Charleston South Carolina was a nice place to celebrate the holidays. When the year first started, I was determined to travel to a place I haven’t yet been to. Check out my Jet Set Travel Vacation Plans post to read more if you’re planning a trip.
And, not only did I end the year visiting Charleston, but I started last year off with a vacation with a close friend. To read more, check out my Six Day Sedona Arizona Vacation post.
Charleston South Carolina
So, Charleston has been on my bucket list for the last several years. Happily, my Hubby and I planned a holiday getaway several months ago.
Since I tend to be super picky about where I stay; I chose the Beach Club. Although I had some concerns due to poor phone service I experienced prior to my trip; I kept the reservation as is. Indeed, the room and view were lovely. However, we experienced no door service, a broken door lock, and complimentary beverages (hot chocolate) empty several times.
No doubt, this ended up not the right place for my hubby and I. What started off poorly, continued to prove we made the wrong choice.
Another issue we ran into – we were offered transportation to a restaurant but later the manager told us they couldn’t offer this to us as it was against the hotel policy. Not only was this embarrassing to the hotel staff, but also made me and my hubby uncomfortable.
In addition, we were offered complimentary food vouchers; however, we didn’t spend the full amount and weren’t able to get the difference in another voucher or leave the difference to the server as a tip.
Charleston South Carolina Holiday Sights
Before our vacation, I did a lot of research.
On my list of things to see was the marketplace. On our first full day, we ventured off the middle of the morning downtown. Downtown provided plenty of shops, food samples and horse and carriage rides.
The marketplace is a “Must”. In the marketplace, you have the opportunity to see various artisans, Christmas Carollers and plenty of food options sure to please any foodie.
Later that afternoon, my Hubby and I booked a tour of the glittering lights at James Island County Park. In the same fashion, this Holiday Festival of Lights is a beautiful display of over 3 miles of holiday scenes throughout the park.
Not only is this a great activity for anyone of any age, but it also gives you the opportunity to experience a Winter Wonderland by toasting s’mores in the fire pit.
In addition to the above, we enjoyed strolling through the historical city and experiencing some of Charleston’s restaurants and rainbow row.
Finally, on our last day, we attended the Charleston Christmas Special where we were treated to a spectacular holiday show consisting of excellent music, dances, comedy and a ventriloquist.
From the show, we dined at a restaurant in the alleyway and visited the Belmond Charleston Place to see the lobby transformed into a magical Winter Wonderland.
In the end, we cut our trip short and returned back to Boston to celebrate Christmas in the city. However, kudos to Jen at the Beach Club who was accommodating in helping my Hubby and I rearrange our travel plans to return back to Boston.
Now, that the New Year is starting, time to explore new places to vacation in 2019.
