6 Best Hotels in South of Broad and the French Quarter, Charleston

With a swing bed, wicker furniture, and a wall-sized landscape painting of a Southern estate, the lobby of this fresh-faced newcomer is designed to feel like you're entering a stately mansion. Spacious, simple but tastefully adorned rooms—many with private balconies or views to the nearby St. Philip's Church steeple—sustain the Southern Living aesthetic. The rooftop lounge and bar may be the city's best, with complimentary cocktails each evening and live music on weekends. There's a fitness center, free bike rentals, nightly turndown service, and an impressive breakfast spread in the lobby bar each morning. 

From raffia ceilings to elaborate molding to light fixtures fashioned from seagrass baskets, Lowcountry-inspired design surrounds you at this high-end newcomer. Most rooms are designed for couples—king beds, elaborate showerheads, in-room wet bars—but a few have pullouts for families. Balconies overlook East Bay and side streets, but the action is in the lobby, where the bar draws both visitors and locals for inspired, international spins on classic cocktails. 

A grand circular staircase under a light-filled cupola—with a wrought-iron banister embellished with iron leaves by a local blacksmith—sets the lavish tone at this boutique hotel steps from the City Market. Breakfast, afternoon wine-and-cheese, and evening milk and cookies are all part of standard service and can be enjoyed on the charming terraces on each floor. The pillow menu is hard to beat; for an extra bit of luxury, try the big body pillows. Some rooms have fireplaces (yes, it does get cold enough for these October to February) and private balconies. Among the best rooms are No. 220, a suite with an office niche overlooking the courtyard, and No. 104, with a spacious L-shape design.

If you ask for a room with a view or even a private balcony here, you can gaze out over Charleston Harbor and onto the fountain at the center of Waterfront Park. All of the rooms were updated in 2021, shedding some traditional decor for updated armoires, drapes, and new carpet, plus refreshed local art. Some rooms are in a former 19th-century shipping warehouse with exposed brick walls, plantation shutters, and whirlpool tubs. Afternoon wine and cheese and evening milk and cookies are included. Parking is valet-only for $40 a day. A new hotel, The Cooper, is scheduled to open across the street in 2025, so ask about the state of construction noise and current views of the waterfront before booking. 

The corner rooms at this elegant luxury hotel, with balconies overlooking the city's church steeples, are among the best accommodations in the city. Opulent, Roaring '20s–inspired fixtures and furniture lend the bar and communal areas a pampered, upscale feel, as do daily butler service and the included in-room continental breakfast each morning.

Thanks to its gorgeous art-filled space, the Vendue feels as much like a contemporary art museum as it does a boutique hotel. Little evidence of this pair of 19th-century warehouses remains, but you will find white marble and hardwood floors, flowing chandeliers, and an eccentric (occasionally garish) collection of modern art and a rotating artist-in-residence program. On-site, there’s an inspired white tablecloth restaurant, Revival, and the ever-popular Rooftop, an adjoining double-terrace bar with soaring views of the city and harbor. Across the street, the hotel's annex, The Enclave, offers rooms away from the lobby's bustle. If you're willing to sacrifice windows, the interior rooms are a bargain for a luxury hotel in the heart of town.