'm glad they converted the gift shop into a coffee shop and grab and go breakfast spot.