The Best Villas to Rent in South Carolina

Check out, then check into this elegant two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom townhouse in the Shipyard Resort complex, spanning more than 800 acres (324ha) that spill across central Hilton Head Island. As South Carolina villas go, it’s impressive: as a guest you’ll have access to tennis courts, a golf course and the Shipmaster pool – all belonging to the resort – while the beach is a 15-minute walk or short bike ride away. This villa is spacious for its size, with a wall-to-wall sliding glass door leading to the patio, perfect for lounging in the shade.

This second-story villa has a stunning view of the sea from the Ocean One complex in Hilton Head, close to other hotspots including Coligny Beach Park and Coligny Plaza Shopping Center. As you enter the two-bed, two-bath space, you’ll see sleek tiling leading to the kitchen, which comes fully equipped, and the adjoining living room, where the overstuffed couch pulls out to make room for two more. Head to the beach right from the villa, or take a dip in the Ocean One pool. When you get back, throw those towels in for a clean – having a washer and dryer at your fingertips makes laundry a breeze.

In Hilton Head’s Shipyard Resort is this cocooning place: warm olive greens and a gray-and-white marble fireplace greet you in the living room, while custom cabinets and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen lend the villa real “cool” factor. Four or five guests can comfortably sleep in the two-bedroom, two-bathroom property, with one king-size and two full-size alternatives. The bathrooms are also full of enticements, including a silk-white soaking tub and an oversize step-in shower. Take a wander through the resort, and you’ll find a pool, golf and tennis – and all that is before you even reach the beach.

What better way to start a (holi)day? Wake up and you have a view of the sun coming up and the waves crashing over the shore from the 22nd floor of the Palace Resort. Your condo has all the allure of a low-lying villa – with not one, but two private balconies for round-the-clock gazing at the shifting moods of sky and sea. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sleeper sofa, so your group of six will be right at home. For a little light exertion, descend to dip in the two outdoor pools or test the waters of the – indoor and outdoor – whirlpool hot tubs.

With their rattan headboards, lacy bedspreads and blue-and-white throws, these Myrtle Beach villas feel as if they’re your own beach home – once checked in, you’ll want to live here. Up to six can sleep in one of these two-bed, two-bath options moments from the beach. The views are prime, and so is the location – do lengths of the pool, sure, but make time for walks along the beach. Close by, explore Cherry Grove Fishing Pier, a ‘50s fishing pier with a tackle shop, a restaurant/bar and a two-story observation deck.

Get an instant at-home feel at this luxury Myrtle Beach villa, which has all the perks of a hotel visit. You’ll be part of a resort complex that includes the Hilton Myrtle Beach and Embassy Suites Hotel. The complex has its own private pool, along with a network of walking paths to the beach, three restaurants and a top-of-the-line sports club. With three bedrooms and two baths, the condo gives you room to spread out, and your group – the place sleeps up to 10 – have sprawl-space aplenty between the sizable living room, private balcony and marble-coated kitchen.

If Hilton Head is too well-traveled for you, try this spot on Fripp Island, right off nearby St Helen Island – you may recognize the location, a backdrop for a handful of scenes in the Tom Hanks movie Forrest Gump. The multi-story baby-blue villa – technically more a townhouse – oozes old-school Lowcountry charm: views of neighboring Pritchards Island beyond the living room, rocking chairs on the porch and classic beadboard lining the three bedrooms. To get around the island, exit the condo and take one of the shiny red golf carts waiting for you in the garage.

Set back a little way from the shore at Myrtle Beach is this three-bedroom, two-bath condo – for us it’s an honorary villa, with its sublime views from the corner balcony of the complex’s lake and the boats pootling up and down the Intracoastal Waterway. It is part of the Myrtlewood Golf community, meaning you’ll have access to pools, jacuzzis and – good news for young ones – a lazy river, along with the two on-site golf courses. And if you do decide to get out and get a suntan, the beach is less than 10 minutes’ drive away.