Beach Fully Restored at Wild Dunes Resort

Miles of Expansive Beaches Result of Nourishment Project

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C., July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Guests visiting Wild Dunes
Resort ( http://www.wilddunes.com/ ) -- a Destination Hotels & Resorts
property -- can now enjoy miles of spacious beaches and oceanfront
accommodations after an extensive restoration project led by the City of Isle
of Palms wrapped up one month ahead of schedule. The completion of the project
marks an end to the 20-month erosion cycle, which had affected the two-mile
strand along Wild Dunes Resort.
The beach restoration project replenished the shoreline, which had been
gradually receding for a decade due to natural causes, to recreate expansive
beaches that now extend nearly 300 feet in width in all locations.
"What's most exciting about this project is that our guests can now enjoy
vacation activities on beautifully restored beaches during low and high tide,"
said Frank Fredericks, interim managing director of Wild Dunes Resort. "We're
thrilled at how skillfully and quickly our beaches have been rebuilt, and of
the care taken to protect the quality of the beach and restore this valuable
ecosystem. We're happy to be able to offer guests access to all of our
oceanfront accommodations, and want to thank everyone for their patience
throughout the erosion and restoration process."
Beach nourishment, a technique that involves pulling sand from the ocean
to restore an eroded shoreline, is a popular method that protects coastal
property from hurricanes and storms and can help restore valuable ecosystems.
Project leaders expect the dunes and natural vegetation of Isle of Palms to be
fully restored within about two years. The early completion of the project
will also allow for a safe nesting season for endangered sea turtles.
"Beach erosion is a big challenge for any coastal property, and the fact
that this project was completed in one month is a huge success," said Dr.
Timothy W. Kana, president of Coastal Science and Engineering. "Guests who
visited Wild Dunes in spring of this year will be amazed at the difference
when they visit this summer and fall."
Wild Dunes Resort worked closely with city officials as workers
replenished some 9,000 feet of eroded beach at a cost of over $9 million. The
project's workers moved as much as 50,000 yards of sand -. roughly 3,000
truckloads worth -. in a 24-hour period. The total amount of sand transported
to revitalize the beaches, about 900,000 cubic yards, is equivalent to filling
a large football stadium to the brim five times.
"I've heard words like 'mind-boggling' and 'amazing' when our guests see
the revitalized beach for the first time," said Jeff Minton, director of golf
and sports at Wild Dunes Resort. "Everyone's ecstatic about the
transformation, and about the great oceanfront activities we'll be offering
our guests for years to come as a result."
Wild Dunes Resort is currently working with golf architect Tom Fazio, the
course's original designer to determine how to best restore the famed 18th
hole of the Resort's Links Course, which was transformed late last year from a
par-5 to a par-3 after a portion of the original green was washed away by the
erosion.
For more information on the nourishment project and to see video and
images of the restored beach, visit www.wilddunes.com/beach-nourishment.php .
About Wild Dunes Resort
Wild Dunes Resort is one of more than 30 independent, upscale and luxury
hotels, resorts and golf clubs in the United States managed by Destination
Hotels & Resorts, the fourth largest independent hospitality management
company in the country. The company, headquartered in suburban Denver, Colo.,
features a portfolio of more than 6,000 guest rooms, 11 golf courses and 13
full-service spas. Destination Hotels & Resorts properties are located in key
metropolitan and resort markets including Washington, D.C., Houston, Denver,
San Diego, Santa Fe, Aspen, Austin, Phoenix, Portland, Palm Springs, Maui and
Lake Tahoe. For more information on the properties in the Destination Hotels &
Resorts collection, please visit www.destinationhotels.com .
For high resolution, downloadable pictures of Wild Dunes Resort, please
visit www.leonardo.com .
SOURCE Wild Dunes Resort

Caroline Nuttall, +1-843-577-7327, cnuttall@rawlemurdy.com, for Wild Dunes
Resort; or Elizabeth Kelly of Wild Dunes Resort, +1-843-886-2032,
ekelly@wilddunes.com