December | Charleston, S.C. | By Marlane Bundock

ConventionSouth On The Road

Sense Of Arrival

Site Visit By Marlane Bundock

Middleton Place Gardens

Unlike other historic port cities along the eastern seaboard, you know you’ve arrived in Charleston, S.C., when you notice that intermingled between the cobblestone streets and gas-lit lamps are palm trees and pastel-colored brick—a sort of fusion of Boston and Key West, Fla.

Within the historic district, hotels such as the Doubletree Guest Suites provide classic meeting facilities. Karen DeJong, general manager, is preparing for a renovation and, while flipping through a sketch book of planned color palettes, explained that the update will not compromise the facility’s historic appeal. The 212-room hotel with 10,000 square feet of meeting space is comfortable yet exclusive. And, shopping and dining are steps away. At Hank’s Seafood Restaurant, the menu is uniquely Charleston with specialities like sauteed shrimp deglazed with sherry and topped with crabmeat in a saffron cream sauce.

The trip also allowed me to visit Charleston Place Hotel, where only a first-hand view of this convention hotel’s grandeur will do, and to tour the new Charleston Marriott, which has a bright and lively de´cor and is nicely positioned near highway access. Away from the city, Middleton Place estate and the 53-room Inn at Middleton Place provide groups of up to 200 with a riverside retreat and a chance to tour the finely crafted gardens and natural wetlands inhabited by majestic wildlife such as alligators and herons.