Vacationing during a pandemic
Isle of Palm, SC – Saturday July 11, 2020 – Sunday July 12, 2020
The day started with all the hope and excitement of going on a vacation. The bags were packed. Rosie, our Airedale Terrier went with the trainer the day before and Euro, our eleven-year-old Terrier was coming with us. We gave a key to our daughter just in case something was needed at our home.
This was not the first vacation to the beach but because of the Corona Pandemic it would need to be very different. South Carolina, and more specifically Isle of Palm is not on lockdown, but masks are required for personal security. The governor advised that masks should be worn all over the state now because it was reported that South Carolina is spiking in cases due to opening the state too quickly. The virus was not taken seriously in our state by many people so the number of people getting the virus jumped.
The three plus hour drive was not too bad. Halfway through the trek it slowed down due to congestion. We were not the only people going on vacation. We listened to an audible book and cruised down the highway. We were not stressed, because we knew that we could not get into our home away from home till between the hours of 4:00 to 5:30. We received a text telling us that the house was extra clean and waiting for us.
The registration was almost contactless. The management of the vacation home placed our check-in packet in a lockbox, and they texted the combination of the lock. I took out the papers, signed them, put the signed agreement in the box, and went to the house.
The house itself was in a nice vacation area. It was not on the beach but only a block and a half from it. We took advantage of the easy walk to the beach. My husband, my puppy and I planned this vacation over a year ago before the craziness started. We did not need a great deal of space for us, but our dog was always in my thoughts when choosing a home-away-from-home. The needs of an older furry loved one are necessary. She is spry for her age, but we did not want to aggravate her joints.
I found our vacation home on the internet. My criteria for our vacation were not vast. The place needed to list on a legitimate site. Island Reality was the one I settled on. I found two places and thought this one with a fenced back yard would be fine. It can be scary not being able to see the place and wondering if it is real and not a scam like so many are.
Our vacation home was cute. It was big enough for our needs and we were renting it not buying it. The only thing that was not fantastic at this time was that it did not come with a dishwasher, and we could do that. The home had one bedroom with a queen bed which was small and hard which we would find out later was one of the uncomfortable aspects of the rental. The back yard was very big and wonderful if you had a large dog, which we did not.
With great anticipation of the week ahead of us, we went to get groceries. The Harris Teeter was full of people masked and unmasked. Going into a grocery store with so many people was not normal for me. It was the typical vacation grocery store full of convenience products like smaller versions of condiments and prepackage lunches and dinners. We got our food and etcetera and went back to our home base. We put our food in the refrigerator and looked for a place to have dinner.
Most times, when you go on a vacation with a vacation rental, the worst thing you can expect is a long line to get into the restaurant. This is not the case when going on an adventure during the pandemic. Most restaurants are closed, or you can get food to go. My husband found a place online to visit for our dinner repas. It took over an hour to put in our order and forty-five minutes for the food. I cannot blame them and was happy that they were open.
We had dinner and went to bed. Oh Joy!
The next day start with the realization that we bought decaf coffee and no Starbucks nearby. My most wonderful husband went back to the grocery store and told them that we had done a bad thing. The gentleman behind the counter told him to go and get the one we needed. One problem averted by my patient husband. His patience will be stretched during our outings.
After breakfast I noticed that the fridge was on the warm side. We turned it up and went to the beach. It was hot but not very busy; social distancing was not a problem. We stayed on the beach for three hours. We returned sun-soaked and sandy.
We came back and looked into the refrigerator, and it was dead. All the items that we needed to keep cold were now room temperature. We called the maintenance personnel and they said that they would pay for the bad food and try to get a person out quickly. The repairman looked and pronounced it dead. The strange thing that happened next was maintenance brought us another fridge but left the other one. We should have been happy, but the rental was small to begin with and the extra refrigerator made the space smaller.
At that point, we decided that this was not a good time to be at the beach and left for our home.
Isle of Palm is a wonderful place to visit. The beach is warm and so are many of the people that live there. The city of Charleston is close by and fabulous food and entertainment. Our visit was not great but we had so many good times at and around Isle of Palm. Looking back on our very short vacation, we were happy to be alive when so many others were not as fortunate.
