This Canadian needs help re: Savannah or Charleston trip
 

HI!

Just got word that my boyfriend has to visit a client in Beaufort GA on Thursday, April 13. Weee..I have been invited to go and he wants me to organize a side trip for us for 2-3 nights over Easter Weekend. Should we go to Savannah or Charleston????? Know very little about either except on Fodor's/Frommers etc..Which would be more scenic, have art galleries/architecture, good local/authentic resturants,some historic tours, walking etc...to give us that truly 'southern experience'??!!

Don't want to do 'too much' driving. We will have a rental car. Then flying out of Beaufort again. I think trying to see both cities would be too much and take away from just having a wonderful time together. We like travelling luxe.

Is the Mansion on Forsythe Park as inconsistent as the Trip Advisor comments? What about thte Gastonian or Foley house...Nice or worn and tired?? Has anyone stayed at these B & B's recently?

Would appreciate any insight and comments since I must put this togther ASAP...Thanks all who have suggestions.....Bye!

Lots more to do in Charleston. Better food.

First, let's figure out where he is going. There is no such place as Beaufort, GA that I have ever heard of. There is a Beaufort in South Carolina, and I am guessing that is his destination. (There is also a Beaufort, North Carolina - just to be confusing).

You could fly into either Charleston, SC or Savannah, GA. They are about equal distance from Beaufort.

What I would do is first see if it makes a difference in schedule, price, etc which of these airports you fly into. Then, since it is Easter weekend on short notice, see what type of accomodations still have vacancy - might start with a search here on "Savannah lodging" or "Charleston lodging".

We like Savannah because our son is in college there, but both are beautiful cities - see what works out logistically and go from there.

We like both places-- but much prefer Charleston. In that city, the 3 inns I'd most recommend (for luxe) would be Two Meeting Street or Governor's House or John Rutledge House. If you prefer hotels to inns, there are 3 terrific ones in Charleston, in fact more like inns than hotels usually are. (Check Trip Advisor) Restaurants are spectacular, tours (either self-guided walking tours or carriage or whatever) are spectacular. We love the whole place-- one of our favorite cities in the whole U.S. (We're from Maryland.) P.S. You may have difficulty getting reservations this late. Try not to wait too long. good luck.

It is confusing but you must be headed to Beaufort, SC...and there is no airport there that I'm aware of, although there is a military base so perhaps this is a military flight?

Either Savannah or Charleston can be done as day trips from Beaufort. We used to live in Savannah and would often go to either Beaufort or Charleston just for the day when we had a need to "get out of Dodge". This close to your travel date, and this being high season, reservations might be hard to come by, which is why I mention day tripping.

Of the two cities, Charleston is the more upscale with better restaurants and shopping. The cities are equally picturesque IMHO, both have historic tours, and both offer wonderful walking so...it's pretty much a toss up with the slight edge to Charleston. You <i>could</i> do one one day and one the next then compare the two.

Don't miss &quot;the Point&quot; historic section of Beaufort either, which is just lovely and there are some nice B&amp;Bs there as well.

Please take EVERYTHING you read on B&amp;B or hotel reviews on TripAdvisor with a big grain of salt. Read as many reviews as you can about any property then take the general consensus. I've read plenty of off the wall factually incorrect reviews of places I know well. It can be useful as a guide, but only one of many resources available, and certainly not the final word! :)

There is a Beaufort GA, I believe, but it is a tiny place between Augusta and Savannah.

Both Charleston and Savannah are beautiful cities with lots of history, art, and fine dining. I personally prefer Savannah, but Charleston is nice, too. I would take Gail's advice and see which city still has hotel availability and what the prices are. You can't go wrong with either destination.

This GA/SC thing is just too weird! I can't find any Beaufort, GA in my atlas. I tried googling it and 2 sites came up with information about hotels in Beaufort, GA, but when you read the descriptions, you realize they are instead describing Beaufort, SC. http://unitedstates.biz/ga/beaufort/

It <i>is</i> a tiny place between Augusta and Savannah as well, but in SC and as far as I can figure, there isn't one in GA unless it is too small to make the atlas and too little happening for a google hit.

I think you should find out for sure if it's Beaufort SC or GA. If it's SC, I would fly into Savannah, check into the hotel and drive to Beaufort for the meeting. Walking around Savannah is much better than Charleston in my opinion. I can't compare the Dining Experience as I haven't done that sort of thing in Charleston. However, no one starves in Savannah.

I am pretty sure you can't fly into Beaufort GA. There is a smallish community on the way to Augusta about 75-80 miles NW of Savannah. You would have to fly into Savannah or Augusta first. And unless you are flying military, I don't think you would be able to get a direct flight into the SC one either. So, I expect your choice will depend on where you can get to the easiest.

We have driven from Savannah to Charleston numerous times to see the gardens, aquarium, etc. It's an easy day trip either way.

Hi all!

And thanks for your insights. It is Beaufort SC,you were all correct, and both flights to and from Canada are direct to Beaufort via private plane.

As mentioned by several of you, very little in terms of accomodations available in either Savannah or Charleston because it is Easter.

Has anyone been to The Inn At Palmetto Bay????It is on the coast somewhat equidistant between the 2 main cities. Looks mostly like a golf community ( we don't golf) but quite isolated all it's own....

Any feedback would be appreciated..Bye!

Gosh, glad that is settled! SC :)

I haven't been to that inn, but am familiar with Bluffton. You'll need a car of course. I looked at their website and it looks lovely, right on the marsh. Before I lived in Savannah the word marsh conjured up one thing: swamp. Well, it's not...marsh is usually tidal and SOOO beautiful in all its stages. The <i>only</i> drawback I can see to being on the marsh are the gnats which love marsh too...and you'll just have to wear Skin So Soft to protect yourselves and hats to keep them out of your hair. They are teeny, almost invisible, but have big teeth :), and this is the season for them...or one of the seasons. Like us, they love to come out when the weather is perfect, neither too hot nor too cold. They must be relative to FL's No-See-Ums, if not the same critter. That said, I'd stay there despite, loving the water and those views as I do, and gnats don't just stay on the marsh...we even had them in downtown Savannah when we lived there, so being away from the marsh is no guarantee that you won't be bothered by them.

Have a nice trip...all 3 of your cities, Beaufort, Charleston and Savannah are lovely, and this is a perfect time of year to see them--flowers will all be blooming, the very best time of year to visit!

Another suggestion would be Kiawah Island. It's quite beautiful, very &quot;southern&quot; with its great live oaks and other wonderful trees-- great food, terrfic biking and walking trails; right on the ocean. The Inn there (new last year) is gorgeous-- very elegant, without being at all stuffy. PLUS: It's abt 45-hr from Charleston-- easy to go back and forth.

Here's a thought. . .
Beaufort SC is a beautiful, little town with several great restaurants, golf courses, art galleries, boutiques and the beach is about 12 miles away. Stay at the Beaufort Inn or the Cuthbert House--both right in town and walking distance to everything. Take a horse and buggy tour of the antebellum homes. It'll be a very relaxing trip.

I found Beaufort Island, GA when I Mapquested it - but glad to hear that is not where you are going.

If you have lodging in Beaufort, SC you could certainly do day trip to either Savannah or Charleston. But if business is finished and you are headed to one or the other, sounds like it may have to do with availability.

If you go to Charleston I recommend trying She-crab soup, visiting Drayton Hall Plantation and buying a sweetgrass basket for yourselves. Have a great time!!

We visited both cities two years ago and Savannah was nice, but Charleston was fantastic. We absolutely loved it.
So much that we're seriously considering moving to that area,(probably Wilmington NC as Charleston is too expensive)after retiring in 2008. Have a good trip.

THANK YOU ALL for your responses...they were very helpful and much appreciated! take care.

which city did you end up going to?