When I think of quintessential southern hospitality and charm, South Carolina comes to the top of my mind. Just talking to anyone from there with their sweet twang of speech and you just feel like you are getting a warm hug. The same feeling of southern hospitality and charm with Mazda comes when I am driving their vehicles. When you can take a trip and combine the southern hospitality of South Carolina with some Mazda drive time it is like a trip made in heaven. Mazda made this dream trip a possibility and I got to go along.
Our stay was at the stunning Montage Palmetto Bluff resort that is nestled back away from the highway almost makes you feel like you have stumbled upon a hidden gem. It oozes that southern hospitality and charm that comes from this area. I could just sit on the rockers they had outside for hours and listen to the water surrounding the property, but there was a lot more planned for us. Tell me this lineup doesn’t just scream drive me!!
Our first drive of the morning, we headed out in a stunning blue Mazda CX-5. It reminds me a lot of a car just with a little extra room. It is one of the smaller crossovers that Mazda offers. It would be great for city drivers who need a little extra space but still the smallness of a car for parking.
We then headed to Hilton Head for some kayaking and biking adventures. When I say adventures, I mean it. I have gone on occasional kayak outings on fairly calm still rivers, but kayaking out on a lake where the wind is pushing you, is WORK! It was work that allowed us a different kind of view of the lake and scenery. Seriously I could have stayed out there all day as the sound of the water was soothing, but after the hour it took us to get to lunch my arms were burning. You would think with two of us it would have been easier? That is Sara from SensiblySara with me 🙂
Biking sounded so much better and would give some different muscles a workout so I went with that group to head back to the cars. Funny thing about going on these trips with bloggers and social media folks is that we like to stop and take pictures! That is all well and good if you know where you are going and tell the rest of the crew to wait for you, but when you stop without telling them all…. you will get lost! I can’t say that I minded getting lost as we got to explore more of the area, but man my thighs were hurting! Guess I got the full body active lifestyle experience that day!
When the views are this nice you don’t mind getting lost.
I am a huge fan of the Mazda MX-5 so I was happy that we got to put the top down and enjoy more of the sunshine and air on the way back to the Montage. When there are two MX-5’s driving with each other, you get some heads to turn(for the car, not us..haha). I was a little sad that we got back to the hotel as fast as we did as I just wanted to keep driving. Most people don’t find driving relaxing, but I do. I focus on the road and the vehicle that I am in and just enjoy the ride.
Don’t worry I took this picture at a red light
To top off this magical experience, we went on a short boat ride over to a private area where there was a 5 story treehouse. It is a little nauseating to climb up it, but once you are at the top the view was breathtaking. The highlight was seeing the MX-5 and the CX-9 shining in the setting sun. The look and design on the new Mazda line is sharp, sporty, and the SUV’s aren’t your typical blah look. I want to cart my kids around in style while still being functional and Mazda pulls that off!
A huge thanks to Mazda for letting me be a part of a trip with so much southern hospitality and charm from the location, activities, to the vehicles. Looking forward to taking my kids to South Carolina ones of these days.
Love. This. Post.