Leah S.
Yelp
Where you stay during a trip makes some of the biggest differences of any decision. Think about it - if you decide to stay at your friend's house and bunk on their couch, you are going to wake up exhausted, tense, and in pain. You are not going to wake up feeling rested, and it is going to negatively impact your whole trip. If however, you stay at a hotel or inn or b&b that takes care of you, pampers you, even, you are going to wake up feeling so much more rested and ready to take on the day. This is why I am thrilled we found the John Rutledge House Inn.
Truth be told, we actually had reservations elsewhere before we found the John Rutledge. The other hotel called us a few days before we were supposed to arrive and told us that they were no longer able to accommodate us due to renovations that ran late. We scrambled and we're thrilled to find the John Rutledge, which is a National Landmark, and they were able to accommodate us the same day. I called and spoke with Margo, who was helpful, friendly, and even gave us their military discount, which was wonderful.
When we arrived, the first impression was excellent. Margo was working the front desk, and she was just as lovely in person as she was over the phone. She walked us through every detail of our stay including parking, breakfasts, tea time, cocktail hour, and helped us manage our dinner reservations. We got a key to our room and parked the car which is on site but is an additional cost per day, and made our way to our room.
We stayed in the left carriage house in room 14. This was on the second floor, facing away from the courtyard. The benefit to this room was that it was far away from everything going on in the main hotel, and was supposed to be very quiet. The downside of this room was that it was directly above two rooms with dogs in it. The dogs were loud, stinky, and negatively impacted our stay. Now granted, we are definitely dog people We have two dogs ourselves, but these dogs were so stinky and so loud, it made the entryway to our carriage house area smell and was covered in dog hair.
Our room however was well appointed, and had a tempurpedic bed, which I hadn't slept on in a while. Our bed however left us feeling rested every night which was delightful. The downside to our room was the bathroom. Although it had beautiful marbling, and wonderful water pressure, and included safety railing, the shower area had black mold in some of the tile grout, which I thought was something that housekeeping easily could have fixed. Additionally, I felt like their Gilchrist and Soames body products were a little cheap feeling and stripped my skin. We both felt like they could have had a higher quality product by the same purveyor to reflect the quality of the hotel. They offer the English Spa line and I think the Royal or Spa Therapy line would be more appropriate and enjoyable.
Included in our stay was a daily tea hour which included rotating appetizers. We went almost every day and took tea and appetizers on the balcony outside the ballroom and it was lovely. They also offer a nightcap / cocktail hour in the ballroom that includes Sherry, Port, Brandies and such which was a delightful option after dinner.
Everyday, they also include breakfast, which you can take in your room, in the courtyard, or in the ballroom. We thoroughly enjoyed the Rutledge biscuit with cooked fruit as well as their extremely creamy and delicious grits. Everyday they also included a breakfast special such as stuffed French toast or eggs Benedict. The only downside to breakfast was that the gentleman who served breakfast, Maurice, wore a very strong and overpowering cologne, which lingered on the food long after he had left.
On our last night, it was my husband's birthday, and the hotel took it upon themselves to deliver a personalized and hand signed note celebrating his birthday, with a bowl full of ice with a champagne bottle and flutes. I thought that this was exceptionally thoughtful and showed their attention to detail. Their attention to detail also was reflected in their recommendations to us to go to their sister hotel's restaurant, Circa 1886 as well as their recommendation to Earthlings Day Spa which is their preferred spa of the area.
Overall, I'm glad that we found the John Rutledge as an alternative to where we were going to stay, because I believe we received a much higher quality experience than we could have gotten elsewhere. Additionally, you can't beat the location of the John Rutledge, walking distance to the battery and the beautiful housing district. I would definitely return to stay here after this experience, and I have already recommended it to many of my friends. A relaxing, delicious, and personalized experience awaits you and yours if you choose John Rutledge for your stay in Charleston.