I'm getting married in May and the future wife and I will be staying two nights in Charleston before leaving on a cruise. Does anyone have any recommendations on a place?

I know we want to be in or near downtown, and we're not really into the B&B thing...but that's about it. I would like to keep the cost to around $200/night or less, but would be willing to go a bit higher if the place is really nice.

I've been considering the Vendue (4 star) which seems nice, but I can get a room in the Springhill Suites (Marriott, 3-star), which offers a bigger room, river view, & free parking for less money...but is it wedding night material?

Opinions???

9/3/2009 9:27:45 PM

What's wrong with the Marriott?

9/3/2009 9:30:14 PM

nothing that I know of...but that's why I'm asking. It seems nice judging by the pictures and reviews.

Nothing like first-hand experience though!

*also didn't know if it would be a mistake to go with a chain instead of something more "authentic" charleston...

[Edited on September 3, 2009 at 9:36 PM. Reason : .]

9/3/2009 9:32:13 PM

PM aea and Nerdchick for things to do if you need ideas or local suggestions.

Do get breakfast in west ashley at Early Bird Diner.

Maybe post this in the travel forum of craigslist?

9/3/2009 9:42:58 PM

^ thanks!

9/3/2009 9:44:11 PM

I'll look up where I've stayed before, but I'll go ahead and tell you not to stay at the Francis Marrion.

9/3/2009 9:52:09 PM

I stayed here for a conference, it was very lovely and close to all the cool shops on King Street. It's wedding night material and is in your price range. Its probably the nicest hotel in Charleston.

http://www.francismarionhotel.com/



[Edited on September 3, 2009 at 10:11 PM. Reason : .]

9/3/2009 10:08:53 PM

^ is nice, the parking is crap but they have valet

if you need ideas for places to go
http://www.beatourist.net/attractions.html
has a pretty good list... I'm not sure about all of the restaurants on the list, but I've been to most of the attractions and they are all pretty decent - most of them require some walking though and it starts warming up a bit down here in May

[Edited on September 3, 2009 at 10:22 PM. Reason : link]

9/3/2009 10:21:32 PM

^^ i was actually considering Francis Marion

^^^ what was your experience with them that makes you say definately a no?

9/3/2009 10:37:49 PM

Our family goes to Charleston usually every other year. For some reason it's become one of our favorite vacation spots. We always stay at the Charleston Place Hotel. It has a ton of amenities, especially if you spring for a room in one of the top two floors where you have access to a concierge, "free" buffet morn/noon/night, and "free" open bar. Your also right in the heart of downtown.

We'd usually do breakfast and lunch at the hotel, along with drinks later in the evening before going out. So while it did cost a bit more, it ended up paying for itself for the convenience of where things were located and food.

http://www.charlestonplace.com

9/3/2009 10:49:23 PM

Its a good location, but as it's an older hotel the rooms are much smaller than you might be used to. I had another hotel botch a reservation so they put me up there for a night in a "junior suite". It was 2 very small connected rooms but one had the bed replaced with a couch and the other had the hallway door blocked with a bookcase to hide it. It struck me as an older place that was content coasting on it's reputation. Maybe they've updated it since, but based on everything that I saw there I'd plan on someplace else.

Based on my experience I'd recommend the Planters Inn over everything else there. Its a smaller hotel on Market Street thats near everything. Of course, if you're doing a honeymoon you might want to try one of the smaller B&Bs.

9/3/2009 11:25:20 PM

My wife and i stayed at the Elliot House for our honeymoon. It is really romantic in a GREAT location. Also, free bikes to run around in. We only had 2 days, but it was GREAT. cost us about 150 a night.

9/3/2009 11:39:25 PM

stay at a B&B - if this interests you pm me and i can get you specific places...my folks own one here in annapolis and know a lot of owners down in charleston (and have stayed there)

9/3/2009 11:50:09 PM

My brother and sister in law got married in Charleston...the Ansonborough Inn was pretty great.It isn't a B & B, but it is historic and has a lot of old-school charm. Here's the website...

http://www.ansonboroughinn.com/

9/4/2009 12:51:07 AM

We went to Charleston for our honeymoon. We stayed at the Marriott Waterfront and had a corner room with a balcony.
Pros
--Not too expensive. Considering it's Charleston and a honeymoon. You can get it by booking online for $145 a night. I think the usual cost is over $200 for that room.
--Great harbor view. Having the balcony is very nice. But make sure to specify that you want the corner room.
--Bed is very nice, very large, and very comfortable.
--Don't pay for parking and there's a shuttle downtown.

Cons
--Bathroom SUCKS. Can't fit more than one person in the tub/shower at the same time. Honestly, we would not have stayed there in hindsight for this alone.
--Pool plays music ALL day long. Can be distinctly heard from the rooms.
--No room service.
--No continental breakfast.

Pretty nice hotel. Just not quite a honeymoon hotel. But, we used Marriott points and got to stay the entire week for free, so I'm not complaining.

9/4/2009 10:28:07 AM

ignore how bad the website is (because it's pretty bad): http://www.charleston-sc-inns.com/ashley/index.htm

the gf and i have stayed there on multiple occasions...they're great people, have a great breakfast and afternoon wine/cheese (included)...off-street parking and free bikes for getting around

we've always stayed on the second floor with the balcony...the picture on their site is old, from before they put a stoplight in at the crosswalk...i took one the last night we were there...it's off the main roads and so there's very little traffic...we love it



[Edited on September 4, 2009 at 12:59 PM. Reason : i just got an email for $99/night, but it's probably usually $110-120/night]

9/4/2009 12:49:15 PM

I second Francis Marion or Charleston Place.

I prefer Charleston Place.

9/4/2009 12:54:19 PM

Francis Marion is already booked for the days we need.

Charleston Place looks really nice but is going to cost about $400/night on the days I want. I wouldn't think twice about it if we were staying here for our entire honeymoon, but most of the money is going into the cruise. Therefore, it's over budget.

Any other suggestions?

9/4/2009 1:25:29 PM

I don't know the name of it but there is a place right in front of Waterfront Park that looked really nice. They had Valet service and if you get a corner or front room you get a nice view!

That's all I know, sorry

There is the Mariott, I think, that is kind of on the northern tip of downtown Charleston, it is right on the bay with a fantastic view of the sunset. Many boats come to dock near it and it is quite the sight!

It's near the bridge you take to go to Folly. I don't think I'd walk if I wanted to go somewhere though.

9/4/2009 2:48:54 PM

someone might have already mentioned this - but there are a LOT of B&Bs in charleston - super cute and seems more romantic for a honeymoon (IMO). i would research some of those.

9/4/2009 3:31:56 PM

I second Planters Inn.

9/4/2009 3:33:32 PM

Since I live in Charleston, I have no idea what any of the hotels are like!

Why not look into West Ashley? It's the area west of the downtown penninsula across the Ashley river. My house in West Ashley is about 4 miles from the heart of Charleston. A hotel/B&B in West Ashley will cost significantly less than downtown and probably won't already be booked. However it may not be as nice or historic.

Just on a general note, parking sucks in the downtown area. I recommend parking along the battery and walking to the shops & restaurants. It's maybe a half mile walk and there are so many nice houses to see along the way! If you want restaurant recommendations let me know.

9/6/2009 2:04:10 PM

I stayed at the Renaissance Charleston with the girlfriend once. We both enjoyed it very much.

9/6/2009 9:24:20 PM

We stayed at Vendue Inn when we went to Charleston and loved it - I would recommend it.

http://www.vendueinn.com/

[Edited on September 6, 2009 at 9:36 PM. Reason : l]

9/6/2009 9:35:33 PM

i just stayed at the francis marion this past week and really liked it

nice walking distance from everything but not in the area where it is so smelly from the horses

if you want i can upload some pictures of our room and of the hotel, just PM me and let me know

parking is $12/day, but we got a good deal on our room so we didn't mind it that much. (stayed 3 nights for the price of 2)


sorry i just read they were booked on the days you needed... which is weird bc we booked our rooms about 4 days in advance

[Edited on September 7, 2009 at 12:07 AM. Reason : oops]

9/7/2009 12:05:48 AM

stay downtown

9/7/2009 1:12:25 AM

I've never been to Charleston

attn boyfriend, this needs to be fixed!

9/7/2009 5:37:05 PM

eat at McCrady's

9/7/2009 10:17:18 PM

Charleston Place

9/8/2009 12:07:25 PM

If you want to stay in the best hotel in charleston (amenities and location) that is $200/night or less then you want the Marriott Renaissance. There is no better other than The Charleston Place but thats not $200/night.

I've stayed there before and i've also stayed at many other hotels in Charleston including the charleston place. By far the best value is the Renaissance.

9/8/2009 2:06:13 PM

I understand you're waiting out a cruise, but in general for the rest of us.....what exactly is the draw to charleston? like what is there to do worth going there for?

9/8/2009 10:11:54 PM

history & food

9/8/2009 10:15:27 PM

architecture, history, food, & market street (open air market/vendors)

9/9/2009 1:19:51 AM

Quote :

"I understand you're waiting out a cruise, but in general for the rest of us.....what exactly is the draw to charleston? like what is there to do worth going there for?"

I go there every year. My brother also used to live there about 7 years ago. There is so much to do as ^ and ^^ have already said. Also the bar scene is a lot of fun, beaches, etc. You should really go once if you've never been and you'll understand.

9/9/2009 10:31:01 AM

Per capita...Charleston has the best food in the country in my opinion. You'll find more great restaurants in the bigger cities...but for sheer size, it's amazing the number of great places to eat in the area.

Beautiful downtown with tons of history. I could spend days just walking around the downtown streets and reading and/or listening to someone talk about the history.

Great shopping. I'm not a girl, so I honestly don't give a shit. But the ladies love it.

Beaches. Pretty self-explanatory.

Others: Charleston has become a budding arts and entertainment place. Has held a pretty respectable film festival the past couple years...and will add another one this coming year. Piccolo Spoleto Festival is one of the best festivals in the country for shows, plays, music, comedic performances, etc. Charleston Food and Wine Festival is excellent. Charleston Comedy Festival is extremely popular with some of the top comedy acts from around the country coming in the past few years. They are actually turning down high-profile acts for this coming year because its in such demand.

It has its limitations because its just not a huge city...but it more than makes up for it in other areas.

9/9/2009 10:52:23 AM

if you go to charleston, you'd best go to 82 queen...by far one of the best dining experiences if it's nice out...we were there in january and it was cool (not really cold with the heaters on), breezy, and they had all the lights on...it was gorgeous

9/9/2009 3:04:30 PM

+Church Street Inn. The wife and I actually bought a Timeshare there on our Honeymoon. Its really nice and right on the corner of Church street and Market so you can walk to almost anything.

Also second 82 queen. Try the Duck

[Edited on September 9, 2009 at 3:44 PM. Reason : +]

9/9/2009 3:33:16 PM

Quote :

"you'd best go to 82 queen"

went there saturday. as usual i was not disappointed. my wife and i eat there bi-weekly. we also try to hit buccaneer and magnolias a few times a month. man i love living in charleston.

9/9/2009 8:08:59 PM

While still a good restaurant, don't know if it would even be in my top 10 or 15 places to go in Charleston.

Off the top of my head I'd probably go to F.I.G., La Fourchette, Carolinas, Samos, Al di La, Trattoria de Luca, Wild Olive, and Glass Onion before 82 Queen. And those are just restaurants around the same price range that I'd pick before Queen.

Charleston has a ridiculous number of good places to eat. Probably my only bad vice as far as spending money.

9/9/2009 9:29:32 PM

^ i would also recommend fig

9/10/2009 8:06:17 AM

here's a pic of 82 queen

9/11/2009 8:27:36 AM