In South Carolina, bed-and-breakfasts don’t have to be reserved for the elderly.
“We’re seeing a lot of twenty-somethings now,”Katherine Brown, owner of the Bloomsbury Inn Camden and board member of South Carolina Bed and Breakfast Association (74 members), said. “They’re like anyone else … they appreciate the personal touch. Bed-and-Breakfasts offer a great deal of service at a better price point than people originally think.”
Romantic getaways are a speciality. “We’ll get the chocolate, arrange the fine dining, put the rose petals on the bed, that whole host of things that makes a stay with us a total experience,”Brown said.
South Carolina’s bed and breakfast community offers a variety of price points, geography, and history. (Brown was home to Mary Boykin Chestnut, a Civil War diarist.)
As for cost, $100 or a little more a night will get you the front porch mint julep experience in the state’s small towns, on up to a few hundred dollars a night in the high-end B&Bs in Charleston.
A bed-and breakfast is a great way for luxury accommodations in areas that don’t have many business-level hotels. The Oak Manor Inn is located on a quiet lot just a few minutes from Hartsville’s charming campus, Coker College. Steve Tinney is a bed-and-breakfast owner who caters to travelers looking for a comfortable bed and breakfast experience. He also welcomes businessmen to town to meet with Sonoco Products Co.
They are known for their breakfasts but bed-and-breakfasts can also offer luxury dining. Abingdon Manor is located in Latta, just off Interstate 95 in northeast South Carolina. Mike and Patty Griffey are innkeepers and have made fine dinners and added cooking classes to their morning menu.
Kilburnie, The Inn at Craig Farm, is for those who have a special appreciation of the fruits and vegetables of the vine. Johannes Tromp, a former general manger at Windows of the World restaurant atop the World Trade Towers has purchased this idyllic setting near Lancaster. Wine Spectator magazine listed it for its fine collection.
The best place to begin your search is at www.southcarolinabedandbreakfast.comThe Web site of the association. You can search by location, look at individual properties, or download your favorite recipes.
Visit www.cozyplaces.com for more information about South Carolina. www.DiscoverSouthCarolina.com.