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Following my week in Grenada, I was back in Tennessee for the majority of February before hopping down to Orlando for four days with SVV for a content project with Universal Orlando Resort. After getting back, it was another week home before my big Spring Break adventure commenced: 1600 miles, 5 cities, 10 days.
The idea for a big loop of the South started as a seedling after I got an invite in the mail to my friend Meredith’s wedding. A quick text to college suitemate/wedding officiant Lemon to ask if she was planning to go, too, got the ball rolling, and days later, we had uninvited the dudes(sorry, dudes!) and planned a little girls’ trip from Atlanta to South Carolina and down into Florida.
We called it an Adult Spring Break if you will. Hey, thirty-something, childless gals are allowed vacations away from the husbands and fur pups, too, right?
My trip began early one Friday morning as I drove three hours from Tennessee down to Atlanta, arriving at Ponce City Market to meet Lemon just after lunch. We spent the evening with our friend Dena up in Marietta before retiring to our Buckhead hotel on the early side; we had to hit the road for the South Carolina capital in the morning and didn’t have a ton of time to dawdle.
It was four hours to Columbia, and we arrived mid-afternoon, got spiffied up and were immediately on our way to the Seibels House & Gardens for Mere’s wedding. Though it had been 70s most winter, it dropped dramatically that day, hitting a high of 50 and threatening the big event with ominous skies.
Luckily, the rain held off as the venue was mostly outdoors, and we all had a wonderful time. We did, however, wake up the next morning to find it snowing pretty hard in Columbia. That has to be a rare occasion!
So we packed up again and drove two hours to the coast to Charleston. Surely, it couldn’t be snowing there, too? (Or could it…?)
Well, no snow in Charleston it turned out, but it was bitterly cold, hovering between 35 and 45 the entirety of the 48 hours we were in the Holy City. Brrrrrrrr! We escaped to the coast in search
But no worries, after brunch with our dear college friend Ashley—whose wedding we’re headed back to Charleston for next month—we made our way over to the Spectator Hotel right next to Charleston City Market where our room was ready early. From the moment we walked into the lobby of this ornate hotel, I knew it was going to be my kind of place. I mean, they serve you complimentary cocktails upon arrival—who can say no to that?
Every guest is assigned a personalized butler, and ours gave us a quick tour of the premises then escorted us to our room on the second floor to show us around.
The Spectator opened around the time of my last visit two summers ago, and its interior is designed to reflect the Art Deco period, the era I’d live in if given the choice (have you ever noticed the Art Deco-inspired fonts that drive my site’s look?). There are various categories of the 41 room types available, and we were in a traditional king, though I really don’t think you can go wrong no matter which one you choose. Our room was fantastic: spacious and very simply laid out with the highest quality of materials.
Not to mention, the bathroom of my dreams. Look at all that pure white, Carrara and tile! Do you think the Spectator interior designer is available to come help out with our #VicReno?
It was hard to pry ourselves away from the warmth of the hotel to hit the streets in Charleston, yet we persevered. Tell me these aren’t the faces of a pair of weary travelers totally stoked to shed their sundresses in lieu of sweaters and puffy vests for the occasion?
In fact, we were both so excited about the weather that got up on Monday morning and ran separate long runs despite the conditions—but not before we dug into our lavish made-to-order breakfast spread. Though there’s no restaurant on site, one of many perks of staying at the Spectator is a complimentary breakfast that you get to choose each night and is delivered at your requested time each morning. I could get used to that kind of service!
Looking for South Carolina dining recommendations? I’ve got you covered. Check out my last post on where to eat in Charleston—and stay tuned for the next one coming later this spring!
What I can’t get used to, though, is running in the cold, let alone in the rain. Thankfully, my running buddy Sarah back from my San Francisco days lives in Charleston and helped me suffer my way through a 12-mile run. At least the chill distracted me from how much my body was hurting! A marathoner these days I am not.
The Charleston views helped matters, too. I think I’d be more motivated to become a runner again if this were my everyday route.
Two hours later, Lemon and I reconvened at the hotel, showered and headed around the corner for lunch at S.N.O.B. before hitting Broad and King streets to do a little shopping. A couple hours after that, it really started pouring and we were soaked to the bone so we returned to the hotel early, got into warm clothes and huddled up in our room at the Spectator. If ever there were an excuse for a midday nap, it was Adult Spring Break!
I’d like to say it warmed up before we left, but it didn’t—not until our last afternoon when we were headed out of town for Florida, that is. Oh well, I’ve been to Charleston on many a sunny day and will be back plenty in the future (in just one month, in fact!).
And though it was a soggy, freezing two days in Charleston, this hotel completely made our visit warm and cozy. I can’t wait till my next excuse to bunk at the Spectator, and I hope the bartender is ready for us as The Bar (aptly named, no?) will be our first stop on our return in April, this time with husbands in tow. Hey, we had to save one thing to do with the dudes after all, right?
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Source: camelsandchocolate.com