Seven miles north of Hilton Head is an island about 10 times smaller with a singles vacation home for rent.
The island has no shops. No restaurant. No traffic. No neighbors.
Instead, St. Phillips Island, an undeveloped barrier island, is very quiet, with only cool sea breezes and roaring ocean waves to break the silence. Its 4,680-acre expanse is filled with unrestricted vegetation, rich in wildlife, and dotted with trails. The enlarged house, nicknamed Turner House, is surrounded by a living oak grove and overlooks the ocean.
That is to say that St. Phillips is the paradise of birdwatchers, the dream of ecologists and the delight of introverts.
Billionaire Ted Turner’s vision for Beaufort County Island when he bought it and built a home there over 4 decades ago. And since the state bought St. Phillips in 2017 and began renting it last spring, it’s a haven for those who can shell out thousands of dollars.
“It’s a getaway to disconnect from society,” said Paul McCormack, director of South Carolina State Parks. “It’s like going back in time. “
Skipper Burns didn’t know what to expect when his family booked Turner House for late July.
“You’ll have to see Ted Turner’s house,” a friend of Burns’ jet-set told him. “It’s fabulous. “
Acquainted with the media mogul and conservationist, having met Turner some thirty years ago, Burns was curious about the vacation home. He and his circle of relatives were used to spending holidays on the Atlantic coast, but a secluded house was only available through a smart boat captain. It was a proposition.
For those languishing, reading an e-book about the 820-square-foot covered deck overlooking the ocean or taking a golf cart ride to the beach would suffice. For the more energetic, like Burns’ 12-year-old grandson, there were kayaks, fishing gear and bicycles. And for reasons of safety and education, a ranger in place for everyone.
It didn’t take much persuasion for the Burns to book the five-room, five-night stay.
The adventure began like the other 14 the park has hosted since the state began welcoming visitors in May 2021.
Packed into a boat, the circle of nine-year-old relatives took the winding 30-minute cruise from Hunting Island to St. Phillips, located along Three Sisters Creek. Minutes’ drive through lush deciduous maritime forest dotted with ponds led them to a fork in the road. On the right side, an access path to the beach. And the left, within walking distance of the pristine grounds of Turner House.
“There is no such thing,” Burns said.
At 3350 feet, the house has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, living room and an area that can be changed from dining to match. Although off-grid, the island is self-sufficient with solar panels, propane generators. , a septic tank and an opposing osmosis water filtration system, state park officials said.
Five years ago, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism of S. C. reached a $4. 9 million settlement for St. Phillips, a large reduction in Turner’s initial board value of nearly $24 million. The rooms were modestly furnished and did not fit what one would expect from a billionaire’s home.
Now, simplicity and muted tones reign perfectly in what looks like a comfortable cabin flooded with green light. It is complicated for a room with vision problems, whether it is oriented towards the sea, a nearby pond or the living oak grove.
To get what the State Park Service suggests up to 10 adult guests, the bright kitchen slides smoothly into the vaulted living room, with two sets of double doors leading to the spacious porch.
And yes, cell phone, television and the Internet, but as McCormack says, “it’s a choice to turn them on or use them. “
But that’s based on the initial $12,000 value for five nights at St. Phillips is not an interior design.
Not even close.
When Turner purchased St. Phillips in 1979, he had any and all goals to preserve the island, even turning it into a conservation easement in 1983 with the help of The Nature Conservancy. Three years later, due to its ecological importance, the island was designated a National Natural Monument.
And after 43 years, Turner’s original house and an adjacent island manager’s house are the two structures.
The four-mile-long island is home from as small as the northern glow to as stocky as the American alligator. Live oak. Under Turner’s tutelage, the habitats of loggerhead turtles, fox squirrels and indigo snakes were recovered.
Maintained since the state’s acquisition, six trails, dense with swamp pines, magnolias, live oaks and saw palmetto, run through the island and allow visitors and half-day tourists to enjoy it all. And for those staying at home, don’t load: binoculars and birdwatching viewers are included.
A short distance from Turner House, where the road turns right, it winds along an erosion beach path covered in bleached holm oaks. Storm Nicole ate away at the coast of St. Phillips.
Whether a guest knows the ins and outs of an undeveloped barrier island or is an avid birdwatcher, other people like Olivia Hirstwilson are here to help.
The island’s director of operations, she is part of the state park staff that is on site when tenants occupy Turner House. Tenants can arrange guided tours with the on-site ranger: hiking, kayaking, or fishing. With an exclusive rental, tours can be custom designed according to the interests of the booking process.
From sailing the tides on a vacation to St. Phillips to temporarily identifying an alligator’s eyes on the water, Hirstwilson is a mine of information. every time she sees him.
For Hirstwilson, St. Phillips is a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity. Hirstwilson was not at the site of the Burns’ stay, but Skipper said his 12-year-old grandson couldn’t get enough of the ranger that week. Kathryn Gompers.
“I was asking crazy questions,” Burns said. The appointments we built with the ranger were so dynamic. She made life so much easier. “
An ecological global within your reach?And a rampant island just for you and your loved ones?
No, that’s not what you find in Hilton Head or Fripp Islands. And yes, it’s expensive.
For five nights and up to 10 adults, adding a $1,000 grocery credit, renting the space while St. Phillips remains open for day trips priced at $12,000. Want to finish day trips and have the island to yourself with a $2,000 grocery credit?It will be $20,000.
When calculating the rental value, the staff compared to the luxury home remains similar in length to Hilton Head and Kiawah Island, he said. They took into account the value of the boats to the island and added the value of the food, since there was no access to grocery stores or restaurants. It is not easy, reasonable or convenient to send other people and food to an underdeveloped island.
The money from the rents will pay salaries, contracts, expenses for gasoline, electricity and electricity and other materials.
“It’s not a classic state park opportunity and that’s because it’s expensive (to manage),” McCormack said.
Because Turner House for renting and attracting visitors from the island is more confusing than the state park appears to be, McCormack said they aim for the space to be rented out a maximum of 12 to 15 times a year.
Besides paying for a homestay, the only other way the public can stop at St. Phillips is Coastal Expeditions, which runs several times a week and costs $65 for an adult ticket.
Before Skipper Burns and his circle of relatives left the Turner house, one of his sons looked at him and said, “It’s almost too smart to be true. “
“Well, that’s what it’s meant to be,” he smiled back.
Even his 29-year-old granddaughter, who is the hardest to please, was thrilled with the trip, the grandfather said. Again. They turned on the TV slightly.
For other tenants, it’s a bit the same. Visitors from Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Missouri and a handful of other states wrote in the Turner House guestbook their memories of peach-colored sunsets, strong winds and such a “mystical” position.
“I think South Carolina has a diamond,” Burns said. “I hope other people line up to do it. “
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