Such an easy and fun place to vacation. Plenty of golf and tennis and Beach. A great place to just hang out with you family for the week

My husband, 13-month old and I stayed at 139 Captain John Fripp Villas. It was a "silver" rated 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment. The kitchen was updated and there was new flooring, but otherwise it was outdated, musty, worn, messy and not very clean. Linens were thrown in the bedroom closet and junk was stuffed in the hall closet. I ended up tidying up and cleaning. I bought a container of anti-bac wipes at the grocery and cleaned the doorknobs, floor, and wiped coffee/ food splashmarks off the walls and windowsills. I wouldn't have bothered except my 13-month old was roaming this place for a week. The disappointments didn't end there. There are four pools which do not appear to have been updated since the 1970s.The kiddie pools are basically 1.5-foot deep round cement pools the size of a hot tub. The Cabana kiddie pool, which the resort touts as the best one, is a bigger cement hole with a frog slide in the middle. No water features, slides, etc that I was expecting. The "food court" is one, long counter behind which is a pizza oven, burrito fixings, fried chicken, some tubs of ice cream, and poorly-brewed Starbucks coffee served by the world's slowest staff.

On the upside, our apartment was literally oceanfront, so we could either sit on the patio and watch the waves or walk down the short boardwalk to the beach. The beach was very clean and most of the homes, which must be privately owned, appeared to be well maintained.

We did not utilize the golf and tennis facilities, so I cannot comment. However, we did eat out one night at Bonito Boathouse, and after a long and disappointing week, we were pleasantly surprised by the restaurant, staff and food.

Overall, for $2,300 for seven nights, which I booked through Fripp Island Resort website, I'd say go elsewhere. I've learned a lesson not to go too far off the beaten path, meaning there must be a reason everyone goes to Hilton Head or the Outer Banks, and not Fripp Island.

We got a sunsuite efficiency and it was so old and moldy that we left after 1 NIGHT YET THEY Wouldnt refund our money. (We prepaid for 5.) I loved the resort/island but will rent through private means like vrbo.com and not through fripp resort. Oh and we both got sinus infections from the gross window a/c unit that blew moldy air in our faces all night. Awesome.

When our plans changed for the Memorial Day weekend - we had the chance to take off from Atlanta for a few days. After calling and calling down around 30A in the Gulf - there was NOTHING. We decided to go to East coast instead. Having been to Hilton Head 100x we very much wanted to try "something else." We settled on Fripp solely due to availability for the nights we were going to be gone. Not knowing what to expect - we were very pleasantly surprised to find an island that was relaxing, had lots to do, and was very much enjoyed by ALL members of our family.

Details: After searching on VRBO - it was simply easier to call Fripp Island Resort's main 800 number. They were fast and efficient and I can not say enough good things about how nice they were. We dealt with the same lady both on the phone and in person on the island. She was a true joy who seems to have a love for the island and her job. It was a nice change to deal with someone so excited about helping a family have fun.

We booked a room at the Sunsuites Studios - which is attached to the Beach Club. It's right in the middle of the island [best place to stay IMO]. The Sunsuites are just that - studios. All one room with full kitchen. All sleep four - either with pull out couches but mainly with built in bunk beds. For our family - 2 adults and 2 teens - this worked well. The place itself appears like an old motor inn that's been redone room by room. For this reason the INSIDE of the accomodations vary widely. You MUST check them out on VRBO or by clicking into the pictures via Fripp Island's page. Some are straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog - while others are stuck in the 60s complete with shag carpeting. All run right on average about $125 a night.

You are litterally one complex off the beach [there is a one row complex in front of the Sunsuites]. 1 minute walk across the parking lot and on the beach. It's easy and cheap to rent umbrellas and great beach chairs there. All are $6 for the day - so $18 for a full beach set up. There's also food, drinks, etc. right at the beach club. We enjoyed several days on the beach - walking, sunning and playing. All perfect. There's also one of the three large pools located adjacent to the Sunsuites.

Included with our room were the much needed amenity cards + for booking we got a promotional deal of $50 in FRIPP bucks. We could use these as a credit - you charge things on your amenity cards and then settle up at the end. The FRIPP bucks were like having a $50 bank to begin. We used ours to rent a golf cart at the marina. We got a daily discount rate since we had rented through Fripp Island Resorts. We used the golf cart as our main transportation - as EVERYONE does. The island is only 6 miles long.

Things not to miss:
- Sunset at the inlet point at the South end of the inland. Drive your cart down there for a sunset cocktail.
- Swimming at the lagoon pools on the South side. Best pools in our opinion.
- Driving or biking around the island to see the beautiful wildlife/plants. There are deer everywhere.

Important:
- You must bring all your groceries with you. There's a great Publix or Super Wal-mart in Beaufort. There really isn't anywhere to buy groceries on the island.
- Only 3 restaurants - just to keep in mind.
- This isn't a place to party. It's laid back - sports-minded with golf and tennis - and lots of outdoor/relaxing activities.

We very much enjoyed this get away and will return if given the chance. It's low country at its best.