Fripp Island: the Hilton Head alternative, beach resort you’ve probably never heard of

FRIPP ISLAND, South Carolina – You can pretty much see Hilton Head from the suggestion of Fripp Island.

From the map, I’m fairly positive I could swim between them. But it is an hour and a half by motor vehicle. And which is the way Fripp likes it, slice off from the rest of the holidaymakers in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

There are no grocery outlets on Fripp, a 6.5-sq.-mile private vacation resort off the coast of Beaufort, amongst Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Georgia. There are no outlet malls, no inns, no mini golfing and no crowds – at the very least when we rented a property with pals for spring crack.

Fewer than 1,000 men and women live on the island calendar year-spherical, while the inhabitants swells to about 5,000 through the summer months.

Lots of of individuals are people on vacation: plunging in the Atlantic Ocean, jumping in the pool, taking part in tennis, playing golfing, bicycling, fishing, paddleboarding, golfing carting or just lounging below the shade of palm trees.

Fripp offers a couple of restaurants. But if you want to paint the town, you can push 30 minutes west to Beaufort, just lately voted best small city in the South by the viewers of Southern Dwelling magazine (which commonly serves as my journey and daydreaming tutorial). There you can wander the mansions of the Spanish-moss-draped historic district, a kaleidoscope of charming boutiques on Bay Road and the solar-dappled patios of dining establishments alongside the Beaufort River.

We spent just one day in Beaufort, which I had visited 8 several years back on a women weekend. But the relaxation of our week passed in a golden haze on Fripp.

Why Fripp?

We selected the island only because of an extraordinary home we identified on Vrbo with a pool, very hot tub, waterslide and fireplace pit. At 12 several hours absent, the vacation spot was just in just the variety of a a single-working day generate, though if you want to fly you can, to the Savannah and Charleston airports. When individuals requested exactly where we ended up going, and I stated, Fripp, most seemed confused. “What?”

The identify is not for the ideal abundance of achievable puns, several of which grace mailboxes: Fripp Floppin’, Fripp-a-dee-doo-dah and A Very long Bizarre Fripp.

The island is named right after Johannes Fripp, a 17th-century swashbuckling privateer or a British sailor who shielded the spot from Spanish assaults, dependent on who you question. Legend suggests that pirates hid treasure on the island. But for significantly of its record the island was utilized mostly for hunting, as was the appropriately named Searching Island to the north. Searching Island is now a 5,000-acre state park, with trails, a seashore and an 1875-designed lighthouse at this time shut for repair service.

A bridge from Searching Island to Fripp was constructed in 1961. About the future decade, the Ocean Issue Golf Back links, racquet club, marina, properties and condos ended up developed, all aspect of the Fripp Island Golfing & Seaside Vacation resort.

The island remains non-public and unincorporated, with many of the homes rented specifically by means of the vacation resort alone. You need to move a security gate to enter the island, and to use any facilities, together with the two golfing classes, four pools, kids’ things to do or dining places, you will have to obtain a $35 club card good for a 7 days, for just about every household member 13 and more mature.

But when you’re on Fripp, you may by no means want to depart the paradise of palm trees, significantly eradicated from the daily world.

This is a area where by your calendar is fully absolutely free, in which your major issue is beach front or pool – and the remedy is, both equally. Wherever you can established up the Chance board and participate in all 7 days extended. In which there’s no level in packing dressy dangly earrings due to the fact you’ll dress in only swimsuits and T-shirts in any case.

The island is greater than I envisioned, with room to distribute out and deer everywhere. But it is compact plenty of that you can park your motor vehicle for the 7 days and journey on bikes or golf carts.

We largely stayed place. We stocked up on groceries in Beaufort and cooked meal each individual night, sharing kitchen responsibilities so it created clean up-up uncomplicated. We shared child-wrangling duties, as well, so although the youngsters hung out with their friends, the mothers and fathers felt like they truly acquired a family vacation.

We whiled away our times spotting dolphins and an alligator, driving golf carts, buying up shells, swimming and playing soccer on the sand. We lazed away our evenings cooking evening meal, sitting down in the sizzling tub, participating in playing cards and telling tales all over the hearth.

Which is not to say we had no ideas. We shopped and lunched in Beaufort just one early morning and rented boats. I took a tennis lesson and was completely glowing with compliments and useful tips. We strike balls on the driving assortment. We paddleboarded. We boogie-boarded. We frequented the Looking Island lighthouse. And my 9-yr-previous daughter and I took a browsing lesson via Nalu Paddleboarding, a store located at the Fripp Marina.

She was a organic who popped up on her initial attempt, even turned all-around to wave. I was absolutely not, but thanks to the patience of our teacher, I did deal with to stand up a few times on the board. Extra importantly, I felt invigorated trying some thing totally new.

Completely new, totally chill. Frippee-ki-yay!

If you go:

Look at Vrbo or Fripp Island Resort to search for residences and condos.

Prices rely on facilities and place, though you can get everywhere on the island very easily by bike or golf cart.

Through summer time months, assume to pay out $300 or extra a night for a two-bed room apartment.

Residences change from sleeping 4 to 16. A 14-particular person, household, for example, could charge about $600 a night time.