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

FRIPP ISLAND, South Carolina – You can practically see Hilton Head from the idea of Fripp Island.

From the map, I’m really guaranteed I could swim between them. But it’s an hour and a 50 percent by auto. And that’s the way Fripp likes it, lower off from the rest of the vacationers in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

There are no grocery suppliers on Fripp, a 6.5-square-mile private resort off the coastline of Beaufort, in between Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga. There are no outlet malls, no accommodations, no mini golfing and no crowds – at least when we rented a property with mates for spring break.

Much less than 1,000 people reside on the island yr-round, nevertheless the populace swells to about 5,000 throughout the summer season months.

Several of individuals are households on holiday vacation: plunging in the Atlantic Ocean, jumping in the pool, enjoying tennis, playing golfing, bicycling, fishing, paddleboarding, golf carting or just lounging beneath the shade of palm trees.

Fripp offers a several dining establishments. But if you want to paint the city, you can travel 30 minutes west to Beaufort, not too long ago voted very best little city in the South by the readers of Southern Residing magazine (which usually serves as my journey and daydreaming guideline). 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 invested one day in Beaufort, which I had visited 8 a long time back on a women weekend. But the rest of our week passed in a golden haze on Fripp.

Why Fripp?

We selected the island basically due to the fact of an extraordinary dwelling we located on Vrbo with a pool, very hot tub, waterslide and hearth pit. At 12 hrs absent, the desired destination was just within the vary of a a person-working day drive, while if you want to fly you can, to the Savannah and Charleston airports. When people requested where we have been heading, and I stated, Fripp, most looked bewildered. “What?”

The name is not for the fantastic abundance of possible puns, many of which grace mailboxes: Fripp Floppin’, Fripp-a-dee-doo-dah and A Extensive Weird Fripp.

The island is named following Johannes Fripp, a 17th-century swashbuckling privateer or a British sailor who safeguarded the location from Spanish assaults, relying on who you check with. Legend suggests that pirates hid treasure on the island. But for considerably of its historical past the island was applied principally for searching, as was the appropriately named Searching Island to the north. Looking Island is now a 5,000-acre condition park, with trails, a beach and an 1875-designed lighthouse at this time shut for maintenance.

A bridge from Searching Island to Fripp was constructed in 1961. Above the following 10 years, the Ocean Place Golf Hyperlinks, racquet club, marina, properties and condos ended up crafted, all section of the Fripp Island Golf & Beach front Vacation resort.

The island stays non-public and unincorporated, with quite a few of the properties rented specifically by means of the resort alone. You ought to pass a safety gate to enter the island, and to use any features, together with the two golfing programs, four pools, kids’ functions or dining places, you should get a $35 club card very good for a 7 days, for every single relatives member 13 and older.

But as soon as you’re on Fripp, you might in no way want to depart the paradise of palm trees, far eradicated from the day to day planet.

This is a put wherever your calendar is completely no cost, the place your greatest concern is beach front or pool – and the reply is, equally. Where by you can established up the Threat board and perform all week very long. Where by there is no point in packing dressy dangly earrings mainly because you will wear only swimsuits and T-shirts in any case.

The island is greater than I envisioned, with place to unfold out and deer all over the place. But it’s compact plenty of that you can park your auto for the week and vacation on bikes or golfing carts.

We typically stayed place. We stocked up on groceries in Beaufort and cooked meal every night, sharing kitchen duties so it produced clear-up effortless. We shared kid-wrangling responsibilities, as well, so while the children hung out with their mates, the mothers and fathers felt like they actually got a trip.

We whiled absent our days recognizing dolphins and an alligator, using golfing carts, choosing up shells, swimming and playing football on the sand. We lazed away our evenings cooking supper, sitting in the hot tub, taking part in playing cards and telling tales about the hearth.

That’s not to say we experienced no programs. We shopped and lunched in Beaufort one particular early morning and rented boats. I took a tennis lesson and was completely glowing with compliments and valuable ideas. We hit balls on the driving range. We paddleboarded. We boogie-boarded. We visited the Hunting Island lighthouse. And my 9-calendar year-previous daughter and I took a surfing lesson by Nalu Paddleboarding, a shop positioned at the Fripp Marina.

She was a natural who popped up on her initial try out, even turned around to wave. I was definitely not, but many thanks to the tolerance of our instructor, I did deal with to stand up a few instances on the board. More importantly, I felt invigorated attempting a little something absolutely new.

Entirely new, wholly chill. Frippee-ki-yay!

If you go:

Check Vrbo or Fripp Island Vacation resort to research for houses and condos.

Charges rely on facilities and spot, however you can get wherever on the island conveniently by bicycle or golfing cart.

Throughout summer months, hope to fork out $300 or much more a evening for a two-bed room rental.

Homes vary from sleeping four to 16. A 14-person, residence, for case in point, could price about $600 a night time.