lrbenko

Sure, happy to help. Our favorite restaurant is Cru Cafe, it's a great mix of local with a bit of french. Other great restaurants we love are 82 Queen (sit in the massive back patio), HUSK (if the line isn't massive, this a great spot for local food), Eli's table (also has a small patio out back) and The Establishment on Broad st (a bit fancy, but great appetizers). For breakfast or brunch, we love Pooghans porch on Queen St, but try to get a table on the upstairs balcony over looking the street. We also like One Broad Street for breakfast/brunch. Close by, Fleet Landing is a great spot on the water and you can sit outside for brunch/lunch. If you can take a short trip away from downtown,go over the bridge to Mt Pleasant and try some of the spots on Shem Creek. These are very local places, and depending on the time, there can be a good bit of tourists as well. But you can sit on the water with several bars and restaurants and most are very local seafood. We like Shem Creek bar and grill for oyster shots and fried shrimp (sit in the back patio near the dock), Red's Ice House for steamed oysters and cold beer, and Saltwater Cowboys outside for drinks.
If you want to venture away from downtown the other direction into James and Johns Island, you can try dinner at Wild Olive, one of the best places in Charleston and certainly the best Italian in my opinion, and it's all sourced local. Down the road you have the Fat Hen (French), Tattoo'd Moose (beer and duck fries) and a new spot, the royal tern (great place, but a bot fancy). If you're on that side of town, check out the angle oak tree, it's free and beautiful.
If you're looking for just some drinking spots in downtown, King st is full of great places. We love the Darling Oyster Bar (try their Captains Bloody Mary, it comes with a lobster claw, king crab claw and shrimp). Rooftop bars a very popular in Charleston too, and we like the Vendue inn and the top of Grill 225 Market Pavilion roof top. Hope this helps and have fun!

SacTownGuy

Carmellas Dessert Bar is REALLY good. We hit that every night we were there.

johnaalex

I really enjoyed my recent stay at the Courtyard Waterfront, I think it is a step from the usual Courtyard and the shuttle to town was very helpful. Also, check out the Gin Joint if you like a good cocktail.

CMK10

Stay Report - 4/27 - 4/28

Location: The hotel is located just south of the I-26/I-526 interchange about 7 minutes from CHS. It is essentially a CHS Airport hotel and they have a 24 hour shuttle. Nearby is a mall, a Walmart and a bunch of restaurants and even a brewery. Downtown Charleston is about 15-20 minutes depending on traffic.

Hotel: The hotel is an older construction Marriott but looks incredible thanks to recent renovations. They have a decent sized parking lot and parking is free which is nice. There's a bar and restaurant in the lobby along with an M Club Lounge (currently closed for COVID reasons), a 24 hour fitness center, an outdoor pool and a small store as well as a lot of meeting space just off the lobby. The common areas are all well lit and very pleasant to be in. I was happy to see that the hotel is putting out some free snacks at night (chips etc.) and free coffee in the morning during COIVD.





Check In: A very friendly agent helped me out and I got 1,000 bonus points for being Titanium.

Room: I'd used a SNA and got an amazing room I wish I could have spent more time in. There was a huge living room with massive TV, powder room, 12 person conference table, office space with a desk and desktop computer (only time in my life I've gotten one of those), separate bedroom with another TV, large bathroom with two sinks. Everything worked really well including Wifi and there was lots of power.












Powder Room








I was really impressed with this hotel and the service. I'd love to come back when things are normal again.

CMK10

Stay Report - 10/13 to 10/14

Location: The hotel is located in the Westside District right on the Ashley River and US 17. It's a little far from the historic district but its proximity to US 17 means it's easy to get to the airport or anywhere else you need to go. Nearby is a new shopping district which has a Publix and several restaurants though it's still easier to stay here if you have a car.



Hotel: The hotel is an older style Marriott but it's in wonderful shape. It has a very pleasant and large lobby, outdoor pool which was open at the time (it might be closed due to the season now), a rooftop bar, business center in the lobby and a fitness center. There was enough parking so I never had an issue getting a spot.







Check In: A very friendly agent checked me in and thanked me for being Titanium. She also had no issue giving me a 4 PM checkout which I always appreciate.

Room: An older style room but one I still found pleasant. Large and comfortable bed with outlets next to it, desk area, large InternetTV equipped TV, big enough bathroom and a nice view. No issues with noise either and the Wifi worked well.







Breakfast: Big points to this hotel because they are not using COVID as an excuse to scrap Titanium breakfast benefits. I had a very nice breakfast where I was allowed to order off a menu.



Overall this hotel worked very well. I'm keeping a list of properties that still treat elites well during the Pandemic and I will be returning to them. This hotel is on my nice list.

shimps1

Planning a 6 night stay split between the Charleston and Savannah area in August with myself, my wife, and our two year old. Going to split time between the two cities. I am Marriott Titanium. Any recommendations on a hotel for our situation? Pool, higher end, and good location are all plusses. Even better if I can sneak in a 35k/night cert.

btonkid12345

Thank you for the detailed review. Why no upgrade for a Titanium on a one night stay?

That alone, while they are empty, wouldn’t keep it on my nice list, especially when other, newer hotels are more generous with upgrades.

Kmxu

I stayed at North Charleston Marriott for two nights in early March. The hotel was renovated. There is a pool and outdoor gas-powered fire stoves next to pool. Breakfast benefit was provided. The room is not huge (I booked too late to apply for SNA upgrade) and there is a sliding bathroom door. Parking is free and very convenient to airport. The location is less than 10 miles away from downtown. If you plan to visit plantations, they are located far away from downtown. The rate is more reasonable than downtown hotels.

CMK10

Not sure. From what I remember there was never an opportunity to use an SNA so they might have been sold out. If I'm traveling solo on a business trip I don't really need a larger room so I'm happy to keep it on my nice list.

Glad to hear it. I'll be staying here week after next.

Marriott15

I basically live in Charleston and Savannah for work and redeem points all the time for vacation. To answer your question I would need to know a little more about what you are looking for! I would love to help! If you have the time I would stay 1 day in Jekyll island in Georgia at the Westin!

In Charleston during a weekday so that you can use the 35k cert I would stay the Marriott or Courtyard Waterfront. Each is easily accessible to Folly beach. Short uber ride to downtown. If you want to stay downtown Charleston during the week in August its going to be $250 plus per night. Plus the $20-$30 parking. Downtown on the weekend is like $350 plus.

For these two cities to keep the cost down I would try to Check in on Sunday and Check out on Friday.

CMK10

I stayed at the Marriott North Charleston 4/14 to 4/16. This was my second stay and first stay there since April, 2020.



The Good: The hotel is well located if you want to be near the airport and it's very close to I-526 and I-26 so getting around is easy. They also have free parking, the outdoor pool is open and better yet their M Club Lounge is open. I haven't been in an M Club Lounge since early 2020. Even so they're giving Titaniums full breakfast at the restaurant.



Pool







Lounge with evening snacks. In the morning they had yogurt, bagels, oatmeal, packaged muffins and pastries and other breakfast stuff plus coffee










Room: Despite a noon arrival we were able to check in right away though it meant having to take a two queen over a king. The room was also really small and cramped with an essentially useless desk and an AC type feel to it. Thankfully there were no power, Wifi or water pressure issues.

The Bad: The night auditor disappeared. My fiancé came back from an event at 1 AM and spent an hour in the lobby waiting for someone to appear. She shouted, she called and nothing. I came down later at 4:30 AM to head to the airport and there was no one there. This is a major safety concern. Also their shuttle doesn't start until 5 AM which is too late for early CHS flights.

gnomey

Looking for a historic district Marriott hotel where i can use my 50K FN certs since they are not being renewed to 1/22

I have 3 choices:

Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel
Courtyard Charleston Historic District
Hotel Bella Grace

It looks like Renaissance has mixed reviews, based on this thread. So does anyone like the other 2?

Any insights appreciated.

Marriott15

I have stayed at all 3. Are there any specifics you are looking for?

Without knowing any specifics I would rank them
1. Bella Grace
2. Renaissance
3. Courtyard

I will say the bella grace and renaissance are close. So it depends on what you are looking for.

One huge factor to me is the location of the renaissance. You basically walk right outside your hotel and you are on King street where a lot of the dinning and shops are. You are also a good half mile closer to market street and rainbow row. I want to say the bella grace is closer to a bed and breakfast type feel.....but it still is a hotel. Now if you want your bang for your money....the bella grace is always at least $100 or more than any of the other two.

gnomey

Nice! Thank you. I am attracted to Bella Grace too. Bella Grace seems newer as well.
It seems like most stuff is towards the south, so Renaissance is technically the better location although Bella Grace is just an extra 10 min walk away.

What do you think of Grand Bohemian Hotel Charleston?
On some dates, I found out they are 50K.
But the online reviews on it seem awful/disappointing.
I also suspect the decor may not be for me.

I guess I like cozy places, boutique style, less cookie cutter, which may be why I was attracted by Bella Grace. Other than that, I probably dont have any specific preferences.
I will have a car maybe 1-2 days but I think paying for garage parking is given no matter which hotel I choose.
There also seem to be a restaurant (delaney oyster house) that is either associated with Bella Grace or is inside Bella Grace.
I have some Marriott GC to use up so extra bonus if the restaurant tab can be put under hotel room charge, which then allow me to use the GC
Is the breakfast at Bella Grace special or normal fare?

Marriott15

I have no experience eating at either hotel. If you like boutique I think you should stay at the Bella Grace! I love the Grand Bohemian more than the Bella Grace. Not sure how many certs you have but maybe you can stay 1 night in each and then report back on here which one you like!! I have no idea with the breakfast and all the changes with covid currently!