Bells Marina & Fishing Resort - Santee Lake Marion by I95 - Family Adventure, Pets on Request!

Right next to the lake, easy access and it was clean and well kept.

Wonderful location

The bed was very comfortable. The staff is nice. The place is a little dated but it’s a good value, right on the lake and has other fishing spots nearby.

I wouldn’t recommend the dinner next door. It is extremely overpriced for the quality of food. The general store next door has some quick pickup food that was pretty good. There is another restaurant in town, but didn’t try it, and the fishing resort isn’t far from Santee.

The new owners of this property have put alot of effort into renovating this property, and that was evident from our arrival. Several of the first staff members we interacted with at the gas station/shop (Lauren & Mike) were extremely friendly and helpful in getting setup and answering a variety of questions. We quickly met Jud as well, and later his wife Dao who we spent some time with after hours barbecuing and chatting about life and the property's development. They even gave us some homemade cake on the way out of town two days later. The room was extremely clean with attention to small details, such as USB charging plugs in the bedside lights, flavored coffee creamers, a granola bar alongside the coffee, cold water bottles in the fridge, etc. The beds were very comfortable-- not too firm nor too soft. The longterm residents were friendly and welcoming and we had the chance to talk with a number of them. Fishing is easy right off the shore and docks with mudcat and bream surrounding. The shop has plenty of fishing gear, live bait, as well as other useful items (auto care, knives, clothing) all at reasonable prices. Plenty of drink and wine, beer, cooler options as well as food just in the shop, which you wouldn't find elsewhere very close. Nights were very peaceful and quiet, with no commotion or partying.

It's not that we didn't like anything, but we could see the property still in transition, which I suppose made us imagine the things that could or would be coming in over time. For instance, a large fountain with a planned fire ring and wooden seating was yet to be completed, and we could see its potential. A single bell tent was a foray into glamping near the shore, but wasn't yet fully set up. One of the smaller docks at the end of the cove was cordoned off as it needed repairs. We could see all the potential and chatted with Jud about this during our stay and look forward to seeing the progress in the future!

Lovely view of lake. Very quiet as it was mid week. I imagine on weekends when all the adjoining RVs are occupied by fishing families that it has quite a different vibe.

Furniture, bathroom, bed are a little worn and could benefit from some updates. Our car was effectively locked in after 6 PM and we had to enter the very well stocked store and office through a back door by an employee who fortunately came out at that time. That was not explained to us when we checked in.

View of lake

TV did not work

Nice quiet location right on the water. We were there for business so didn't get to enjoy the water activities, but it was a really pleasant view out the window of our room. Room was very clean and comfortable. Staff at the general store were welcoming and accommodating.

My husband is a bath addict and there wasn't a stopper for the tub so he had to shower instead - not his favorite thing.

so clean! perfect place to stay midways between Florida & Virginia. beautiful view

restaurant wasn’t great

Loved that it was on the lake and we could go fishing. Also the room was so nice and very comfortable. Everyone was very nice and very friendly.

There was nothing that I didn't like about this place.