For years the Carolinas have been calling to me to visit. Watching movies set on the coast and reading Nicholas Sparks books have weaved a tapestry of incredible sights, sounds, smells and tastes.

Ever since I saw the movie, To Gillian on Her 21st Birthday with scenes of sand dunes with wavy white picket fences lined by beach grass with the ocean undulating in the background I’ve wanted to visit their sandy beaches.

One of the places I’ve considered staying is the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. While I’m not a big golfer, this resort draws me in with the numerous high-quality photos in a Flash video. The site is laid out rather nicely making good use of the space.

Clicking on the accommodations tab transports me to another place and time. You’ve welcomed with crisp linens adorned with calming green colored pillows. Out the double door sit two rod-ironed chairs perched atop a roomy balcony that overlooks the lush greenery that’s met by the silky sandy beaches that finally plunge into the azure blue Atlantic waters.

Kiawah Island is… Ten miles of wide, immaculate, ocean beach on which one - or two - might walk or cycle for hours and hours without interruption. Soothing by day, utterly romantic by night, the beach is complemented by the island’s river, meandering lagoons, and pristine marshlands, and closes each sun washed day safe beneath its own star studded southern sky. -Kiawah Island Resort.com

Check out their Fall 2007 newsletter.

While I usually hate Flash videos they are used sparingly on the site and include great photographs that draw you in and whether it’s view of the accommodations, recreation or dining you just can’t look away.

One of the drawbacks of the site is that it’s too difficult to make an actual booking. You have three clicks before you can make a reservation at what appears to be some third-party booking engine. It appears detached from the site and a bit clunky.

Any travel web site whether it be a hotel, car rental, airline or what have you should have the search form directly on the main page. While I do love the beautiful images on the main page, smaller images could be used to make room for a search form.

Regardless of the few drawbacks of the site it’s all I can do to keep from hopping on an airplane right now to go soak my toes and listen to the waves while I soak up the sun and beauty of South Carolina.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 7th, 2007 at 12:47 am and is filed under Accessibility, CSS, Design, HTML, Hotels, Reviews, SEO, Standards, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.