Most days on Daufuskie, a five-mile-long, sea-swept, South Carolina barrier island covered by a canopy of moss-draped live oaks, magnolias, pines, and palmettos, the loudest sounds come from the chirping and cawing of the glorious waterfowl and bird life.
While snowy egrets and blue heron share black swamps and lagoons with lazy alligators, whole stretches of beach remain pristine, touched only by the lapping waves of the sea.
The resident population on Daufuskie (the spelling and pronounciation was adapted from "the first key") numbers fewer than one hundred, even though the island, accessible only by boat, lies just a mile from one of the South's great resort destinations, Hilton Head Island, and 15 nautical miles from one of America's most beautiful and romantic cities, Savannah, Georgia.
The Daufuskie Island Club and Resort provides an unpretentious, low-key escape with gracious service from the moment guests check in at the ferry launch on Hilton Head Island, make the 45 minute crossing through Calibogue Sound, and arrive by motor coach at the rambling, two-story, antebellum-style Melrose Inn.
Other amenities include 37 cottages, a fine tennis center, a beach club, and foremost for your golf vacation, a pair of top-notch golf courses by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf/Jay Morrish that host 60 players on a busy day.
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