bluesky9ny

My husband and I are flying from NY to Charleston the last week in August with our daughter (in her 20's), who must see a doctor there. We are looking to make the most of it, and are stretching the trip out by a few days. Does anyone have some good advice for us about lodging for four nights at a reasonable rate? Also, we are interested in doing some sightseeing (possibly a tour?) and restaurant recommendations. It's not technically a vacation for us, but having never been to Charleston before we'd like to get the most out of our brief stay. Thanks, everyone.

cmcfong

I strongly recommend you pull up GoTravel's Charleston trip report. Search with her screenname in the search box. She gives some great advice on hotels and restaurants. Have a good time in that most beautiful of cities. And best wishes to your daughter.

TrvlMaven

Will you need to be downtown near the Medical Center? If so, with three of you, you might consider staying at the Embassy Suites (former Citadel). It will be central to both the historic district as well as easy communte to Med Ctr. Have been to Charleston four years in a row--highly recommend Gullah Tour (http://www.gullahtours.com/) small a/c bus that will take you to every part of downtown. Very informative and much more comfortable compared to carriage ride. Go to the Pavilion Terrace (roof of Pavilion Hotel) for the best views, a little breeze and afternoon snack and beverage. Don't forget Hank's for a special dinner, Poogan's Porch. Best wishes.

GoTravel

How much time will you be spending at MUSC?

As for reasonable hotels, the end of August is as close to an off season as Charleston gets so you should find some incredible deals downtown. I got The Planters Inn in July for $235 a night which is normally a $375+ hotel.

Charleston hotels are expensive, almost in the same league as Manhattan hotels. What is your budget?

tovarich

A nice hotel, well situated is the KIng Charles Inn.We paid 279 $ for two nights in Sept 2006.The best thing to do is go to the visitor center not far from the hotel to get info.Near the hotel you have the very interesting town museum were you can buy a combination ticket;museum and two house tours of you choice.We did the Joseph Manigault house and the Heyward-Washington house tour.You should also visit the Old Exchange & Provost dungeon.The walk along the Battery is nice too.Paul

dmlove

We thought the walk along the Battery was a highlight (lovely architecture, as in a lot of Charleston, just bigger LOL and more expensive LOL!), but then we walked everywhere, even in sweltering temps. We also enjoyed the tour of Ft. Sumter. We had a very good dinner at Magnolia's on the main drag.

volcanogirl

I took a trip with some girlfriends to Charleston. We loved touring all the old plantations: there's Middleton Place, Boone Hall, Drayton Hall, and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. We stayed at a cute little B&B; the name escapes me, but there are quite a few of them that are quite charming.

Our favorite dinner was at a spot called Magnolia's - really good food; Hyman's is a popular spot for seafood. We ate some lowcountry cuisine at one of the plantations, and it was really good.

We didn't do one, but the carriage tours are really popular, and you can shop for Gullah crafts. It's a fun town - have a wonderful time.

bluesky9ny

Back from our trip to Charleston. We chose to stay at the Ansonborough Inn, a very short walk from the heart of the historic district. We loved the hotel. We stayed in a roomy two level loft style room, with a queen bed and TV on each level. We also had a kitchen area with sink, minifridge, coffee maker and microwave. The Inn was really nice, exposed brick and heart of pine floors, and artwork everywhere. We paid $159 per night, with a $20 surcharge for the third person, and $10 per day to park. The hotel rate included a decent continental breakfast each morning, wine and cheese each afternoon, and coffee, tea, lemonade and cookies all day. I'd definitely recommend it. We ate some wonderful food at Magnolia, Anson's (the crispy fish was wonderful!) and FIG. We did a tour of Magnolia Plantation and really enjoyed touring the property. We also did the horse drawn carriage tour, and had a very interesting tour guide... informative and entertaining. Oh, and the doctor appointment which brought us to town went well! Thanks to all for the info.

dmlove

Mostly glad to hear the doctor appt went well, but glad the trip was good too (a nice side benefit).

volcanogirl

bluesky, I'm glad all went well. We got a kick out of the plantation tours; the tour guides kept referring to the "War of Northern Aggression" - finally figured out that's what they call the Civil War.

Glad you got to go to Magnolia's; we thought it was delicious.

cmcfong

Sounds like a good trip all around bluesky9ny. I was particularly glad to see a review of the Ansonborough Inn. I think it is very attractive. My cousin owns a house on Anson and I have walked past it many times. I also love Magnolia's and Anson's. I have not tried Fig. What was the food like?

bluesky9ny

We really enjoyed FIG (stands for Food Is Good). It had a lively crowd on the rainy Friday night we were there. We loved the photographic art work on the walls, and the ambiance in general. The chef is much celebrated I understand, and friends of ours who had dined there before highly recommended it. I have to say I'd recommend it as well. The food was really good!

cmcfong

I will definitely put it on the list of to try for my next visit. Thanks for the tip.