Planters Inn

Unfortunately due to a few “minor” issues, our stay was not perfect. Which at this price point is kind of sub-par. We stayed overnight ending a week-long stay in Myrtle Beach. My idea has been to cap the week with a luxury overnight in Charleston, one of our favorite cities. So I got an upgraded King room which upon first inspection, walking in, was truly lovely. A nice touch was the handwritten note and the stuffed bear - I was honestly tempted to take him home! We took a nap as we’d driven about a hundred miles and it was extremely hot and humid, so that was nice. The bathroom was nicely appointed and the a/c was set to delicious. It was easy to fall asleep on the linens which definitely were premium. Once I got up, a bit groggy, I realized I needed to find a plug for my devices (the Apple usual - phone, iPad, and Watch). Well, there’s a plug on either side of the bed, one on the floor by the chairs and probably one behind the secretary desk. And of course these plugs were occupied. Completely. So here’s the first hard truth - this is a very old hotel and things like plugs are in short supply. Also - none of these are the more current smart plugs with USB ports. Now one thing we’ve seen in similar circumstances is to have a smart extension plug so there are in fact extra plugs and ports available. Another is the lamps with smart plugs and ports. But NEITHER is in this room. So now I’m on my hands and knees unplugging light fixtures so I can at least charge my phone. Ugh. The next minor mess - the remote control seems to be on the fritz. We called down and got new batteries and the staff was quick, but later in the middle of a pretty dramatic scene of a movie, the picture cuts out. Completely. There’s audio, but no video. It was pretty late so I just opted to go to sleep which was a decent choice, but c’mon. I wasn’t going to call down after 11 pm over no video, but I shouldn’t have had to do that anyway. There was also a very slow drain in the bathroom, thankfully not in the shower, but it made it difficult for me to do much before I had to wait for the basin to drain. And as I was padding around in the room’s entryway without my flip flops on I stepped down and it was wet and squishy. Another group of ughs. Did I mention this is an old hotel? Lastly, on the website we’d been offered a prix fixe breakfast for $60 (for two people) which I had clicked on but didn’t receive a confirmation. So we checked on this with the staff before we went into the restaurant. The clerk said that we didn’t show that we’d opted for this, but his manager looked at some other screen and said yes, we had opted for it. Now, there was basically no idea what restrictions there were like only certain dishes, etc. So my husband had the hash and I had the shrimp and grits. We were told to have it charged to the room which we did. All totaled to about $100. I just didn’t have the energy to argue with the checkout clerk about it and let it go. No idea what happened there. Finally, $50 (per night) for valet parking which is really needed because the hotel is on a one way narrow street with the only public parking only the good Lord knows where, and believe me, the porters aren’t very forthcoming with the state secret. Plus, it’s late July, a very hot weekend, blah blah blah. We paid the fee. So with all that - had these mostly minor issues not existed - it would still rate at least a four star, but with all the issues, I can’t in good conscience do better than a very generous three stars. Again, all of these could be fixed easily and maybe we would have complained more had we stayed more than one night. We did mention most of them to the checkout clerk. Hopefully all of these have been corrected for the next guest.

This is and was a charming property - but it desperately needs an update and upgrade (which we were told is in the offing). The location is great and the Peninsula Grill remains a superb restaurant (but the HVAC needs repair). The temperature was so cold that they offered wraps for the ladies and I had to go up to our room for a sweater. The food is amazing and worth the chill, but a restaurant of this caliber should be able to adjust the AC. The rooms are charming period decor, but are due for updates as well. We will return after the renovation is done.

A stay at Planters Inn and dining at Peninsula Grill are Southern hospitality and charm at their best. Everything is perfect from arrival through departure.

Staff, especially Paolo were great and helped us a lot, especially taking care of my daughter with disabilities. Room 104 was musty, Housekeeping was below par, small toiletries such as hand soap and lotion are not replaced each day. Tip: reserve dinner in advance as it’s busy on the weekends. Internet in room 234 was non-existent. We’ve stayed at the French Quarter inn a few times, though it’s not as historic, much more predictable. Overall for a $5000 (stay, F&B and incidentals) for 2 nights, it missed the mark

Romantic, great location, relaxing. Loved the courtyard seating of the piazzo. Great cake! While we are dinner at other fine dining establishments slightly better than the Peninsula Grill, it was fun to dress up and walk right from our room to a fine establishment.