BEHIND THE STAY
There's always more behind the stay.
A place to stay is rarely just a place to sleep. There’s the story of how you found it, why you chose it, how it was designed, and all the little decisions that shape what it feels like to actually be there.
Because where you stay shapes how you experience a place. The neighborhood you get to know. The rhythm of your days. The view you wake up to. The little things that make a trip easier — or make a place stick with you long after you've left.
I’m Kaleen, co-owner of Stay with Sol, and Behind the Stay is where I go a little deeper — behind the homes we’ve made in Sunset Beach, the places our family stays when we travel, and the choices that make a stay memorable.
Why I do this
We didn't set out to run vacation rentals. We set out to find a place our family could come back to year after year. But somewhere along the way, I became fascinated by everything that goes into a stay — how a place is designed, the choices that make it work, and the little details you remember long after you leave.
That curiosity follows me when we travel, too. I want to know why a place works, what makes it feel special, and the story behind it.
Behind the Stay is where I get to tell those stories.
Three Threads, One Journal
The stories behind El Sol and Sol Mar — how we found them, what we’ve learned along the way, and the small decisions that add up to an easier vacation.
A closer look at how each property came together — where things came from, what we’d do again, and the small details that make a rental feel like a home.
Stories, travel guides and itineraries from our own trips — the ones we wished existed before we left, now written down.