lobby of one of the top South Carolina Hotels

Our Top 12 Hotels in South Carolina | Listen

By: The Local Palate

Copy to clipboard

Cozy rooms and excellent fare make getting settled in South Carolina an easy task

From its corner roost in Mount Pleasant’s Old Village, the Post House Inn is a smartly designed, seven-room respite set atop an effortlessly cool dining room and bar. The restaurant serves as a community gathering space, with locals and visitors alike noshing on shared plates like blue crab toast on brioche. But it’s the rooms upstairs that deserve a longer visit. Each has its own character, with ample sunlight flooding wide-planked wooden floors, and all are outfitted with American-made mattresses, a collection of classic furnishings, and a mix of modern and antique artwork. In the mornings, enjoy an in-room breakfast of coddled eggs with slivers of prosciutto, taleggio, and fresh fruit, then take a spin on one of the inn’s pink bicycles.

Grand Bohemian Lodge

Greenville

The Grand Bohemian Lodge commands attention from its perch overlooking Greenville’s Reedy River. Its forest-green exterior, exposed timber beams, and four-sided stone fireplace in the lobby blend with its surrounding setting while details like the lavish Poseidon Spa, three top-tier food-and-beverage options, and a curated gallery with art from CEO and president Richard C. Kessler’s personal collection make this hotel anything but rustic. Plan to spend time inside Between the Trees, a seasonally driven kitchen where you’ll find hand-cut bison tartare and blackened grouper with fennel-tomato sauce, or at Spirit & Bower, a bourbon bar with a robust selection of rare spirits.

The Pinch

Charleston

The Pinch hotel, set on the prime corner of George and King Streets, is built for extended stays, with all 24 rooms designed like pieds-a-terre, complete with fully outfitted kitchens, washer/dryer units, and a clutch of plants and succulents. The entrance is set on a cobblestoned alley lit by gas lamps, and just beyond that, there’s an outdoor firepit and patio; three complimentary bikes await out front. Inside the hotel, The Quinte is a quaint and cozy oyster bar known for its showstopping seafood towers, while across the courtyard, Lowland is helmed by FIG alum Jason Stanhope, who amps up comfort food (go for the crispy quail) inside the walls of an 1840s-era building.

Hotel Bennett

Charleston

With its marble-floored rotunda lobby, Hotel Bennett channels the grand European hotels of yore, complete with murals of Charleston harbor and tufted banquettes. The 179 guest rooms, plush with upholstered headboards, are outfitted with shelves full of books, a nod to the Charleston County Library, which once sat on this site, and their own pedestal tubs. Get a glimpse of the ocean from the rooftop pool or work out your kinks at the intimate, modern spa. The grandness of the hotel is matched by its many dining options, like Camellias, a Champagne lounge that feels like the inside of a jewel box, and Gabrielle, the fine dining room offering formal decadence, as well as the rooftop bar Fiat Lux and La Pâtisserie, the street-front all-day French bakery.

Hotel Hartness

Greenville

Concepted by Greenville’s Hartness family on nearly 500 acres of green space accumulated over the past 70 years, this hotel retreat northeast of Greenville boasts a stunning lobby, breakfast area, lounge, and bar designed by C+ TC Design Studio and Sims Patrick Studio. Take in a spa treatment at Spa H or wander the 15 miles of woodland walking trails. A generously sized outdoor pool is open April through September. The hotel bar, The Captain, offers cocktails and snacks, while a short walk across the outdoor lounge area takes you to Patterson Kitchen + Bar, where the on-property farm supplies seasonal vegetables and eggs. Seats at the chef’s counter provide an up-close view of the action in the kitchen.

Montage Palmetto Bluff

Palmetto Bluff

Set inside a private community, this Montage property is anchored by a striking inn as well as a range of River View Cottages that overlook the marsh. A lake at the heart of the property is home to an abundance of wildlife, and the surrounding grounds are ripe for exploration (don’t miss the stunning treehouses hidden around the property). There is no shortage of dining options, but we recommend the steakhouse-leaning River House followed by a discreet drink in the speakeasy Hush, or lunch at the recently revamped Buffalos for beautiful bowls and coconut Thai mussels.

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Kiawah

This oceanfront resort is the crown jewel of Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Each of its 255 guestrooms and suites features a private balcony as well as luxurious touches like customizable minibars and deep soaking tubs. The barrier island is home to seven golf courses, including The Ocean Course, as well as two tennis clubs, a five-star spa, and miles of paved bike trails. There are more than a dozen dining options from a brunch buffet to a sushi lounge—make it a point to visit The Ryder Cup Bar for a sundowner on the veranda followed by dinner at The Atlantic Room. The Ocean Room provides a classic, elevated steakhouse experience while lunchtime calls for a bike ride to Cherrywood BBQ & Ale House.

Hotel Domestique

Travelers Rest

In this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hamlet in the Blue Ridge foothills, Hotel Domestique is a cyclist’s dream stay, built to resemble a stylish countryside auberge where the pasta is homemade and the wine cave is deep. The service is laid back, and the interior is all exposed stone walls, rustic wood, and artisan ironwork. Many guests bring their own bikes, but the hotel’s rental fleet is made up of top-of-the-line Canyon models that are downright dreamy to ride. Restaurant 17 offers a panoramic mountain view as a backdrop, as well as a range of locally sourced dishes.

The Anchorage 1770

Beaufort

Set inside what was once the William Elliott House, Anchorage 1770 is a restored 13-room inn where each guestroom features bright views of the Harbor River or the inn’s gardens. Thoughtful touches, like homemade oatmeal white chocolate cookies each evening, provide a sense of comfort. The Ribaut Social Club, named for a literary club-turned-community-gathering-space established in 1891, offers a carefully curated menu that can be enjoyed in the dining room or one of the inn’s several porches where unrivaled water views await.

Hotel Emeline

Charleston

The fresh-faced Emeline hotel blends whimsy with wanderlust. Originally built in 1852, the space once served as a mercantile and, for many years, a brand-name hotel. To honor that history, Emeline’s is filled with art and decor from a host of independent creators from Charleston and beyond. Look for the wall of curios—taxidermy, coral, driftwood—hidden within the lobby. One hallway reveals a foxhole: two side-by-side order windows at the back of restaurant Frannie and the Fox’s bar, where they’ll pass you a top-notch negroni. Head into the dining room for wood-fired pizzas and mouthwatering pastas. Retail area Keep Shop is stocked with custom-made goods while Clerks Coffee Company is there to fuel you all day long.

The George

Georgetown

Owned by local group Winyah Hospitality and operated by Southern hospitality powerhouse Indigo Road, this 56-room property opened in spring of 2024 and features a coastal-inspired interior from Charleston-based firm Jenny Keenan Design. Original local art, botanical wallpaper, and wicker accents fit perfectly with the hotel’s location along Georgetown’s charming walkable downtown waterfront. The outside waterside bar area is a perfect prequel to dining at the hotel’s restaurant, The Independent, which offers an ingredient-driven menu from executive chef Thomas Vance, plus an impressive bar and pastry program.

Hotel Trundle

Columbia

This artsy, edgy, industrial-chic boutique hotel features 41 spacious rooms and suites, many lit solely by skylights that create well-lit privacy during the day and sleep-positive darkness at night. They’ve just opened five additional rooms in the new second-floor Flutter Wing, including a suite overlooking Columbia’s Main Street, where Soda City Market closes down the street for blocks to feature vendors of all kinds most Saturdays. From any of their rooms, you have walking access to some of Columbia’s best restaurants, plus a complimentary in-room breakfast.