blueheronNC

Pretty much steady-state. Hard product is amazing and ethereal. Service is corporate / still not up to par with the caliber of resort. It's analogous to a 5-star "Caribbean" resort it seems - impossible to find and train staff who know how to deliver on 5-star service in that area. At least they've introduced some cute touches like stuffed animals of native wildlife for the kids.

Biggest negative change has been the chef change at Buffalo's. It used to be a pitch-perfect menu of "Southern ladies' lunch"-style cuisine. Salads, sandwiches and entrees representing fresh ingredients with a Lowcountry touch. In early 2018 they hired the former chef of Montage Laguna Beach and he changed it over to a Cal-Italian menu. Now you can't find one dish on the entire menu that is evocative of the location whatsoever. Now that would be fine if another resort restaurant were picking up the slack of casual Southern, but Cole's is only open Thursdays-Saturdays. Buffalo's was the mainstay for 7-day-a-week dining but it's terribly off-key for it to be generic Italian. When the only fish dish on the menu is salmon, in coastal South Carolina of all places with its abundance of fresh, local seafood, you know something's wrong.

That said, I'll be back there in mid-April as well. There's nothing in the world like the spring greening of the estuarine marsh, it's a life highlight that I simply cannot do without.

Kagehitokiri

thanks for the update ! any other dining options?

seems river view cottage suite / river view cottage avoids view of new buildings

BESVISOR

Was just there in December. River Cottages are great for couples. We liked it a lot. Lots of things to do and should keep you busy.

It was fine. I would say the setting is great and especially for families (but fine for couples as well). The food is really lacking for our taste. In Room Dinning quality is below average.
Breakfast at The Buffalo is the way to go. Their Sunday Brunch was good.

I toured their 3 and 4 bedroom Montage Residences and really liked it! Booked some clients in those and also met with great feedback. Think I might book one of those for a family trip (Thanksgiving of some type of holiday stay) and would really enjoy it. And with the Residence, I would probably have the team (or myself) stock it with food/grocery. Since we don't love the food options onsite, very much.

Overall, it's a great option for the east coast/south.

Enjoy!

Kagehitokiri

new residences vs old village residences?
good point re if village are not booked individually

did they replace kitchen staff, in terms of special orders?

now says Wednesday-Sunday >
montagehotels.com/palmettobluff/dining/coles
d397toulsmarj9.cloudfront.net/p/sites/6/2018/12/ColesMenu-12.18.18.pdf

reopens in march >
montagehotels.com/palmettobluff/dining/canoe-club/
d397toulsmarj9.cloudfront.net/p/sites/6/2018/12/CanoeClub-Menu-2018-12-5.pdf

BESVISOR

The new Montage Signature Residences are the ones I liked. It looked much better to me and all 4 (if recall correctly) are the same design vs. the older village residences can vary widely and depends on which you choose. Some of the Village ones will start to feel dated in a few more years. The finishes on the M.S. Residences are noticeably higher quality for sure.
But to be fair, there are so many residences/houses at Montage that I only saw a handful, so I can't assume all Village Residences are of the the quality/design.

KatW

DCADavis

Anyone stayed here pre the pandemic or post the property reopening. Wife and I just scrapped our annual trip to Dorado and booked a River Cottage for August.

BESVISOR

Recently finished a week at Montage P.B.

Social distancing is non existence amongst the guests. The staff are trying their best and wears masks, gloves, etc.
Food is still sub par as before. Had clients visit after me and pretty much the same takeaway.
​​​​​​​But it's a luxury just to be able to get away these days and the River Cottage is a good way to go! Enjoy!

Valveking

Booking an exquisite River Cottage at Palmetto Bluff and passing the days lounging on the banks of the May River is a wonderful way to social distance!

blueheronNC

It's long been one of my favorite domestic luxury resorts owing to its paradigmatic southern / coastal aesthetic. Porching from the River Cottage for days on end with the sweet scent of the marsh and summer rains is one of life's great pleasures. Unfortunately I think these days I'd be on edge given the clientele and social distancing proclivities (or lack thereof). The check-in process previously required a mandatory valet of one's vehicle and lengthy process at the lobby's check-in desk - not sure if they've streamlined that to allow for a contactless stay. I'd love to be able to park my car in the Wilson Village and handle my own belongings to a River Cottage for an end-to-end isolated experience.

BESVISOR

I think that can be arranged. Now, how well will it be executed? That's another animal

However, I just had another client complete a stay in the 4 Bedroom Montage Residence and as expected, came away with a very mixed review.
Nothing new but they had issues with the service at times, trouble accessing the pool and food was sub-par.
That said, they might still return for a future stay if international trip options are still limited and Montage can better address some of these concerns.

The positive is that they really LOVED the residence and the vibe of the resort.
I do have fond memories of biking around with my friends and golf carting to the market for a cold brew.

These days, you simply have to have the right expectations.

On a side note:
Some properties staffed for the summer expecting a sizable reduction yet it's the highest occupancy they've ever had.
I even heard this regarding some of my favorite Swiss hotels. So I think service is being impacted by the lower staff count and additional COVID procedures that requires more labor. Not that it should impact the quality of the stay for guests but...