Tides Folly Beach, Charleston's Oceanfront Hotel

Tides Hotel on Folly Beach — I cannot say enough about the people who make this place truly special.
From the moment we arrived, Kat and Ellie at the front desk set the tone for the entire stay. Warm, welcoming, and genuinely helpful, they made check-in feel less like a hotel transaction and more like being greeted by friends. That kind of hospitality is rare, and these two have it in spades.
Jay and the guys in valet were absolutely on point — prompt, professional, and always smiling. Never once did we feel like an afterthought, no matter how busy things got.
And Roasted is a must for some delicious coffee and Miss Penny and her hilariously witty humor!!
Dylan at the pool bar is a gem. Whether you need a cold drink, a poolside lunch, a great recommendation, or just good conversation while the ocean breeze rolls in, Dylan delivers every single time. He’s the kind of bartender who remembers your order and makes you feel like a regular from day one.
And don’t even get me started on the Tiki bar — the bartenders there are absolutely amazing. They craft delicious drinks that are so good you just want to plant yourself on a barstool and never leave. (Oh wait… that’s exactly what we do!!🤣) That laid-back, good-vibes energy is exactly what a beach vacation is all about.
And then there’s Pinky’s. Oh, Pinky’s. The food is absolutely delicious — fresh, flavorful, and exactly what you want after a long day in the sun. The staff and the Manager Jeff there went out of their way to make sure every meal was an experience and not just a meal.
The rooms themselves are clean, comfortable, and the oceanfront views are nothing short of breathtaking. Waking up to the sound of the waves with that view never gets old.
Tides Hotel Folly Beach isn’t just a place to stay — it’s a place to come back to. We already can’t wait to return. Five stars isn’t enough.😃

We were coming to Charleston for a family trip, but wanted to stay somewhere on a beach. We decided on Tides, Folly beach because the area seemed nice, and it was right on the beach. Although, we should have not. We stayed in a beach view patio walk out room, and the floors were gross and we had to wear shoes in the room the whole stay. We had asked the front desk to send someone to clean up the floors, but no one showed up to do so. The floorboard on the bed was gross and dirty, and we had a pull out sofa bed. There were no linens for the sofa bed when we arrived, so we needed to ask the front desk for them. There was not enough towels provided for us, so we needed to ask for more, multiple times during our stay. Another thing is that I don’t know if this is because the area is near a marsh, or just because of the humidity, but there were little flies all over the bathroom, shower, and the whole room. Also, the pool in the pictures when we viewed the hotel seemed nice, but when we got there it was green. There was four of us staying in a room, with another family we were on the trip with in the room right next door. They feel the exact same way about the hotel, and we don’t recommend. It was so bad that I honestly wanted to check out of the hotel and find somewhere else to stay. Maybe if your looking for a place for one night, then fine, but for a few days, don’t stay here.

We had a wonderful time. Great food, weather and room. We've been previously and plan to return.

Hotel with ocean views. Double rooms were small but the bathroom was updated shower. The pool and lounge chairs around it were relaxing. There a restaurant and coffee shop on the main level. The staff were friendly and helpful. The balcony was so small you could only stand and look at the ocean view. The furniture was outdated. But overall it was relaxing and close to all the food and shopping in town. We didn’t have to leave the hotel for anything during our. Would love to come back!

Got in super late so basically paid just to sleep, which was our fault obviously. But we woke up the next morning to the daylight revealing our room was covered in mold. The ceiling. Walls. Lamp. Even surrounding the smoke detector. They ended up refunding half of the room, but I think it was wild to expect us to pay $200 for a mold covered room. Last time we stayed over Christmas they were doing construction so loudly at 8 am into the day it sounded like someone was hammering the wall in the room next to us and all they offered us was a drink voucher. Wild place, really. Won’t be back again.

That it was right on the beach.

The location was perfect. The amenities were amazing and the staff were exceptionally friendly and accommodating!!

On the beach, staff were very friendly.

Wonderful location on the Beachfront.

Walkable to the beach

We had such a great stay at Tides at Folly Beach! The hotel was really clean and had such a warm, welcoming feel to it. The staff was super sweet and helpful the entire time and made us feel right at home.

You seriously can’t beat this location, and for what you get, the prices are hard to beat too. It really feels like a local gem. We’d definitely stay here again and would recommend it to anyone looking for a beach trip without breaking the bank!

The proximity to so many shops, restaurants, and the ocean view.

Most hotels restrict pets to a certain floor but Tides will put them anywhere. People leave their dogs in the room for hours while they go out and the noise can be loud as there is no carpeting. The restaurant food wasn’t very good and no breakfast service. Next time we will rent a beach house.

it was nearby the beach

Location cannot be beat, Center St, next to the Pier and Oceanfront. From what I’ve read some rooms have been updated and the lobby and attached restaurant, Pinky’s is beautiful! Pool was clean and heated. Unfortunately the room we stayed in was extremely dated.

The bathroom was nice and clean, but no ventilation which lead to every surface in the bathroom to be wet after showering.

The room itself was very dated. There was a drawer in the dresser that wouldn’t stay shut, one of the chairs was torn up and the table was damaged. The curtains were stained and had burn holes in them. The sheets were rough and when checking for bed bugs the mattress cover was deteriorating and flaking off on the underside on both beds.

We have stayed on Folly for years and decided to give Tides a try. I was very disappointed, especially as a single mom saving for a yearly vacation at such a high nightly rate at 1000$ for a weekend. If the rooms had the same renovation as the lobby and downstairs it would be amazing.

Note that the hotel charges taxes and fees at the end of your stay and a 100$ deposit for each day you are there.

If you are looking to go for a pool, sure. Otherwise there are many great Oceanfront Airbnbs at the same rate.