Best Charleston Hotels

This boutique hotel has a fabulous, spare-no-expense vibe. The lobby evokes Gilded Age opulence, with black-and-white tiled floors, heavy brass doors and an army of silent, efficient bellmen. The ballroom is the wedding venue of choice for Charleston's wealthiest. Each of the 70 rooms have mahogany beds, heavy gold drapes and Italian marble baths. The rooftop bar is one of the most stunning places in town for a cocktail, with views over the city's gabled rooftops. Be sure to reserve a private table at least a day in advance. The hotel restaurant, Grill 225, specializes in exquisitely expensive cuts of aged beef and has an eye-popping wine list.

In Charleston's tiny French Quarter, this sliver of a boutique hotel has some of the city's hippest rooms. Decor is a mix of antique and modern furnishings, with exposed brick walls and burnished wood beams. The crowd is quiet and cosmopolitan, though the masses of twenty-somethings who gather on the rooftop bar can be quite a bit louder (don't worry, you can't hear them from the rooms). While all of the 66 rooms are nice, you definitely get what you pay for—interior queen rooms are small and windowless, while luxury suites resemble Marie Antoinette's parlor.

In the trendy Upper King Street neighborhood, this slick new boutique hotel offers a Charleston rarity: contemporary design. Fifteen suites have airy, loft-like atmospheres, with exposed brick walls, restored wood floors and high ceilings. They all have full kitchens and baths, making the Restoration one of the city's better choices for long-term stays. Outside, decks feature bold, angular lounge furniture. The evening wine and cheese hour is a good place to mix and mingle with the smartly-dressed, cosmopolitan guests. There's no on-site fitness facility, but you do get free use of two nearby upscale gyms. And although there's no hotel restaurant, the Restoration offers a kitchen-stocking grocery service, and there are plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby.

Overlooking Marion Square, this hotel's ornate 1920s facade conceals a pleasant, but ordinary modern hotel. The 234 rooms are comfortably appointed in neutral colors, with contemporary amenities like flat panel TVs. There's a huge conference space on the mezzanine level, which makes the hotel popular with business travelers and conventioneers. Though it's not as stylish as other hotels in the immediate region, it's ideally located and reasonably priced. Francis Marion, by the way, was a Revolutionary War hero and South Carolina's version of Davy Crockett. The hotel restaurant, Swamp Fox, is named for Marion's nickname, given for his ability to hide out from British troops in South Carolina's many swamps.

This narrow pink hotel has a touch of Old South charm at a relatively affordable price. The fifty-six guest rooms are fussily decorated in florals and old-fashioned wallpaper, and most are a bit dark. The lobby is also small, with antique oil portraits and rickety upholstered settees. The hotel's nicest feature is the gated courtyard, with a handful of bistro tables and a (tiny) in-ground hot tub. Guests are mixed-age and tend to be sight-seers rather than business travelers.

Surrounded by palm trees, this orange stucco hotel feels like it could be on a Caribbean island. The interior picks up on the West Indies theme, with framed prints of tropical flowers and big rattan ceiling fans. The 37 rooms are done up in pale, beachy shades of peach and gold, with big windows letting in plenty of light. Guests tend to be quiet, vacationing couples, who appreciate the inn's central location. Though it's walking distance from all the Historic District sights, the Pinckney is tucked away on an unusually quiet block. Still, light sleepers might want to request a room overlooking the atrium rather than the street. Continental breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace.

Think hostels are only for 20-year-old backpackers? This friendly spot, at the northern fringe of the Historic District, will prove you wrong. Three rickety 1840s homes have been turned into both shared and private rooms, some with porches and hammocks. Staff are friendly, hip, surfer types, happy to give you insider knowledge of the town. If you're not into socializing, get a room in the back building, away from the common kitchen and lounge areas. Decor is bare bones, but you won't find a better price within walking distance of downtown. Yes, the crowd definitely skews young, but there's no age limit and no reason to impose one on yourself!