My husband and I are planning a last minute trip to Charleston SC in July. We plan to use priceline for our hotel, but can't decide if we should stay in downtown Charleston, Folley Beach, or Isle of Palms. We want to spend a good amount of time at the beach, but also tour the historic district, a plantation, Ft. Sumter, and the Angel Oak tree. Which area would you recommend for us?

If we stay downtown, which beach should we visit? If we stay on Isle of Palms, will it be easy to regularly visit downtown for dining and the other islands for attractions? We will have a car. I just don't want to be far away from all of the other attractions and dining.

Isle of Palms is a 20 minute drive from Charleston proper. Folly is a little father but not much. July is HOT, so I think you should stay downtown (so you can take breaks) and go to the beach for the day. It's nice to just walk out your front door and be in the heart of everything. Is this your first visit?

The Harbourview Inn in the historic district sits right across from the water, and is a wonderful location to walk to everything, as well as being one of the top hotels in Charleston. We went last July, so our son could see it for the first time (normally wouldn't go in July!), and really lucked out as the temps hovered closer to 90 rather than near 100 (more normal.) With the breeze off the harbor, we were downright comfy when we walked to shops, dinner, etc.

I think it feels more like a real Charleston visit if you stay in the historic area so I like to do that. Be sure to eat at SNOB and Magnolia's while you're there, and take a carriage ride ...

http://www.harbourviewcharleston.com/

We stayed in the historic district and that is where we will stay on our next visit.

I haven't booked via Priceline for Charleston. You may want to research the boundaries of the different area. There are some areas downtown(close to the water and market) that are better than others (near hospital).

The best way to save money on Charleston lodging is to visit during the week. Try a couple of dates to make sure that you didn't pick a week booked with conferences.

I agree with the above that the historic district is the place to be to experience Charleston.That said,the beaches are great for a break.Sullivans Island and Isle of Palms are 2 of my favorites and are across the bridge near Mt.Pleasant.The French Quarter Inn is very nice on Market Street and the Harbourview is nice as well.There are many great restaurnts downtown-you can hardly go wrong.Have fun-Charleston is a wonderful city.

If you use an opaque hotel site be aware that "downtown" does not necessarily mean "historic district". There are downtown hotels that are not in the HD.

Just to present a different point of view.....how much time do you plan to spend at the beach vs. doing downtown/historic district activities? If the beach time is greater, then I would stay at the beach. We've been spending the last week of June on Sullivan's Island for the past six summers and after trying several strategies, the one that has worked best for us is to stay at the beach, drive into Charleston in the mornings (when it's cooler and the sidewalks/buildings haven't heated up yet), and then get back to the beach in the afternoon when the island breezes pick up. This has worked much better than trying to do tourist activities downtown in the afternoon when it's broiling hot and children in strollers are screaming and parents are sweating and the sun is glaring down and.....well, you get the point! At any rate, if you decide to stay downtown (which is what I would do, were I going to spend the bulk of my time there), I would definitely do the heavy sightseeing in the mornings.

If you stay Downtown, you ca easily go to whatever beach you prefer... or both on different days. They are both about 20 minutes from DT. Plus the ambiance of DT is fantastic, especially at night!