South Carolina (Folly Beach)
Trip Summary
For years, my husband and I had talked about going to the beach, introducing our dogs to the waves, and enjoying a nice vacation, but for one reason or another, we kept pushing it off. But then at the end of the year, we were feeling burnt out and needed a break, and we decided to just go! Folly Beach was everything we needed, because it was off-season so prices were better, it was close to Charleston (a place we also wanted to see), and it was dog-friendly!
So we set off for Folly Beach, South Carolina, and what a welcome few days of relaxation it was! We booked a Premium Oceanfront room at Tides Folly Beach Hotel. It is one of the only hotels actually on the beach and offers really good balcony views. It was also dog-friendly, so we decided to go with it, and it was a lovely stay.
We actually ended up on the top floor, and the balcony–while small–can squeeze chairs on it, so we kept the windows open so we could hear the waves, then at night after we were done walking the beach and enjoying the restaurants in town, we sat on the balcony and just watched the waves go in and out. The views were also spectacular for sunrises and sunsets, so it was really all we could ask for!
The hotel also had a pool, a restaurant/bar, a coffee shop, and wonderful staff that was always happy to answer questions. We had arrived early, but we were able to park and enjoy the beach before our room was ready. When we did get our room, it was clean, nicely decorated, and quiet, so that made for an excellent stay.
The only hiccup was when we checked out, there was an extra charge on the bill for a late-check-in (which didn’t make sense as we came in early), and it took more than an hour to fix it because a manager had to sign off on it, so that was a real pain (and proof that you should always check your bill before you check-out)! We eventually got things sorted and the receptionist wrote off some charges to make up for the time we had to spend waiting, so it still worked out. The hotel is lovely and gets my recommendation for its proximity to the beach, its cheery rooms, and gorgeous views from the balconies.
The prices for the rooms vary wildly from on-season to off-season and even from weekday to weekend, so definitely go when it is cheaper. The main drawbacks of off-season is that some places are closed/have limited hours, and the places that sell chair/umbrella rentals are usually closed, too. However, the cheaper rooms make up for it as the rooms aren’t worth the rates they charge for high season, but they are definitely worth the off-season/weekday prices!
Tides Folly Beach Hotel: A
Usually, we would wake up early and walk/run down the beach to watch the sunrise and then come back to work in the room/near the pool, then for dinner, we’d go out before coming back to watch the sunset. The restaurant across from the hotel–Rita’s–actually ended up being our favorite, and we went back to it several times–for breakfast, for dinner, and for drinks.
It really had the best options, had a great patio, and had friendly, quick service that was much better than the other places in town. They were also one of the most dog-friendly as our fur babies got lots of extra love while there, and the waitress even brought them out their own plate of bacon on the house!
The food was delicious, too, and during breakfast every morning, we enjoyed the waffles, biscuits and gravy, and French toast (these were on multiple mornings–not all at once, ha!). Their home fries/hashbrowns were also our favorite of the trip, because they were fresh and crispy. Drinks were good, too, and the service was the best of anywhere in Folly Beach. Definitely recommend!
Rita’s Seaside Grille: A+
Another good place for breakfast (though not quite as amazing as Rita’s) was Lost Dog Cafe. I had read a lot of good reviews for this place, so we decided to try it out one morning. They have a lot of great breakfast options, and we tried the biscuits and gravy and the breakfast sandwich, and both were good. We had seen the breakfast burrito on the menu, but decided it would be too much food, but it seemed to be one of the most popular menu items as just about every table around us ordered it! Each time one would be brought out, the looks and smells of it were divine and had us wishing we had ordered it! So try out the breakfast burrito if you go and tell us if it tasted as good as it looked!
So for its tasty food, outside seating area, and cute decor, it gets a good grade. However, this place is very popular, so you are looking at a wait if you go and slower service as there are so many more people there. It is still a staple of Folly Beach, so definitely try it out!
Lost Dog Cafe: A
One other place that we really liked was Taco Boy. They had a lot of fun decor, outside seating, delicious entrees, and reasonably priced drinks! We actually went there twice, it was so good! The quesadillas were our favorite, but they also had excellent tacos, chips, and guacamole. The service was also very good if you sat at the bar area (it was much slower at a table), but that will likely be the case anywhere you go.
So if you need a lively dinner place with great food, this is your spot!
Taco Boy: A
If you are willing to venture out a little more, there are some great dining spots within a drive away! For example, my husband was really wanting pizza, and there weren’t a lot of good options close by, so we decided to drive to Fam’s Brewing Company–and it was delicious! They had a lot of beer selections, and their pizza was hot, delicious, and had all sorts of topping options.
The service was a little slow as there was only one server for the whole restaurant (a more common thing nowadays), but the portions were plentiful, and we had a bunch to take back to the hotel and enjoy later! So if you need a pizza spot, definitely come here!
Fam’s Brewing Company: A-
Another spot that we drove to was LoLo’s. It is a seafood restaurant on the water, and we went right at sunset, so the views were gorgeous as we sat down and welcomed the evening. The wait staff was also very friendly and was happy to recommend their favorites from the menu.
The food itself tasted good and was fresh. My husband got some “mud bugs,” and we split some chicken and fried okra, so we got our seafood/Southern food fix before heading back home! The view was perhaps the best part of it all, so if you go, definitely time it out around sunset, because the clouds, the water, and the scenery make for a stunning combination!
LoLo’s: A
So those are all my food recommendations! Granted, we tried going to more places but ended up leaving when we waited at the front and a host never came by or if the wait was going to be exceptionally long. Some places were also a little frustrating where they would only serve certain drinks upstairs or inside, so that made it difficult if you wanted to sit outside or if you had dogs (who had to be outside), so I don’t have those recommended here.
All in all, though, Folly Beach is an awesome place to unwind and get away from everything. Its chill vibe, plentiful restaurants, and gorgeous beach all make for a great vacation destination!
Favorite Experiences
While I had been to the beach many times as a kid, they were just day trips as we couldn’t afford a hotel at the beach, so this was a nice experience being able to walk out on the beaches as the sun was rising or sitting on the balcony and enjoying the sunset.
The nights out on the patios of restaurants was nice, too, because even though we visited in the off-season, the air was still warm, and you could enjoy the ocean breeze without getting too cold. I loved how dog-friendly the place was, too, and am so grateful that we finally decided to take our fur kids to the beach!
What I Wish I Knew
My husband really likes seafood, and we fully intended to get our seafood fix while at the beach, but did you know you can be seafood-ed out after a while? We weren’t expecting that, so when we had gone to Charleston for a few days first (that is in a separate post here!), we ate plenty of seafood and weren’t really in the mood for a whole lot more…which was a shame because Bowens Island was nearby, and that place came very highly recommended! It also had specific times when it was open, so that limited us, too. So if you are in the area, save your seafood experiences for that place, because that is what I wish we had done so that we could have at least tried one of the most famous eateries in the area!
Also, I wasn’t expecting all the chair rental places to be closed for the season, so go ahead and bring some chairs, a blanket, and a cooler, and that will allow you to be able to enjoy the beach more fully during the day.
Oh, and a big tip for your room! No matter where you stay, sand from the beach is everywhere–on the streets, on the sidewalk, on the floors, and you matter how much you wash your feet off, there’s still going to be fine grains of sand…which makes it difficult when you are getting into bed, and you don’t want to track any of it in on your feet. So we got in the habit of wearing socks around the room and taking those off right before we got into bed, and that helped prevent any sand tracking in. Just a tip if you want your sheets to be clean and comfortable!
There’s also a lot to do in the area. There’s the Angel Tree (that I review in my Charleston post), historical plantations, more beaches, and a lot of tours (dolphins are popular in the area!). There’s a forum here that may be helpful when planning, but overall, I highly recommend Folly Beach. It’s an amazing getaway, was much cheaper in the off-season, and was the perfect spot to have fun!
I also post reels and TikToks regularly of all the places I’ve reviewed on here, so if you want to see some videos of what to expect, check out my social media here:
TikTok: @touristyteacher
Instagram: @touristyteacher
Facebook: @touristyteacher
Happy travels!
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