Charleston, SC
 

Potentially planning a trip to Charleston for mid-October with my husband to celebrate our joint 40th birthdays. Neither of us have ever been there. Any great suggestions for places to stay and must-see things to do? Thanks. Linda

I'm going there in April and have been reading a lot about places to stay-and using Fodors. The Harbour View Inn looks really nice-might want to check it out. I also want to tell you that if you are interested in it you can get a better rate on their website than on the phone. The place has a view of the water and it's in a great location. Have fun.

I actually prefer to stay closer in town. I use to live in Charleston and would love to move back (bags packed ready to go - LOL). However we go every year. If you want a larger room that is cost effective, try the Doubltree Suites. They are actually pretty nice. If you are choosing between the Harbor View Inn, Charleston Place and the French Quarter Inn, I would take Charleston Place if money is not an object. If money is a consideration, I would choose The French Quarter Inn for location. It is as nice as the Harbor View but more centrally located.

If you want a B & B, I would choose The Elliott House, Meeting Street Inn or Two Meeting Street Inn. The Jasmine House and the Mills House are also nice.

There are plenty more but I am not sure what your price range is and what your needs are. If you give me some ideas about what your interests are (and I hope eating is one of them since Charleston has some fabulous restaurants), I can give you some activities to do.

Now you have me thinking that French Quarter Inn might be a better place for us....how long of a walk is it from the Harbour View Inn to the historic district? Could you fill us in a little about how it's more centrally located. Thanks.

I would like to know more about the Doubletree too-I haven't checked into that one yet. Any details you can give me?

Harborview is not far away by any stretch but I prefer being almost on Meeting Street. It is just my personal preference. I think Harborview is about a mile away from the market (certainly walkable) whereas Doubletree and the French Quarter Inn (both being on Church Street) are less than a 1/4 mile. It is just me being more particular about how close I really am.

I love the Doubletree because it gives us more room. We usually opt for the one bedroom suite which gives us a separate bedroom, a sitting area and a mini refrigerator to stock drinks in plus a microwave and some extra cabinet spaces. There are two televisions, one in the bedroom and one in the living room and a small table to eat at.

If you opt for the Doubletree, I would request the single story one bedroom suites versus the two story. The 2 story ones are a bit smaller because of wasted space and a bit darker as more light gets into the single story ones.

You can also have breakfast included in your rate and they offer a great breakfast. There is always some sort of meat (usually sausage and bacon), sometimes they have potatoes and sometimes pancakes. They almost always have grits and biscuits as well as fruit or cereal.

Please note that whereas I find the Doubletree a nice and clean hotel, it is not has classy as the French Quater, Harborview and certainly not Charleston Place. However, I am pretty picky when it comes to hotels and I love this place. They also have a fantastic staff on board.

The Doubletree has one of the best locations in Charleston proper and I love staying there.

If money is no object, either The Planters Inn or Charleston Place.

Deborah, if you haven't been to Charleston, how would you know the location is great? Just curious.

Sorry, the location of the Harbor View.

You are right-I haven't been to Charleston and I shouldn't have made a statement about the location being great. I guess the reason I said that was from what I have read on tripadvisor from others who have stayed there and the fact that it is near the water. But, true, I actually have not been there to see it myself. I'll be careful about those assumptions in the future.

No need to apologize, I was just curious.

In my opinion, the closer you are to the market, the better the location.

What about the Rutledge House? A couple of friends have recommended it to me. In response to "beachdreams", yes, we LOVE to eat good food! Any good recommendations? Any other recommendations you have for how to spend our time would be wonderful as well. As for accomodations, if price is not a factor, where would you stay? Thanks. Linda

My husband and I just returned last week from our 1st trip to Charleston. We had a wonderful time. We're already talking about a return trip in the spring to see all the flowers in bloom.

We stayed at the Meeting Street Inn . We were pleased with our room and the service. Breakfast and afternoon appitizers were included. It is located across the street from the Market.

Charleston is a wonderful and easy town to walk. Some of the streets we enjoyed walking were King, Church, Tradd, The Battery and East Bay. A nice way to end a day is to walk to the Waterfront Park at the end of Church Street. You can look out over the bay as you swing on porch swings.

We shopped the Market, took a boat ride to Ft. Sumter, toured the Nathial-Russell House and Edmonston-Alston house, visited the Charleston Museum, did the Original Charleston walk and drove out to Drayton Hall. We would reccomend all of them.

We had nice lunches at Josephs, Fast and French and the Bookstore Cafe.

Had an error in my posting. The Waterfront park is located at the end of Queen.

Can anyone tell me the differences between the Planters Inn, the Rutledge House and Charleston Place -- why you would stay at one versus another? Which is the nicest? Best location? Best service? Best choice for a couple celebrating their joint 40th birthdays and leaving their two children home with grandmother?! From the websites, it looks like Charleston Place does not have quite as much character as the other two - is that correct? Help! Linda

In my opinion, The Wentworth Mansion, Charleston Place, and The Planters Inn are the three best places to stay in Charleston.

CP and TPI have the best location of the three.

The main difference is that Charleston Place is a large hotel and it is one of the few hotels in the US run by Orient Express. Top notch.

Planters Inn is a Relais & Chateaux small luxury property and houses one of the best restaurants in Charleston, The Pennisula.

My first choice is always The Planters Inn, followed by Charleston Place, then Wentworth Mansion. You will not go wrong choosing any of the three as I think the differences are minor.

None of the other B&Bs or hotels can compare.

The only other choice for me would be The Woodlands Inn outside Charleston in Summerville. One of the best small hotels in the world. Conde Nast Traveler gave the restaurant perfect 100 scores for food and service on their annual Gold List.

gotravel, I was reading this thread and getting ready to post with a recommendation for Penininsula, truly wonderful dinner.
You cannot go wrong with a Relais and Chateau hotel....

We had drinks at a terrace bar , top floor of a hotel, with a 360 degree view of the city;
can't remember the name though.

Shopping was wonderful; privately owned boutiques abunded, a nice change from chain stores.....
One shop was special, Michele I think; also a large shoe store......

I completely agree with GoTravel and am actually embarrassed that I forgot The Planters Inn. Charleston Place easily comes to mind because it is more widely known. It is a fantastic hotel but you can stay at any hotel like it in any city. Planters Inn is more romantic.

As for dining, gosh, there are so many places to eat there. In fact, I can not enjoy Atlanta's restaurants as much because I am almost always coparing them to Charleston's. Sigh. Here goes and please note that there are in no particular order:

Penninsula Grill
SNOB
Magnolia
Carolinas
Magnolia
Poogan's Porch
82 Queen
Hanks
Anson
Garibaldi
Blossom Café
McCradys
Boccis
Baker's Cafe
Jestine's Kitchen
Tristan - never been but a good number of people love it
Fish - also never been but a good number of people love it.

Now for things to do. Obviously shopping is fantastic in Charleston. I love walking down King's Street. I could spend a fortune there. I also love walking through the market. Actually, to be perfectly honest, I just enjoy being in a city where walking around is so easy and a car is not necessary that I could spend all day, every day just walking.

You should probably take in a ghost tour if that interests you. I enjoy ghost tours. You could also take in a carriage tour. When we go with people who have never been to Charleston, we always do the carriage tour with them and everyone has loved it.

The aquarium is also a good place to go and to me is much better than some of the others I have been too. In July they had a great frog exhibit going on.

You could do a swamp tour or go to one of the plantations like Middleton Place or Magnolia Plantation. A good number of people enjoy the seeing The Nathaniel Russell house and Drayton Hall.

The weather should be good for a walk on any of the beaches (Isle of Palms, Sullivans, Folley, etc). No trip is complete without walking around the Battery.

If you are into history, go to Patriot's Point.

I am probably missing some things but this should get you started.

Thanks for all the great info! One last (I think!) question. I was interested in the Planters Inn because I had heard it was very nice. Then I read some reviews on tripadvisor.com and EVERYONE was complaining that they couldn't sleep because of all the noise and that the service was not good. Never used tripadvisor.com before -- maybe everyone just goes there to complain???? Any thoughts from anyone who has stayed there?

Oops. I just looked at tripadvisor.com again and not EVERYONE was complaining about the noise and service, but several postings were and they were very vociferous in their complaints. Any thoughts?

I enjoyed the Harbour View and found it an easy walk to wherever I wanted to be. The comments on noise at the Planters Inn may be because it IS in the middle of everything. I enjoyed my stay there once, stopped back by to pick up a brochure the last time I was in Charleston, but probably won't stay there again...unless someone is footing the bill.

Any particular reason GoTravel jumped on deborahk? Yikes!

We spent 3 nights at the Doubletree in June and I am pleased to report beachdreams that we did everything on your "to do" list. The Doubletree while very centrally located was not noisy at all.

starrsville, GoTravel very clearly said she was just curious. Everyone on this board is way too inclined to see bad intent where there is none.

We just got back from a stay at the Holiday Inn Historic in Charleston and enjoyed our stay there very much. It is located on the corner of Meeting and Calhoun - a short walk (5-10 min?) from the Market. The rooms were roomy, quiet and nice and the service overall was very friendly and helpful. What made our stay special though was the concierge. He obviously loves his job as well as Charleston - was extremely helpful with recommendations for tours and restaurants.

The restaurants we went to were all outstanding: 39 Rue de Jean (casual french w/ great atmosphere - onion soup grateniere and creme brulee to die for), Hank's Seafood (the best, fresh oysters on the half shell, she-crab soup), Magnolia (wonderful shrimp & grits), and High Cotton (Sunday jazz brunch). All were easy walking distance from our hotel.

We took a history walking tour with Tommy Dew which we really enjoyed. It entailed an hour and a half, roughly one mile walk in the historic district with much fascinating historical and personal information. We did not take a home and garden tour but would like to on our next visit.

Suki I am impressed. But, the real test is, did you also eat at Hymans? I am one of the few that actually likes that place. I also love its sister restaurant Aaron's Deli for a good sandwich. Other cheap eats I like are AW Shucks for their raw bar and their sandwiches at lunch and I adore the deck at Tommy Condons and their crabcakes and shrimp and grits. MMMMM

Scubalinda - I have stayed at Planters Inn plenty of times but not in the last few years. I have never had problems with noise from the street, however it is right in the heart of Charleston. So is Indigo Inn as a matter of fact and I have stayed there and have not heard much noise. You could express your initial concerns to the reservationist and perhaps they could place you in a quieter location.

Starrsville - Gotravel was not jumping on deborah. It is often hard to read a person's intention on the internet but she was just curious.

We missed Hyman's but did enjoy a few beers on the deck at Tommy Condon's. We also enjoyed a flight of wine and a cheese tray at McCrady's - wait, it was a bottle of wine and a flight of cheese! All in all, it was a very enjoyable visit.

beachdreams and suki, thank you very much for being able to see my intent. I truly honestly was not jumping in Deborah but I was curious about her statement.

beachdreams, I love Hymans! I will qualify that statement by saying the only thing I've ever ordered there is the crispy fish (whole fried baby flounder served on the bone and scored) and it is excellent. We try and eat there a half dozen times a year.

Suki - flight/bottle, who cares. After a few glasses it does not make one bit of difference. I love Tommy Codon's deck. Hymans is a must the next time you visit.

GoTravel - You are more than welcome. I have never known you to be short or rude without being provoked. Also, I can not believe there is someone else, beside DH and myself, who actually admit to loving Hymans. What does crack me up is that I hear all the time how horrible it is, yet there are always a zillion people waiting to eat so someone must be lying.

Their flounder is wonderful. The last time I was there, they had a lobster special that was quit good as well. I ate every bit of it. I find their she crab soup to have its on and off days and I do not car for their "cajun" seasoning as it is more salty than actually flavored but their boiled shrimp are pretty yummy and their blackened fish is pretty good as well. Oh, I have heard that their fried shrimp are fabulous but I prefer my shrimp cooked other ways so I have never sampled it. If they have a special and it sounds pretty good, I inquire about it and have enjoyed it about 90% of the time. I also find their service to be quick and pretty efficient.

All of this talk about Charleston food really has me down and out and really missing the place. I am always so sad to go home. What a fabulous city!

At a place like Hyman's, I think if you go there in search of anything other than basic low country seafood, you would be disappointed.

On the flipside, I wouldn't to into The Peninnsula Grill looking for a fried shrimp platter.

I enjoy Hyman's for what they do well and agree, we may be the only people that admit they like Hyman's.

Are any of you ladies familiar with the Boathouse seafood restaurant? When my nephew lived there for a couple of years, he loved it....... it was his favorite. Although we have been to Charleston several times, I have not eaten there.

Bonnie - I have eaten at two locations (I think there are three but I could be wrong; the Isle of Palms one and the one on East Bay. I like the setting of the Isle of Palms one better. It has that fabulous deck where you can have drinks over looking the water. However, I have not been back to either since 2001. I remember the food being pretty good and if I recall correctly, I really liked their Tune with a ginger glaze.

Beachdreams, my nephew is a great big athletic guy, who loves QUANTITY as well as quality. My sister was telling me, over the weekend, that she ate at the Boathouse with my nephew, that the food was basically good fried seafood, mostly, and you get A LOT OF IT. She thinks that influences his choice of restaurants! :-d

Hmmm, I wonder if I enjoyed their Tune as much as their Tuna? It must have been too early for my response. I seem to recall getting nice sized portions as well. I am not sure why I have not been back there since then. I tend to go to places I can walk to rather than drive because I have that luxury in Charleston and I do not in Atlanta.

I tend to like restaurants that are good and give lots of food because I love leftovers. There is nothing like the sight of a restaurant to go box in my fridge when I do not feel like cooking. It makes me smile.