I am planning a 2nd honeymoon in Charleston, SC this summer and heard that the summer months are very bad for biting flies or other insect pest problems. Is this true? When are the problem times?

I just returned from 5 days in Charleston (3/27 - 4/1) and had a great time! Yes, there were annoying gnats which were only noticeable when sitting in the waterside parks...it seemed that as soon as you walk away from the waterfront, the gnats disappeared. I assume they'll be around all summer...that's why the old four poster beds all had mosquito netting in place all summer. Shouldn't be a problem unless you're lounging along the waterfront/riverfront.

Joe..Charleston's gnats probably behave like Savannah's. They enjoy the same weather we do. When it's pleasant outside for us, it seems to be for the gnats as well. When it's too hot for people, its also too hot for the gnats. In short, they are a problem spring and fall. Aside from deer flies which you might find in the woods, these are the only biting flies I'm aware of.

If gnats should happen to be out when you are there, Skin-So-Soft helps keep them at bay. Avoid hairspray and a hat will keep them out of your hair. Though they may not seem so at the time, they are only a minor nuisance.

Hi "cmcdaniel,"

I believe you're the wife of a former GM at the Hyatt Regency Savannah, and I hope you can answer a question for me! By the way, thanks for being so helpful to me before I took the trip.

We had the dirtiest toilet I've ever seen in a hotel at the HRSavannah; I had to complain for over 24 hours before they got it about 80% clean! (After supposedly cleaning it FOUR times!) And the service response was terrible! Is there a problem with the river water or something making things especiallyt nasty, or were the housekeepers just that inept?

Thanks!

Hi Mary...I enjoyed reading your responses to others about Savannah--sounds as if you had a great trip and I was glad to help.

As to the river water, no, that has no bearing on the situation. They were "slammed" during the period you were there, being the peak of azalea season, but that is no excuse and I was so sorry to hear of your problem--it's not the norm. Management absolutely wants to be made aware of any such problems and I suggest you write the GM, specifying the dates you were there, the room # you were in, and the problem in as much detail as you can. I guarantee you will get a response from him and it won't be a pat form letter...they do care and do follow up on this sort of thing. Your comments will be acted on by the GM, will go to the housekeeping dept and they are able to track who was doing the rooms at that time. Your comments will help prevent the same thing from happening to another guest.