Charleston, South Carolina has always been one of our favorite cities in the Southeast. Feeling somewhat "cooped up" lately, we planed a three-day weekend trip there in late June along with two other couples. Fortunately, our friend has a vehicle large enough to hold all six of us (although two of the ladies did have to take up residence in the “way back”) and he expertly managed to get all of our suitcases safely secured on the roof (we call him MacGuyver). Setting out mid-morning one Friday, we made the journey in roughly four and a half hours from Raleigh, covering about 280 miles distance. The weather forecast for the weekend was calling for rain but, other than a few sprinkles en route, we had beautiful weather every day. We did encounter a tropical depression which descended upon the city on our departure day but, all in all, we considered ourselves to be pretty lucky weather-wise.
We made reservations at the Belmond Charleston Place. Set in the heart of the city, the Belmond is famous for its traditional Southern hospitality and is one of the best in the coastal city. Located in Charleston’s historic district, the hotel is within an easy stroll to restaurants, markets and the historic sites of Charleston. There’s a beautiful sculpture in the fountain at the front entrance called “Quadriga.” It’s by John W. Mills, a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and the Royal Society of Arts. Its four, 9-foot bronze horses represent the significance of the horse in Charleston’s history. And the top of the sculpture features a Carolina bird of prey. The lobby of the hotel features a hand-blown Venetian chandelier set between a Georgian open-arm staircase. At 12 feet in diameter and in height, the chandelier is made of more than 3,000 individual pieces of glass, hand blown in Murano, Italy and weighs approximately 2 and a half tons!
Belmond Charleston Place features 434 guest rooms and suites on eight floors. We opted to book Club Level rooms through the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts Program which comes with a suite of benefits, including Noon check-in when available, a room upgrade on arrival when available, complimentary Wi-Fi, daily breakfast for two and a guaranteed 4:00 PM late check-out. There’s also an experience credit which differs at each property and the Belmond provided each couple in our group with a $100 food and beverage credit. The Club Level rooms occupy the top two floors of the hotel and are available by private access only.
The two-story Club Lounge has an expanded marble bar and plush seating. Although it gets crowded at times, we enjoyed all-day complimentary food and beverage service, including continental breakfast, afternoon tea, evening hors d’oeuvres and desserts. The only thing we found to be unacceptable was the bartender leaving a tip jar and single $20, $10 and $5 bills on the bar, thereby strongly encouraging Club Level patrons to tip for their drinks. Guests here have already paid higher room fees which included complimentary beverages. While technically we weren't being charged for the beverages, guests who didn't leave a tip were made to wait on their next trip up to the bar and the entire experience left a rather sour taste in our mouths. We should've reported this right away but, unfortunately, we didn't. However, my friend relayed the situation to the clerk at check-out and was told "my manager will be informed." I hope so!
After a quick lunch at the hotel sports bar called Meeting at Market, we walked across the street to the famous City Market. This historic complex was established in the 1790s and stretches for four city blocks from the architecturally-significant Market Hall, which faces Meeting Street, through a continuous series of one-story market sheds, the last of which terminates at Bay Street. Throughout the Nineteenth Century, the market provided a convenient place for area farms and plantations to sell beef and produce and also acted as a place for locals to gather and socialize. Today, the City Market’s vendors sell souvenirs and other items ranging from jewelry to sweetgrass baskets. Dinner reservations are hard to come by in Charleston now with the increased numbers of domestic leisure travelers and the concierge had recommended the Park Cafe on Rutledge Avenue. This was a very informal restaurant with friendly staff and a delicious swordfish entrée served with fingerling potatoes. (It was a little rocky at first, lacking any chilled glasses for beer, a very limited wine list and practically no premium spirits on the drinks menu.) The restaurant has since closed, serving their last guests on July 11, but is scheduled to reopen in a few weeks’ time as Park & Grove- a seasonal eatery serving lunch and dinner, as well as brunch.
On the following morning, we enjoyed a private, one-hour, horse-drawn carriage tour of the city operated by Palmetto Carriage Works. They are the oldest carriage tour company in Charleston with some of the most experienced and fully-licensed personnel in the local carriage industry. In fact, over half their employees have more than ten years experience in the carriage business. They’ve been a family owned and operated company since 1972. With over 40 horses at the Big Red Barn downtown and at their farm on John’s Island, Palmetto Carriage Works has an excellent animal care record and takes pride in the services provided to their animals. We particularly liked the draft horse who pulled our carriage. His name was Carlos. He leisurely took us through some 25 to 30 blocks in the city’s historic downtown district where we saw a great many houses, gardens, mansions, churches and parks and learned about the city’s architectural history. Carlos didn’t appear to be in any hurry to pull our carriage but he sure did “speed up” at the end of our ride when he knew he was getting close to home and could look forward to a bucket of treats back at the barn!
We stopped for lunch at The Rooftop Bar atop the Vendue Hotel. This bar was named “Best Rooftop Bar” by Charleston City Paper, recognized as the area’s best source of news regarding entertainment, cuisine and the arts. The Rooftop is open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner, offering sweeping views of the Charleston Harbor, Waterfront Park, and the striking Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge. They don’t accept reservations and we were lucky to arrive about 11:45 AM. Within a half hour, there wasn’t an empty chair to be had and patrons were lined up at the bar waiting for tables to become available. It proved to be a great spot for lunch offering regional beers, specialty cocktails, and wines from California and far-away places like New Zealand, Spain, Italy and France, along with burgers, sandwiches and a number of tasty flatbread pizzas. It was easy to see why the energy rises here on weekends when both locals and visitors alike converge on the space for an evening of socializing and unbeatable views.
The fun didn't stop there. In fact, we had another day and a half left of our journey to this wonderful city. I look forward to telling you all about the balance of our visit in a future post.
Until next time...safe travels.
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