Folly Beach Hotels Complete Guide | Where to Stay
Folly Beach is one of my favorite places to vacation to in the US. The best part about Folly is that you won’t find any huge, towering Folly Beach hotels. Instead there’s a few small boutique hotels, lots of little cottages & unique vacation rentals, and the beautiful beach – all under the canopy of oak and palm trees (my favorite). After visiting this artsy beach town many times, I’ve put together a complete guide with everything to know about each of the Folly Beach hotels, so you can decide which one is best for you and your group.
- Best for digital nomads & solo travelers: Tides, Beachside Boutique Inn or Hotel Folly
- Best for couples: Regatta Inn & Water’s Edge Inn
- Best for families: Tides & Folliday Inn
Folly Beach Hotels Map
You’ll notice most Folly Beach hotels are in a great location in the heart of Folly Beach within walking distance to the main strip where all of the restaurants, bars, live music and shopping are.
The only hotel which strays a little farther out is the Regatta Inn, which is within walking distance of the gorgeous Folly Beach County Park and a short drive or bike ride to the main strip.
A Quick Note On Pricing & WIFI At Folly Beach Hotels
Budgeting
Usually when I write hotel guides I’ll include details on the cost level of each hotel. I didn’t for this one because each of the Folly Beach hotels generally stick to around the same price level. This makes sense because they all have similar offerings! You can expect to pay around $250 – $350 per night for each depending on the time of year and demand.
If price matters for your stay, try to make sure you aren’t visiting on a festival or Holiday weekend unless you “have to”, to avoid higher prices and big crowds on the already small island.
Another tip is that if you need a budget stay, consider staying in an Airbnb or Folly Beach vacation rental instead. Or if you’re okay with staying off the beach, consider staying in nearby at one of the hotels in West Ashley or the beautiful Charleston Riverview. You can use my map of hotels in Charleston to explore these options as well as my popular guide to where to stay in Charleston SC.
WIFI
The WIFI is known to be generally spotty on Folly Island, especially at the hotels where the proximity of your room compared to the router makes a difference. If you’re coming here for a remote work or digital nomad stay, I would recommend staying elsewhere in Charleston and driving to and from Folly for beach days, to assure you’ll have the connection you need. Either that, or make sure to come prepared with a personal hotspot or by getting in touch with your hotel ahead of time so they can advise.
Boutique Folly Beach Hotels
Beachside Boutique Inn & Riverside Inn : #1 Best Folly Beach Hotel
The Beachside Boutique Inn is my #1 choice for the best of all the Folly Beach Hotels, for more reasons than one but most of all – because it embodies the essence of Folly Beach.
The Beachside Boutique Inn is quirky, casual and fun, offering a variety of room options including both single rooms and entire cottages, all with unique decor. There’s even a 70’s themed room! It’s also in a perfect location just a block away from the best Folly Beach restaurants, bars and of course the beach within easy reach of the beach just a few blocks down.
In terms of amenities, there’s a free breakfast, beach chairs and bikes for you to use, as well as a communal kitchen and lots of outdoor spaces to hangout.
I highly recommend staying in the Seacret Cottage. This was the room option that my husband and I chose for my 30th birthday weekend and what turned out to be our engagement weekend! 🩷
I have the best memories in this great place & Folly gem. It’s perfect for two people who don’t mind the tiny house feel, with a full kitchen, sitting room area and a loft bed, plus of course a private bathroom. There’s also a little private patio that is all yours to use off the side.
One thing to note is that Beachside Boutique Inn does not offer complimentary parking. Luckily it was very easy for us to find parking right outside the hotel on the street! Read all about Folly Beach parking and the rules you should know at my guide.
Riverside Inn & Cottages
Riverside Inn and Cottages is Beachside Boutique Inn’s sister property right on the water where you can watch the sunset and Folly wildlife pass by. The amenities are shared between both hotels, so where you stay will just be based on which room you choose between the two.
One of my favorite options is the King Tide, which is a two bedroom cottage right on the water. 😍
Hotel Folly
Hotel Folly is the brightly colored hotel you’ve probably seen coming in if you’ve visited Folly before. Inside the rooms are just as stylish, with funky unique furnishings, kitchenettes and sunset views over the water. Get a room with a balcony so you can fully enjoy the pretty views.
Hotel Folly is a fairly bare bones hotel with no pool or amenities but the room furnishings are unique and the location is perfectly situated next to all the best restaurants and bars in Folly.
The kitchenettes and views from the rooms make Hotel Folly an excellent choice of Folly Beach hotels for remote workers or digital nomads visiting Folly. If you need strong WIFI for calls and streaming and are traveling without a hotspot back up, call the hotel first to ensure the WIFI status is strong.
This hotel is run by one of the best luxury home builders in Charleston. They also rent vacation homes through Folly Vacations and a lot of Folly’s coolest vacation rentals belong to them.
Newest Folly Beach Hotel : Boutique Vera Inn
Boutique Vera Inn is owned by the same owners as Hotel Folly and it has a similar bold exterior to match. You can expect more of the same as compared to Hotel Folly except slightly more basic rooms here and no sunset water views, so a little bit of a downgrade but not by much.
The rooms are really well designed and fit perfectly with the artsy funky style of Folly. The Verea Inn is also in a fantastic spot central to the beach and restaurants.
Best Folly Beach Hotels For Families
Best Charleston Oceanfront Hotel : Tides Folly Beach Hotel
Tides Folly Beach is Charleston’s oceanfront hotel. It’s not only the only oceanfront hotel in Folly Beach but also in all of Charleston! Tides is a traditional style hotel and the best choice if you want an oceanfront view right out your window or to be in the absolute most convenient location for a beach trip – which is why I chose it as the #3 best Folly Beach Hotel.
That being said, the Tides Hotel is a 3-star hotel and is no luxury resort by any means, so just keep that in mind while booking. The main draw here is getting oceanfront views everywhere you turn – your room, from the pool and even the restaurant.
Each room also comes with a skinny juliet balcony facing the ocean or a ground floor oceanfront patio so you can step outside and hear the ocean.
Tides is also my choice for the one of the best Folly Beach hotels for digital nomads, where you can stay and work with a view. That being said, make sure you bring a personal hotspot or call to check about the WIFI status ahead of time, as it can be spotty on Folly.
The Tides Hotel is right on Center street, so you’re within easy reach of all the best Folly Beach restaurants. It’s also next to the Folly Beach fishing pier which is one of the most if not the most popular surfing spot in all of South Carolina.
Amenities include a small heated oceanfront outdoor pool and tiki bar, room service and the onsite BLU Bar and Grill. There’s also convenient chair and umbrella rentals in front of the property via Sun & Ski.
Folliday Inn
The Folliday Inn is a remodeled hotel in place of what used to be the Holliday Inn on Folly. The new version is much more hip, with a complete makeover and really pretty and well designed rooms with coastal flair, each with a kitchenette.
There’s also a nice pool deck, which sets Folliday Inn apart from a lot of the other boutique Folly Beach hotels and inns, making this one great for families with kids. It’s also in a perfect location on Folly Beach close to everything.
Romantic B&B Style Folly Beach Hotels
Regatta Inn Folly Beach : A Romantic Adult-Only Getaway
The Regatta Inn is a beautiful, luxury adults-only waterfront bed and breakfast, and definitely one of the best Folly Beach hotels for couples. The luxury decor and design make the hotel feel elegant. Make sure to get a room with a private balcony or deck and water view so you can watch for dolphins as the sun go down. 🐬
Another thing that makes the Regatta Inn special is that they offer both complimentary breakfast and happy hour with drinks (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) AND food. Plus other amenities that aren’t offered at the other area hotels like a complimentary beach shuttle, bikes, yoga classes and games.
The location is a little bit more out of the way – about a mile and a half from the main strip, but they offer free parking and the Sunset Cay happy hour spot at the Ship Store is right next door.
All in all you can’t go wrong staying at the Regatta. It’s a truly inspirational hotel that will leave you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, and maybe with a few new friends!
Waters Edge Inn : Best Folly Beach Hotel For Couples
Waters Edge Inn is another fantastic Folly Beach B&B with well designed rooms, and both complimentary breakfast and happy hour, and beach shuttles + bikes to use. What a dream! If you’re staying here as a couple, make sure to ask what they can do to make your stay special as they offer special arrangements like champagne, flowers and more.
I loved the design of the room and being on the convenient first floor – perfect for bringing my surf board in and out. I also loved the outdoor hot tub on the back deck of the hotel with a marsh view.
I stayed here on a mini trip for some surfing and working remote and really loved it. I will say the WIFI didn’t work great in the Regatta Room, but I didn’t ask for them to help me fix it as I had my personal hot spot, so who knows if they would have been able to fix it. The only other thing to note is that the temperature is controlled throughout the hotel as opposed to room by room, in case that’s something that matters to you.
One thing I loved about the Regatta Room is the bath tub with spa jets. I couldn’t believe my luck when I walked in and found it – I have a chronic pain condition, and after surfing this tub was heaven. All in all I would definitely stay here again, especially if I come back with my husband!
Now that you know all about the best Folly Beach hotels, which one is the best choice for you?! Feel free to leave a comment if I’m missing any important notes or new additions to the Folly Beach hotels scene. 🌊🌴
Lauren Kessel
Lauren Kessel is the author of this blog post and the creator of the Inspired Backpacker travel blog. She is a passionate digital nomad, with the mission to make slow travel a more accessible way of life for everyone. Lauren believes travel is an important means of education and more importantly, a way for people of different cultures to come together and understand each other better. She has a BS in Tourism and has planned countless domestic and international trips for herself, her family and friends, having visited over 12 countries and 30 states so far.
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