Honeymoon in Charleston on a Budget

Any advice for two newlyweds spending 5-6 days in Charleston after their wedding, on a budget?

Someone suggested staying in a nice hotel for a couple of nights (like maybe some place downtown, with a jacuzzi would be nice ;) and then moving some place cheaper, closer to the beach.

How does that sound? Any suggestions for either of these places?

Any other suggestions for honeymooning on a budget in Charleston?

Honeymoon in Charleston on a Budget

When will you be in Charleston? Knowing when you%26#39;ll be here will help in making recommendations. Please know that Feb 17 - 19 is the Southeast Wildlife Expo and May 26 -June 11 is the Spoleto USA Festival so hotel rooms will be at a premium in the entire area.

Honeymoon in Charleston on a Budget

you can dine on a budget downtown but finding lodging will be a horse of a different color. but then of course it all depends upon when you are visiting and what you consider within your budget.

I%26#39;ll be in Charleston May 14-19.

I was thinking about spending 2 nights downtown and then going further away from downtown (someplace cheaper). I%26#39;ve been looking at the Shem Creek Inn (Mt. Pleasant - http://www.shemcreekinn.com/) as the out-of-downtown option.

I%26#39;ll be in Charleston May 14-19.

I was thinking about spending 2 nights downtown and then going further away from downtown (someplace cheaper). I%26#39;ve been looking at the Shem Creek Inn (Mt. Pleasant - http://www.shemcreekinn.com/) as the out-of-downtown option.

Rates will be pretty steep downtown in May. How about giving us a nightly rate you are looking for. What%26#39;s ';budget'; to one person, may not be to another. If you can swing about a hundred bucks a night...you can probably get into Homewood Suites in Mt. Pleasant ( nice), maybe even Holiday Inn Express Isle of Palms ( side view room). The Hampton Inn in MP is in the same area as Homewood Suites - nice place.

On the other side - W. Ashley - there are some nice harbor view hotels that are reasonable.

Shem Creek is going to be like a basic Days Inn. Interesting view being where it is, but it%26#39;s kind of busy, too. Some good restaurants around there, though - and easy access to sites.

Best wishes!

You can sometimes bargain with bed %26amp; breakfasts, since they are individually owned. We found this helpful when we stayed in one over Valentine%26#39;s Day, and it was during the SEWE, which pushes rates very high for downtown accomodations. We stayed in a really nice bed %26amp; breakfast called the Thomas Lamboll House in downtown Charleston for around $130/night. For even a basic hotel, you can expect to spend atleast $200/night to be walking-distance to everything.

I found the Lamboll House through charlestonbb.com. This site has a listing of tons of bed %26amp; breakfasts, with websites and email addresses. I just created a mass email, and I asked for rates (make sure to ask to include all fees), and within a day, I had about 20 replies. From there, I went with the best value/best location.

You can also bargain with owners on www.vrbo.com. When we visited in August, we stayed in a wonderful oceanfront condo on Seabrook Island (20 minutes south of downtown) for only $90/night.

Either location would be perfect for a honeymoon. Whatever you decide, enjoy!

Thanks Bud and Gnodule.

I guess I don%26#39;t have a number in my head; I%26#39;m just trying to figure out what I will have to pay. Probably I would look at the lower end of bed-and-breakfasts in the historic district for two nights. And then go out of downtown for a few nights. Shem Creek Inn is ~ 99/night at that time. I%26#39;ll look on the web for those two you mentioned, Bud.

I was thinking that we could save renting a car until the third day or so, when we would move to a hotel in Mt. Pleasant or somewhere out of downtown. Does this seem feasible - that we will be able to get around downtown on foot for the most part while we are staying there?

It%26#39;s feasible to avoid a car rental if you are just styaing downtown. Figure in the cost of the rental plus parking and you%26#39;d probably come out better to take a shuttle from the airport to town. Also- you could buy one of the on/off tickets on the motorized trolley that runs in the historic area if you get tired of walking.

Bud,

I checked Holiday Inn Isle of Palms and the lowest rate there is around $150 for the time I%26#39;m there. Homewood Suites is $160.

Based on what I%26#39;m reading on-line, I think before I would stay there I would stay at either of those places for those prices I would just go to the %26lt;a href = ';mavericksouthernkitchens.com/ovph/inn.html';%26gt;Old Village Post House%26lt;/a%26gt; for $135/night.

I might be able to do that, but I%26#39;m still tempted to say that we would stay at a Bed and Breakfast in downtown for two nights, knowing it would be up around $140, $150/night minimum, and then move out of downtown, even to a place of lesser quality like Shem Creek for $100 or $110. I might follow the suggestion of emailing the various B%26amp;B and negotiating a price though.

The Old Village Post is a great non-downtown location...the restaurant there is wonderful as well. The OVPI will still give you the romantic inn feel but save you a bit of money.

May is really when the season gets going here so B%26amp;B prices will be high downtown (esp on the weekends). On the weekends, you may be looking at closer to $200 for a downtown inn. Also, don%26#39;t forget to ask about parking as most of the inns do not have parking so you have to park in a nearby garage (usually around $12/nt).

As mentioned, dining on a budget is a little easier. Swing by the Visitors Center on Meeting on your way into town and pick up coupon booklets. Many resturants will offer a free app with entree (pick up 2 books as some places will let each person use a coupon). I went to 82 Queen the other day for lunch and used a coupon for a free she-crab soup and had a sandwich (a very tasty one...see my post in the forum about 82 Queen) and my total was only around $12. Try the more upscale places for lunch as their prices are better then and you still get the experience of dining there. Then hit the more casual places for dinner.

Also, while you%26#39;re at the Visitor Center you can find coupons for many of the attractions...some are $1-$3 off the admission so it does help a little.

Best Wishes!