Charleston is one of the best built, handsomest, and most agreeable cities that I have ever seen. Marquis de Lafayette
Early morning Flights
I love to torture myself. I own that and I owe up to the fact it was completely my own doing why I had to wake up at 3:00 AM, so I could leave my apartment no later then 4:00 (AM) so I could hop in a taxi, arrive at JFK, drop my bag off, AND get through security, to hopefully at least grab coffee all before my flight boarded at 6:20.
Because of course I ALWAYS have to book early morning flights. Though in all fairness, since we landed at 9, I figured I would have the whole day to explore (which I did) and who needed sleep anyway?
Despite the early, should not be legal, morning, I was actually pretty bright eyed and bushy tailed, if I had a tail. I had a taxi driver who was not only nice, but quite talkative given the time of morning and we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The gate agents and TSA were all ridiculously nice and commented on how happy I was (guys I was going to flipping Charleston! THE greatest city, sorry New York…) and then to seal the deal, I got coffee (cold brew because I was celebrating warmer weather and also it is flipping hot lugging a suitcase around) and settled in to do some writing while I waited for my plane, which was on time.
Guys it was omens, signs, Jupiter in alignment, whatever juju you believe in, that Charleston was where I needed to be. This city hardcore wooed me and I let it!
First Glimpses
My friend and I had talked about visiting Charleston, when I was in Georgia, back in November. Charleston has always been my dream city, and with the winter I had, I NEEDED a vacay. Sun, warmth, the ocean! It was all the perfect remedy to rejuvenate and give me the reset I desperately craved. I was incredibly psyched for the day to finally come, because it seemed I had been counting the days at a snails pace for forever!
It was sunny when I landed, and already I had experienced the Southern Charm in spades. My bag came out quickly, and I called for an Uber.
Sign number ten thousand and one ten why I should move there? My Uber driver was SO nice! We talked the WHOLE time. He gave me the ins and outs and ALL the places to see. It was such a enjoyable ride.
One of my first perceptions of Charleston is that everything seems to be about twenty minutes away. The islands. The airports. The beaches. All twenty minutes.
King Charles Inn
Having never been to Charleston before, I was struggling where to stay. Reviews are both a dangerous and amazing thing, because anyone can say anything, and people’s impressions aren’t always mine and vice versa. I wanted a hotel that was clean, centrally located, had some of that Charleston Charm, AND was safe.
King Charles Inn had that in spades and more!
Located in the historic district, it was blocks away from King Street that has great shopping and delicious restaurants. It is also centrally located to all the tourist attractions, like City Market, Calhoun Mansion, and the Battery. Established as the Pavillion Hotel in the early eighteen hundreds, it was fabled to be home to Edgar Allen Poe whilst he was stationed at Fort Moultrie and the place he wrote The Gold-Bug.
It went through several name changes, before being torn down and rebuilt in the 1950’s becoming the King Charles Inn. This hotel is the epitome of Charleston. Rich in history and charm, it has at once a luxurious yet still homey feel to it.
From the outside, it looks small and unassuming, but once inside you are greeted by a beautiful staircase, marble floors, and the check-in. From there it is a maze of comfort as well as class, with a seating area that has a fireplace, a terrace with a pool and a large dining room where they serve complimentary coffee during breakfast and cookie and tea at night. It also had free on-site parking, which was important, since my friend was bringing her car.
While the rooms are small they are clean, and they even had the King Charles logo on the toilet paper, making me feel like I really was channeling my Queen Elizabeth.
The staff were so incredibly nice from the moment I had called to make a reservation, to when I checked in, to when I checked out. They gave recommendations and always greeted us with a smile.
I arrived at the hotel around 10 in the morning and the staff were like guardian angels, letting me do an early check-in. I had already been up for seven hours and I felt like it had been ten. I happily went to my room to get settled and freshen up before I went to explore the gorgeous city.
But first, Coffee!
Have you been to Charleston? Where dd you stay?
