Last year our friend group was supposed to be away for my birthday but due to Covid, that never happened. This year we decided on just a girls getaway for a long weekend. After debating on locations, we decided on Charleston and couldn’t be more pleased with our decision.
We were to stay at The Cottages on Charleston Harbor for 3 nights but due to a mixup, we stayed 2 nights downtown at Emeline and 1 at the Cottages. It was a perfect mix of two days of hours of walking and exploring an absolutely beautiful city, and one day of lazing around the pool and then going to a beach club overlooking the harbor for food and drinks. To cap the night off, we went back to our cottage and rocked in the rocking chairs and talked the night away.
After visiting Charleston three previous times but never staying downtown, I highly recommend a stay in the downtown area. Charleston is a walkable town and there is so much beauty everywhere. Walk by the water, see the colorful Rainbow Row houses, read all the historic plaques by houses and learn some history, and there is no shortage of shopping or dining . For dining, we started with Henry’s for some food and cocktails then walked the city for hours, had a drink in the Courtyard at Emeline and finished with dinner at Poogan’s Porch which I have been to before and feel the same way…super nice server but unfortunately average food. The next day we strolled The Charleston Market and brought home some souvenirs for us and our family. We went on a horse drawn carriage ride with Palmetto Carriage Works followed by shopping on King Street and drinks at the Citrus Club, the rooftop bar at The Dewberry. At night we ate dinner at Anson Restaurant (She Crab soup and the Grouper were excellent) then ended the night dancing at Henry’s. We stayed at Emeline which was perfectly situated for a few days in the city and was a gorgeous hotel with excellent staff. If you can indulge, I highly recommend staying there. And don’t forget trying a piece of 12 layer Coconut Cake from The Peninsula Grill!
Our third day we packed up our bags for a quieter and morerelaxing day and night at The Cottages of Charleston Harbor. I was a bit wary prior to coming here as I have seen 3 star reviews. Not sure who those reviewers are but I would give this a solid 4 star rating. We stayed in Cottage 9 named Grace. Plenty of room for 6 people, beautiful view, pool just a short walk away and about a 5 minute walk are a few places to eat and drink. We loved it so much that we canceled our reservation at Shem Creek and stayed just where we were, overlooking the beautiful harbor. What’s great about the Cottages too is it’s right by the water taxi so you have this option if you wanted to go into Charleston without driving and finding parking. Also, Lisa, the GM of the cottages, could not have been more gracious to us.
We packed a lot in during our three days and we made many memories. Whatever your budget can afford, try and travel. It could be a one night hotel stay in a town near you, a day trip to a park, a quick weekend getaway or a vacation with your best girlfriends. Whatever you choose, travel and make memories.
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