Check Travelocity and Expedia.com for some excellent travel packages and individual hotel rates. But if you're flying they often have fly/hotel packages which are cheaper than if you just booked the hotel separately. At any rate you may find a real bargain in *** to **** hotel. Descriptions are posted as well for most hotels. You may then want to compare the prices at hotel.com.

i live in the area - my vote is for Charleston - Hilton Head is great but it's a beach resort - I recommend it fi that's what you're looking for - but Charleston just has more to see and do than Savannah and is a nicer city.

To answer your first qiestion - the Riverview is so so - it has some nice views of the Citidel - but it's not in the Historic District - when I go to Charleston I try Priceline for the Historic District. (Check out Biddingfortravel.com first).

Have a nice time - and eat at Justine's Kitchen for lunch. (I like Poogan's Porch, too).

Just returned last night from a 7 day trip to Charleston, Hilton Head, and Savannah. Charleston is historic and beautiful. Stayed 3 nights at the Embassy Suites. Charleston has wonderful choices for dining. We had nice lodging in HH - oceanfront, but the gated areas turned us off. And you can't even SEE the renowned PGA golf courses w/o going through security. Also the island is serviced by one main road. I would imagine the traffic is horrible in the Spring. The surprise of the trip was how much we LOVED Savannah. We stayed at the DeSoto Hilton -great location and nice. We loved the "squares" and the more casual attitude. I can't imagine how beautiful it must be in the Spring. Also, the Savannah airport is very nice. Good luck.

OK, to jump in on Terrys thread with my own question, for those who have been to both of these lovely cities:
Which one would you LIVE in and why?
Thanks, I am debating living back in the south again, after having lived in NYC for the past 30 years! I just don't want to be cold anymore

Charleston isn't the friendliest place to move to from another place (be prepared to answer the question "what's your family name?" a bunch of times). Savannah is much more laid back. The best way I can describe it is this; Charlestonians are very snobby (my mother is a native, trust me on this) and people from Savannah are one inch away from the nut house.

I just returned from a few days in both Charleston and Savannah and can say without a doubt spend most of your time in Charleston. Savannah, while a nice place to visit, can in my opinion easily be visited in one day tops. Spend one or two hours in city market and going around the old homes in the historic district and spend the rest of the time on River Street. It is laid back but it also has a certain shabby and creepy element to it. Charleston, on the other hand, is more sophisticated, elaborate and has more charm. It has a sort of European flair with many nice shops, clean streets, excellent architecture and old homes.

I'm not sure when I've seen a thread with so much "crap" on it. Clearly the answer to your question lies in what you are interested in. But to say Hilton Head is better than Charleston or Charleston is a "wannabe" to Hilton Head is crazy. Hilton Head is a wonderful place to go and relax, sit back and have a drink, play golf and do nothing. It couldn't be beat for that. But Charleston is not a wannabe to that. Charleston is a city where you go to do things -- shop, see historic homes and gardens, dine, and enjoy the ambience of a wonderful historic city, something that Hilton Head has nothing to do with.
I still prefer Charleston to Savannah, but both are lovely old towns. But this thing about the modern resort of Hilton Head even being compared to either has me completely bewildered.

I sort of like the idea of a place that is a step away from the nut house
Maybe I wouldn't get homesick!
Patrick, I think you are quite right!

I disagree that Charlestons are snobby. I think Charleston is one of the nicest cities. Not only do I visit a considerable amount (got married there as well) but I also have family there. If I had to choose on living in Charleston or Savannah, I would choose Charleston hands down. One reason is that I prefer Charleston's beaches to those of Savannah's. I also think the dining is better but these are just my opinions.

As for visiting, again I would choose Charleston and coming from someone whose parents owned a condo on Forest Beach in Hilton Head, I can attest that there is no comparison between the two. Hilton Head, while nice, is a typical touristy beach town whereas Charleston is not. I would compare Hilton Head to Myrtle Beach before comparing it to Charleston.

I like them both, but there are some things I like better about one than the other. I visited both a few years ago and had such a good time in Savannah I stayed an extra day. I think the squares in Savannah are great and God knows its easier to cross the street in Savannah while Charleston has much more traffic. Personally I thought Charleston was friendlier and it is consistently voted one of the nations friendliest. Savannah had some catching up to do in the restoration dept, but they seem to have done so admirably. Both cities have rough areas but I honestly didn't see eithers. I dont think I could pick one over the other, they're simply not THAT different nor are they that far apart. Charlestons preservation efforts deserve a lot of respect from what Charleston was in the 1950's to the beauty it is today.

I would choose moving to Charleston over Savannah for a variety of reasons. I admit being a South Carolinian makes me somewhat biased, but I just did a comparison between Char. and Sav. on Bestplaces.net and it confirmed my hunch.

The economy and demographics of the Charleston area are both better than the Sav. area. The Medical Univ. of SC is in downtown Chas., which gives the city great medical service and facilities. SC taxes are generally lower than GA taxes, and the median avg. income in Chas. is much higher than in Sav... this means more high-end stores, etc. Coll. of Charleston is another boost to the area; while Sav. also has colleges it just doesn't have the cool "college town" feel to it that Chas. does.

Also, Charleston is a coastal city, while Savannah is more of an inland, river-city. Besides just being closer to the beach, being on the coast also brings less humidity and those wonderful sea breezes.

You can't really go wrong with either city, I just think Chas. has more to offer and more "percs" than Sav.

This site has got to be one of the best I have come across..and this forum.. well its amazing..the differences in all of us...what some of think are "wannabees"...to others of us are jewels.. I have lived in the south for most of my life..and Charleston and Savannah both have their particular lovely advantages..I was in Charleston last summer and didnt find anyone "Snobby"....everything was lovely..great food for sure.. If you decide to go there.. Try BLOSSOMS.. went for a Sunday Brunch..it was 5stars And have been to Savannah many many times over the years...and I love it! Just to walk along Riverstreet..I think its quaint in its own way..Charleston might be more sophisticated but they are both great cities.. And yes Hilton Head is nice as well.. but its more of a Golf/Beach Mecca.. Whatever you decide.. Have a WONDERFUL TIME

Im not sure Charlestons economy is as great as the other poster thinks. I work for an international real estate concern and the rule of thumb from our Charleston affiliate is any sale 500k or over is not a local. Im not sure about the these two specific cities, but the state of Georgia is certainly a wealthier state and has a better public school system than SC. We recently heard SC has the worst public school system, but those stats are often dubious.

Kari,, suggestion.. go to the Charleston chamber of commerce website.. I cant think of the name of the B&B,,if you like B&B's.. there are some wonderful ones.. down by the Ashely River.. its lovely.. really... was there this past summer... had a marvelous time!

On an earlier visit to Charleston, I took a walking tour with a lady who described herself as a "newcomer"--she'd only lived there 20 years. Charleston is very polite and friendly, but its inner core is, as our tour guide noted, extremely difficult to crack if you don't have long-term family connections there. Savannah had a more laid back, come as you are, attitude. I can't imagine being disappointed with either of your choices...unless you're planning to go in mid-August, when it's simply too hot to do anything (we sat in a park near the Battery and the bugs were chewing me alive; at night the sound of those palmetto bugs scuttling about in the dark was worthy of a Stephen King movie!). The waterfront in Charleston may give you nice sea breezes, but then you have to deal with the occasional uninvited party crasher, like that fellow named Hugo.