Although it is exotic and tropical sounding, Isle of Palms is more accessible and convenient that you ever imagined just off the coast of South Carolina. Offering miles of white sandy beaches, endless recreational pursuits along its waterfront, and landlocked activities that are surprisingly stunning, anyone who wants a getaway filled with the very best of this pristine island would be right to stay in a waterfront vacation home rental.

As a quaint barrier island located just 10 miles north of Charleston, Isle of Palms is known for its picturesque beaches that are sure to melt away any ounce of stress you brought to the coast. The sparkling white sand stretches for seven miles along the Atlantic Ocean and is perfect for beach volleyball, picnicking, and, of course, sunbathing. More than just visually stunning, the clear water also invited visitors to swim, surf, jet ski, and sail to their heart’s content for a waterfront vacation that is bound to surpass the wildest of expectations.

While the sandy expanse is the reason most people flock to the isle, the attractions away from the water are the perfect complement to a well-rounded getaway. Always pedestrian and environmentally friendly, you can strap on some rollerblades or grab a bicycle to catch a glimpse of the salt marshes and wildlife that populate the land. Sports enthusiasts who want more structured pursuits will also be pleased to find clay courts and two championship golf courses at their disposal whenever they need a distraction from the water’s edge.

As evidenced by its affinity for outdoor activities, Isle of Palms leaves glitz and glamour by the wayside and focuses on its natural beauty to offer a getaway free of typical vacation anxiety. While the attractions do their best to calm your nerves and leave you as relaxed as possible, a vacation rental takes the serenity one step further by offering all of the comforts of home in this majestic setting. A fully-equipped kitchen, several bathrooms, and plenty of bedrooms for the entire family mean you can focus on more positive aspects of your getaway instead of all the problems that arise in cramped accommodations.

Rather than stepping all over your family and facing the inevitable boredom of a hotel room, Isle of Palms vacation rentals invite you to enjoy every moment of your trip, from sunrise to sunset. Wake-up to the sound of the ocean outside your bedroom window and then head over to your private balcony as the fresh air wrestles you out of your morning slumber. Setting out for a day at the beach is no problem, either, since a few steps down the boardwalk, which connects directly to your patio, will take you directly to the stunning sandy expanse. And if you happen to forget any beach accessories, you can return to your lodging and be back in the sand in a matter of minutes.

Besides the convenience during the day, one of the biggest differences that an Isle of Palms rental makes is in regards to nighttime entertainment. After hitting up a local restaurant, you typically expect to spend your evenings watching TV or maybe hopping into bed with a book. In a vacation rental, however, the options are far more diverse with the entertainment center, game room, wireless internet, hot tub, and private pool. Also, if the sound of a good book is too much to resist no matter where you are staying, you can take advantage of all the space and privacy by retreating to a quiet room or your personal bedroom.

Isle of Palms, South Carolina invites you to explore its natural beauty and experience a getaway full of exciting excursions that highlight this wondrous environment. While the time you spend outdoors is sure to be all-around fulfilling, expand the amusement to include the time you spend indoors by staying in a vacation home rental. Offering space, convenience, and amenities that suit your individual needs, it has never been easier to appease a traveling group of any size and leave your accommodations completely satisfied with your stay.

Once you’re gross income reaches a certain middle-class level, you will no doubt be solicited to attend a timeshare presentation. If you haven’t already, you will almost certainly in the future. Sometimes the request takes you by surprise.

My wife and I were staying at an inexpensive hotel near Charleston, South Carolina for a weekend vacation. As we walked down the beautiful Charleston streets, a nice man called out and asked us if we wanted to take a tour of their resort. He said they had just renovated it and he would offer us a $75 gift certificate, plus 2 “ghost tour” tickets if we would take a 90 minute tour of the resort.

“I’m no dummy”, I thought. I’d be crazy not to take him up on his offer. It might even be fun to tour the resort for nothing, but if he was going to offer a free night out on the town, then this was an offer too good to refuse. He had us give him $10 to “secure our spot” on the tour.

As we waited, my wife and I enjoyed the outdoor resort complex scenery as we sat on a stone bench next to a beautiful fountain. We both swore we would never actually buy a timeshare here (by now we realized they were probably going to try to sell us something). We knew we couldn’t afford it. We just wanted the free gifts. We came back a half hour later, got our $10 back and sat and waited a bit longer.

The personal tour finally started. The rooms were very elegant. This was almost like a museum tour, but we were getting paid! What a deal! Then came the hard-hitting sales pitch. We didn’t know what we were in for. About 3 hours later, we were ready to buy. The salesman had convinced us — it made such great financial sense. Another 2 hours later we had signed all the necessary forms to become owners. They even sent a runner out to get us lunch at Subway (for free) while we waited. What nice people.

Driving home, we were a bit nervous that we had made a big mistake. We were also giddy that we were now owners of such a great timeshare experience. A couple days later, as I do with almost every purchase, I checked online to see if I had gotten the best deal. We had paid about $12,000 for our timeshare deed. (We couldn’t afford this, but the salesman told us we could rent it out for enough to cover the payments.)

Well, I found that a similar timeshare unit was selling on eBay for about $2,000. My heart sank into my belly as I realized I had overpaid by about $10,000. I raced through all my contracts. There seemed like hundreds of papers in the stack we came home with.

Finally I found my golden ticket. God was very good to me on that day. I had found the rescission clause which basically said that I was free to cancel the contract anytime within 5 days of the date I had signed it. It was day three. Actually it was day 4 if they counted Sundays. Did they count Sundays? I was in a frenzy. I needed to cancel this thing officially, maybe by tomorrow.

I actually contemplated making an emergency plane flight to the timeshare company’s headquarters in Florida to make sure it got cancelled. I got a hold of someone from the company who said I could FedEx it overnight to them.

I got out of my timeshare deed. What a relief. Now it was on to the timeshare resale market to get myself a real deal.