We were happy with the location and bathrooms have been upgraded. There were issues with the shower valve handle in one bathroom and the other bathroom toilet was not bolted to the floor. The kitchen was large and easy for multiple people to use at once but the flatware was very skimpy, especially forks, as were other regular necessities. Porch furniture was very bad and uncomfortable. And the screen door didnât fully close, leaving a 1/2 inch gap for mosquitoes and flies. The porch was also very dirty upon our arrival. We think with a bit more attention to detail, this cottage could really be a winner. This was our 35th year vacationing in Kiawah!
This was our fourth trip to Kiawah with our 2 daughters, who are now young adults. The home is accurately represented on the website. We were very comfortable and enjoyed having an outside hose for rinsing after the beach and covered parking. The screened in porch was a very nice feature. The location is outstanding, with quick access to the beach and trails.
This was a lovely place to stay. The side porch was nice and private. Quick walk to the beach. Kiawah Island is beautiful, definitely bring your bikes. We even got to see the endangered Red Knot birds foraging on the beach one morning! The pool is only seasonal, fyi.
We enjoyed staying here. The place was clean but could have been cleaner, the porch wasnât swept off and the bathroom baseboards needed wiped off badly. The A/C doesnât work in the bedrooms. We had to leave our bedrooms doors open to let the air get in the bedrooms. The washer is also very old and shakes the house which you can feel when it is running. However, we did like the distance to the beach and pool.
We were able to rent this property at the last minute to come to the beach with our family after evacuating our home due to Hurricane Helene. The house is very close to the beach, and the area is quiet and peaceful. Be sure to rent bicycles to get around the islandâitâs fun to bike instead of driving everywhere.
One downside is that the house has an outdated TV without a HDMI input. We brought our Apple TV, but were unable to use it. Additionally, the house wasnât as clean as we had hoped. We were informed via text that "the unit is scheduled for a deep clean... as far as dust goes, that unit has been sitting for a month." I wish more care had been taken to clean the house before our arrival. Be sure to bring tall kitchen bags with you, only one is provided in the starter pack.
On the positive side, the house has a new washer and dryer, which was very helpful with two small children. The beds were comfortable and the air conditioning worked well. We did not do much cooking, but the kitchen seemed well stocked with everything you would need.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay and were grateful to find a place so close to our family.
This was our third trip to Kiawah and it is a magical place. The unit is walking distance from the beach. After not getting an email response to my questions, I logged onto the chat function and was told that it is owned by Vacasa, not by an individual. I was given a phone number and called with my questions about amenities. They said there were no beach chairs or blow dyers for hair, but there are. Also some beach toys, and what looked like a portable canopy, although I didn't open it up to see. There is an outdoor shower for hosing off the sand. Bring your own beach towels. The sheets and bath towels were clean and there was no sand on the floor, I give them points for that. The kitchen supplies were adequate if not abundant, but if you're staying for a week you'll need to bring additional trash bags, paper towels and dish washer detergent. There are no condiments of any kind, including salt and pepper. All food must be tightly sealed or kept in the fridge. One can expect a few bugs in this environment, but this unit has more than average, including ants and palmetto bugs (large roaches). Don't leave anything on the counter.
This villa is in a quiet, lovely neighborhood with easy access to the pool, beach, Freshfields,etc. Highly recommend renting bikes. We rode bikes to the beach daily and all over the island.
The villa had beach chairs, cooler, and tent. There are plenty of kitchen supplies. There were 6 of us, 3 adults and 3 teens. The space was comfortable and worked out perfectly for us. We were adventuring daily so mostly in villa mornings and at night. We enjoyed playing games and cards on the screened porch.
There were no surprises. We appreciated the timely communication via texts from
Vacasa with right on time info.
We loved our stay! Very clean and quiet. Y'all might want to spray for bugs though? We had a few good sized cockroaches (totally coming back, that was not a make or break it thing for us,but the extra 'roomates' were an unwanted surprise). Thanks you for sharing this gorgeous place with us!
For $1500 per week peak charges at a lesser vacation spot the property would possibly meet our expectations.
For a $3500 per week Kiawah âupscaleâvacation property the property falls far short of our expectations. The property needs updated furnishings.
We would not rent this property again
We have been to Kiawah regularly since 1996 Trust me this evaluation is fair.
Cleaning
The cleaning leaves a lot to be desired. Apparently cleaning under anything is not expected of the cleaning crews. The dust under the sofas and beds was so thick I needed allergy meds to stay in the property at night.
Safety
The entire property shakes when the washer is on spin cycle. Scary that the washer can cause this.
The front steps have no effective lighting and a flashlight was needed to navigate the steps after dark.
If youâre visiting Kiawah and need a lower priced option, these villas work well. They are close to beach and entrance to island so easy to get where you need to go. Walk to beach or pool, suggest renting bikes to get you around the island. This villa is in good shape, not a luxury rental so temper expectations, but itâs clean and well equipped with kitchen and bath stuff, as well as beach toys like boogie boards, chairs and cooler. The unit could use an outdoor grill, though. TV is dated, but not needed given we watch content on iPads and phones anyway. Thereâs even a DVD player for you historians! Good place to stay, I would return. Management is responsive to questions and needs as well.
The Sparrow Pond Cottages are quiet and conveniently located-close to the Kiawah entrance and short walk to the beach. There is also a pool close by, though we didn't use it. Our cottage had all that we needed-paper products and linens-and Harris Teeter was just 5 minutes away. Plenty of great restaurants also!
Property was in a great location away from main portion of island. Lots of bike paths and close to beach. House had newer appliances and cleanliness was good. Upon check-in, the property manager asked about cleanliness. Beds were brick hard causing back pain for most guests. Couch was more comfortable to sleep on than beds. We definitely enjoyed our family time away from home.
Wonderful cottage on kiawah. We enjoyed our week. Great for family. Tv dated , doesnât get HD and many channels, so the reason for only four stars. Otherwise loved it. Thank you!!!
I love the sparrow pond neighborhood but definitely had issues with cleanliness of unit, which is a Vacasa issue, the property manager, not the homeowner. Crumbs, dirt, hair from past tenants. Floors were filthy. We spent some time cleaning them when we checked in. We washed all bed linens in beds we used because upon checking, they had grit on sheets. Black ants everywhere. No matter how clean we kept things, and all food put away in bags, ants just would not leave. The WiFi was not working when we got here and they did send someone out promptly who got it working. Overall it was an average experience but could have been better had property been cleaned properly before check in. With covid, we obviously wondered what else may not have been cleaned. One more note of interest, after sleeping the first night, we were leaving to head to beach and noticed both sliding doors in bedrooms were unlocked and one was even ajar slightly. We did not notice because of curtain. So make sure to check all doors before sleeping. I made the assumption the home was locked up when we checked in, but all doors were open except for the front door.
I stayed here with my family for 5 nights. I think some of the experience was altered due to the coronavirus outbreak, which was surging in SC at the time. The best part about the house is the location. It was a quick easy walk to the beach even with a toddler and me 7 months pregnant. Unfortunately, the community pool was closed due to the virus. The kitchen has a nice layout and lots of supplies, but nothing disposable like salt and pepper or packets of coffee creamer (maybe virus related?). The beds were not great, and there were a number of small maintenance issues that need to be addressed. Overall it was fine, but it didn't blow me away for the price. Speaking of price, the hidden fees were way too high. It was over $400 in addition to taxes and rent. I felt a little blindsided by that.
The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. Deer would come by the back porch in the early mornings while I sipped my coffee. The beach was just a few minutes walk away and the bike trails were easily accessible. The home was clean and ready for our arrival. All of this made for a relaxing vacation.
The house is only five minutes from the beach and close to shopping. The neighborhood is very quiet. You will find everything you need at the house to entertain everyone, games, beach toys. Highly recommend.