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Nothing to do, thankfully

Southern Living, Sep 1997 by Florio, Donna

A vacation for around $97? Here's the seventh in our series of memorable bargain getaways.

There's plenty to do at the Sea View Inn on Pawleys Island, South Carolina-if you like doing nothing, that is. Eat, sleep, read, and swim to your heart's content. Go barefoot all week. Lie on the beach for hours. Plans go out the window along with calendars, ties, and makeup; expectations are reduced to simply enjoying idleness and good food.

Sea View Inn has been a Pawleys Island fixture since the 1930s. The updated accommodations remain rustic, displaying the charm of simpler times. Only rooms in the rear cottages have air conditioning-the others rely on sea breezes. There are no TVs or in-room phones. While each room has a toilet and sink, showers are down the hall.

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Sea View's amenities are more soul-satisfying than mere comfort: a porch lined with rocking chairs, a well-chosen library, three meals a day, and a sparsely-populated beach.

Page Oberlin, who has owned the inn for 20 years, places great value on the restorative properties of donothing time by the ocean. "I watch people change in the week they're here," she says. "Before they unload the car, people walk right to the porch where they sit and relax."

The Inn's dining room offers surprisingly diverse and delicious meals. Lunch may be fried chicken with biscuits, eggplant casserole, and potato salad. Dinner, on the other hand, could be fajitas with seven salsas and frijoles negros.

Breakfast is hearty every day of the week, but cereal, granola, and yogurt are also available. Whatever your preference, be sure to try the homemade preserves.

If you chafe under inactivity, you can order a bicycle or kayak delivered to the door for island explorations. The Inn also offers activities for children, including treasure hunts and crabbing.

Although Sea View doesn't serve alcoholic beverages or sodas, a guest refrigerator, cups, and swizzles are available on the sun porch.

Spring and fall are the quietest times (also the most temperate), and rooms can be rented for a minimum of two days. Summer is prime child season, when rooms are available only on a weekly basis.

A FEW MORE DOLLARS

The surrounding area offers some nice day trips. Brookgreen Gardens features life-size statuary in a garden setting. And just 30 miles north, manic Myrtle Beach booms with big-name entertainment, miniature golf, amusement parks, and other activities.

However you work up your appetite, Pawleys Island has a variety of good, affordable dining options. Frank's Restaurant and Community House rank among the best. Both restaurants are within a threeminute drive of the Sea View Inn. Located just 15 minutes south of the inn is the Georgetown riverfront area. It boasts a great selection of good eateries and specialty shops, including Kudzu Bakery.

OPULENT OPTIONS

The Hammock Shops, 23 stores and restaurants all housed in charming, historic cottages, are within five minutes of the Sea View Inn. Among the hidden treasures: Whitmire's seashell cuff bracelet or a custom-made sapphire ring; exquisitely made 18th- and early 19th-century furnishings from England, France, and Italy at Mary Frances Miller Antiaues and Interior Design; and rope-knitted Pawleys Island hammocks at The Original Hammock Shop. The deluxe version is $112; a tubular steel stand and canopy (you'll have it made in the shade) are each $100. You can watch the hammocks being woven at the nearby pavilion.

If you have time for only a short visit, consider staying put at the Sea View Inn. You can listen to the ebb and flow of the ocean. Toast the sunset. Take a nap (again). You may find that doing nothing never felt so good.

PEACEFUL PAWLEYS ISLAND

Sea View Inn: 414 Myrtle Avenue, Pawleys Island, SC 29585; (803) 2374253. Rooms are rented on a weekly basis Memorial Day-Labor Day, starting at $499 per week, per person, double occupancy for an oceanview room. Oceanfront rooms are $689. Single occupancy: $715 for ocean view, $875 for oceanfront. Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day, an ocean-view room is $84 per person, double occupancy, with a two-day minimum. All rates include three meals per day.

Nothing to do, thankfully

Southern Living, Sep 1997 by Florio, Donna

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