This week my SD & SIL will be moving to Charleston, SC.

We are thinking ahead and want to get a handle on the best hotel options for us.

We will have a car.

We like smaller, boutique type hotels when possible. If we are doing one of the larger hotels, we prefer Marriott because we are rewards members.

Would like to stay under $300/night if feasible, but will pay more for the right place.

They will be living on Daniel Island for now....so would like close to them. Neither of us has even been to Charleston, so I have no knowledge of the area.

Thanks!

I live a couple of hours from Charleston and get there a few times a year. I'm sure you will get a better response from a local, but: please look into the Inn at Middleton Plantation. One of the, IMO, great pieces of contemporary architecture in South Carolina.

We stayed at The Indigo Inn, Jasmin House annex and really liked it . . in the Historic District, but quite and very pleasant.

http://www.indigoinn.com/

The Hasmin HOuse is a converted carriage house separate from the main hotel

Doing a brief search, it looks like Mt. Pleasant is closer to Daniel Island than downtown Charleston. Downtown seems to be 25-30 minutes away, and we'd like to be closer if possible. Right now, the Courtyard Marriott in Mt. Pleasant is looking most promising, though I'd prefer something more quaint.

Mt P IS closer to Daniel Island than it is to Charleston proper. If you want to stay on DI (it is very nice) there's a Hampton.

The places on the IOP connector are nice too, closer to the beach, right at the shopping center and movie, and there are suites. There will be rush hour traffic from any of those into the Historic District during the usual times. You might want to avoid those. If you want quaint you'll want to be in the Historic District.

If you want to walk the Ravenel bridge, and I recommend it, follow the signs to Mt Pleasant Waterfront Park, then walk up.

The smaller nice ones in the HD are French Quarter Inn, Vendue Inn, Indigo (as mentioned) Ansonborough, and Planter's Inn. There are B&Bs and some carriage houses. Just like with any place, the prices fluctuate based on supply and demand. January and February are lower, but there are always tourists. May and June are full of people going to Spoleto. Thoughout the year there are weekend festivals like the SEWE or the Bridge Run that will mean there will be NO place available.

MT pleasant is a nice, low key town, definitely lacking in quaintness, though. Sullivan's Island, next door always seemed pleasantly funkier. Wild Dunes is corporate in feel. They are ll pretty nice.

OO you missed the quaint part of MtP. It's called "The Old Village". It's on the harbor. The Old Village Post House is there. Do drive over there. You can see Charleston across the harbor.

Sullivan's is very nice but few rentals. The residents want to keep it that way. Wild Dunes is on Isle of Palms. There are oceanfront hotels out there.