Montage Palmetto Bluff is wonderful, so wonderful in fact that I seriously considered not sharing it here on the blog. It was going to be my secret luxury hideaway ... that was until Justin and Hailey Bieber held their celebrity-filled wedding there a week later, and now the whole world knows about this fantastic Lowcountry resort! So here's the detes ....
Following our friends' wedding in Charleston we decided to check out what else South Carolina has to offer, and our online research led us to the multi-award winning Montage Palmetto Bluff. Located an easy two hour drive from Charleston on U.S. Route 17, the Bluff offers a completely different perspective on the Lowcountry. The resort is hidden down a private avenue lined with oak trees draped with Spanish moss. As it is set within a gated community that is home to many residents, it has more of a village feel. On our drive to the Inn we passed rows of picture perfect houses, all with white picket fences. Having grown up watching many American sitcoms and movies, this made my inner child giddy with excitement - I was finally getting a taste of the American dream!
We arrived a little early for check in but just on time for "porching" which takes place every afternoon at the Inn. Porching is a very Southern tradition, and one that I am very keen to adopt. It's an opportunity for guests to mingle whilst enjoying an assortment of sweet tea, lemonade, chocolates and freshly baked cookies. I grabbed a cookie and some tea and curled up in one of the leather armchairs by the fire in the library. The library itself is a beautiful and richly decorated room - words won't do it justice or capture the cosy ambience, so I will let the pictures above speak for themselves.
We booked a Lagoon Guest House King room and it was just perfect - big welcoming bed, freestanding bathtub, large shower and private porch area. There is one major plus to being located in the Guest House rather than the Inn ... you are mere steps away from the adults only pool (couples rejoice!). During our stay we were extremely lucky to have the pool completely to ourselves and it was absolute bliss. The service at Montage Palmetto Bluff is second to none, every member of staff that we interacted with during our stay knew our names. They were polite, professional and cheery - this may have something to do with the fact that gratuity for concierge and housekeeping is included in the room rate. This was an added perk from my perspective because I never have cash on me (and don't like maths!).
The Guest House is also just a stone's throw away from the idyllic Wilson Village. The Montage website very accurately describes it as "a place rooted in time, a picture-perfect small town village resting along the May river, from the very best of the good old days". It has a real Pleasantville feel - a perfectly manicured village green bordered by a Post Office, Chapel and some very lovely boutiques.
The bicycle hire shop is also located in Wilson Village and this is an absolute must do! Aside from being a whole lot of fun (and again bringing me back to my youth), it is also the best way to explore the resort and the pretty custom-made bicycles make for the perfect photo prop (as evidenced on this blog!).
Montage Palmetto Bluff has two other pools in addition to the adults only pool at the Guest House. The Spa Fitness Pool is situated right outside the Inn (and is the one most often featured on Instagram) and the Family Pool is located very nearby with views back to the Inn and out over the lagoon. Each of the pools have grey and white striped sun loungers and matching towels, but setting the Family Pool apart are the prettiest cabanas I have ever seen. Grey and white striped to match, each cabana houses two sun loungers and has its own ceiling fan - now that's luxury!
You will not be short of choice when it comes to dining options. There are six restaurants in total to choose from but as this was a relatively short stay we only made it to three of the six dining options; Buffalo's, Four & Aft and the Canoe Club. Breakfast is served daily in the Octagon restaurant in the Inn and in Buffalo's in Wilson Village. As we were staying in the Guest House near the village, Buffalo's was more convenient for us. Do yourself a favour and order the French Toast! For lunch I highly recommend the light Mexican-style options at the Four & Aft. Perched between the Family Pool and the lagoon, you can opt to have lunch poolside in one of the cabanas or grab a table by the lagoon for a little Alligator spotting with your tacos.
We dined at Buffalo's and the Canoe Club for dinner. The Canoe Club is the fine dining option and perfect for a celebration. The ceiling is the main feature in the room, a beautiful wooden structure that resembles the inside of a canoe (hence the name!). The food was delicious but it was the service that was the standout here. Our waiter was attentive, humorous and knew every item on the menu (I'm talking detailed descriptions here!) without even having to look. We had the jumbo scallops and the Miso Cobia and both were to die for. Buffalo's is the more casual option, the dinner menu is Italian and the portions a little more hearty. If you aren't keen on Italian the menu also has great seafood options.
Pro-tip: leave room for dessert! My "All-American" dream was complete when I discovered the s'mores cart. I will not be able to capture its cuteness in words so luckily I have a picture below. I had never had s'mores before and from what I understand my first s'mores experience could be described as s'mores for connoisseurs. Offering six different flavours of marshmallows from salted caramel to crème brûlée and trays of chocolate and graham crackers, it is complimentary and available to guests every evening from 7pm - 9pm. Do not miss this!
As I mentioned earlier, our stay was quite short and we did not get to experience all that Montage Palmetto Bluff has to offer. I am already planning our return trip and top of my list of activities for next time is some horseback riding at Longfield Stables (the amazing onsite equestrian facility) followed by a treatment in the award winning Spa Montage Palmetto Bluff (South Carolina's Best Hotel Spa in the 2019 World Spa Awards!). We took a tour of both while we were there (shout out to Kayla who manages the stables and was so generous with her time) and managed to snap a few pics for the blog.
As always no blog post would be complete without a landscape shot from the fiancé. He has so many amazing shots from this trip as the scenery is breathtaking but the photo below is one of my faves and really captures the beauty of the Lowcountry.
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