“It’s an upscale, exclusive place, but the people are so friendly and everyone wants to make new friends. It feels really welcoming.”

From Connecticut To Kiawah Island…

Q: Where do you live?

Dave: I’m from Wakefield, Rhode Island. I’m more of a northeasterner than she is! (laughs)
Suzanne: Not true! I grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey. We live in Rowayton, Connecticut.

Q: Do you have kids? 

Suzanne: We have a blended family. I have two kids who are twenty-four and twenty-six.
Dave: And my two are twenty-nine and thirty-three.

Q: How did you find Kiawah?

Dave: I used to take my brother on a golf trip every year. We went to Hilton Head once and had a great time. When Suzanne and I started discussing a vacation house, I mentioned Hilton Head—a lot of golf, right on the beach— and she pretty much told me that she’d never move to Hilton Head. It was a bit more colorful, but we’ll leave it at that. We have friends at the Country Club of Darien who own property on Kiawah. We were having dinner with them and they told us to come check out the Island.

Q: What were your first impressions?

Suzanne: The first time we visited, we spent a couple of days in Charleston and then drove out to Kiawah. I think after spending three, maybe four days here, we put in an offer on a house. We didn’t end up buying the first house we found, but we immediately knew.

Q: Was there an aha moment?

Suzanne: Yes. The moment we walked into the Beach Club and saw the view of the beach, I looked at Dave and said, OK. I’m good. This is perfect.
Dave: Our real estate agent, Danielle Whitson, was dynamite. She knew exactly where to take us based on what we told her. And to Suzanne’s point—I saw the seven golf courses and said, Yep. Done! We don’t have to look anywhere else. And we didn’t!

Q: You could really see yourself here.

Suzanne: Immediately. And every time we come back, when we drive over the causeway, Dave says, I’m home!
Dave: It’s good to be home! We can’t spend enough time here. This work thing is really getting in the way.

Q: How often do you come to the Island?

Suzanne: Normally, we come every August for two weeks and Thanksgiving week. And three or four other times we try to sneak down for a weekend.
Dave: I guess if there’s any upside to 2020 it would be how much time we’ve been able to spend here. And, it’s only validated our decision that Kiawah is perfect for us.

Q: What are some of your favorite things to do?

Suzanne: I like the Beach Club. (laughs)
Dave: Sunsets at the River Course. And, yeah, kayaking. There’s nothing better than watching the dolphins strand feed. That’s just incredible. We were kayaking with our daughter, Kerry, and it happened right in front of us! It was our first time on the river.
Suzanne: We love walking on the beach, right Dave?
Dave: Yeah. Love walking on the beach.
Suzanne: That’s our favorite way to start or end a day.
Dave: And you don’t run into a bad meal down here, that’s for sure. My waistline can attest to that.

Q: What do you think the future looks like on Kiawah?

Suzanne: When we were renovating the house, we did so with our family and retirement in mind. We talked about when our kids would come with grandkids and where they would sleep. And we’re excited to explore the area more too! We love Charleston and want to branch out a bit more.

Q: Tell me about the community here.

Dave: One of the great things about Kiawah is that no one is from here, and everyone is looking to connect. So it’s easy to make friends. And I play a lot of golf! If we’re down here for fourteen days, I’ll play twelve times. So I’ve played with a lot of great people.
Suzanne: It’s an upscale, exclusive place, but the people are so friendly and everyone wants to make new friends. It feels really welcoming.