–Named No. 1 Tennis Resort in the World by TennisResortsOnline and one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S. by “Dr. Beach”
KIAWAH ISLAND, SC (May 28, 2013) – This May, readers of the leading on-line tennis travel website, TennisResortsOnline.com, named Kiawah Island Golf Resort as the No. 1 tennis resort in the world and Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach,” named Kiawah Island’s beach one of America’s 10 best beaches. Tennis Resorts Online awarded Kiawah their highest award for seven of the last eight years. Dr. Beach has had Kiawah Island in the Top 10 Beach list since 2008.
Tennis Resorts Online rankings list the top 75 tennis resorts in the world and are based on the overall tennis program including instruction, teaching staff, and facilities, as well as other resort facilities such as lodging, cuisine, service and value. TennisResortsOnline.com rated Kiawah as the No. 1 resort in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, it dropped to No. 3 before returning to the top spot in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 as well as in the latest poll that was released earlier this May.
Dr. Stephen Leatherman (aka, “Dr. Beach) is the director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University. He has ranked the top 10 U.S. beaches list every year since 1991. He bases his findings on 50 criteria, such as water and sand quality, facilities available, and trash maintenance.
According to Dr. Leatherman, Beachwalker Park “is the public beach located on the eastern end of Kiawah Island. Tennis and golf are featured here, as well as interpretative tours of the fauna and flora of the island. This is certainly a nature-lovers coast, so visitors should pack their canoes and kayaks to paddle through the tidal inlets. It is also fun to walk or bicycle down to St. Sam’s Inlet to see thousands of birds. The water is not clear here, but it is clean and provides for fantastic seafood for Lowcountry cooking.”
Kiawah Island Golf Resort is known primarily for its golf, with its premier course, The Ocean Course, hosting last year’s PGA Championship. The prestigious Conde Nast Traveler magazine named the resort as the third best on the U.S. Mainland in 2012. The resort’s hotel, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort has earned both a Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond ratings. The resort’s spa also earned a Forbes Five Star Rating. In addition, Coastal Living magazine named Kiawah Island its “Happiest Seaside Town” in 2012.
In addition to the 255-room oceanfront hotel, the resort manages nearly 500 villas (ranging from one to four bedrooms) and 90 private homes (ranging from three to eight bedrooms) for vacation rentals. Summer villa packages start at $225/night. For more information, visit http://www.kiawahresort.com/accommodations.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort features five golf courses, two tennis centers, 10 miles of beach, 35 miles of bike trails, 11 dining establishments, two pool/water park complexes and an award-winning nature and recreation program on a barrier island just 21 miles south of beautiful and historic Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, visit www.kiawahresort.com or call 800-654-2924.
