Summerton, South Carolina
Inns, Lodges and Resorts
April 2026
Article and photos by Polly Dean
Relaxed Retreat at Carolina King is truly a place where you can get away to Lake Marion and enjoy life on the water while fishing with family and friends. With plenty of dock space for your fishing boat, you can wake up to lakefront views just steps away from the water. The resort also offers fishing guides and rental boats for those that don’t bring their own vessel.
The 70 cottages are ideally situated and suitable for groups of anglers, friends or family groups, no matter how many are in your party. The cabins are well-built with quality materials, having a pleasing decor reminiscent of the fish camps of old, but with a modern and comfortable touch.
Along with 1,500 feet of shoreline on Lake Marion, Relaxed Retreat offers an assortment of cabins ranging from small and medium with a capacity of 2 to 6 persons to large cabins that will accommodate 6 to 10 persons. The resort has you covered whether looking for a place to stay for a quick getaway for just a few nights or an extended stay of a month or more. All cabins include daily boat dockage and access to the boat ramp.
The property is pet friendly and a dog park is conveniently located amid the cottages. There is plenty of room for parking your boat and a fish-cleaning station for those that want to cook their catch. All cabins are climate controlled with heat and air conditioning. Depending on the size of the cabin, all come with a full-sized kitchen or a kitchenette with appliances such as stoves, microwaves, and refrigerator. All kitchen needs are furnished as well. Bedding, towels, and starter supplies of shampoo, soaps, detergent, toilet paper and other essentials are also provided.
The Marina & Store.
Kayaks and boats are available to rent. They can be booked in advance or the same day. Single or double kayaks are offered. Some are outfitted for fishing and available in a selection of styles. Canoes are can be rented too. Boats range from jonboats to pontoons.
An additional Relaxed Retreat resort property, Jacks Creek will be available soon across the lake from Carolina King. A pass for use of the boat ramp there is available now.
Owners Chris Biddle and David Hall, along with their wives, fell in love with the property the second they saw it decades ago. They say “it wasn’t fancy like the Ritz Carlton, but clearly had soul. When here, you can literally feel time slow down.” As a result, the families created Relaxed Retreat on the quiet shores of Lake Marion, with a single mission: to give people a place to slow down, unplug, and reconnect with nature.
