Wentworth Mansion
"What did you notice on arrival?Towering above the comely Harleston Village neighborhood just four blocks west of all the downtown action, you can't possibly miss Wentworth Mansion, an unapologetically grand tribute to Second Empire architecture. Its original 1886 owner, Francis Silas Rodgers, had money—and lots of it—from cotton brokering, phosphates, and shipping. He also had 13 children and 24 servants, and chose an imposing mansard roof to shelter them all. Hotel guests are the modern-day beneficiaries of his spare-no-expense taste: 14-foot ceilings, Tiffany windows, hand-carved moulding, huge marble fireplaces, gargantuan pocket doors, crystal chandeliers, and a rooftop cupola with sweeping views out over the city. What’s the crowd like?Mature couples of all ages, history buffs, romantics, cultured explorers, and the occasional family (the suites, after all, can fit everyone). Even beloved pets are welcome! The good stuff: Tell us about your room.My Mansion Suite could have doubled as a small ballroom, with all the right touches to make me feel like a Gilded Age heiress for a day, including a draped "bed crown" and marble fireplace, sunlight-filled porch room, and private library nook. The bathroom was large, with beadboard tub surrounds, two shower heads in the walk-in shower, and Gilchrist & Soames' Antica Farmacista toiletries inspired by Tuscany. The only thing that could have possibly been better would have been a top floor Mansion Room with a hot tub that has a bay window overlooking treetops. How about the little details: Any of that worth a mention?The fresh flowers, and the two-person hot tub in my room were lovely and luxurious additions. Honestly, I coveted the hotel's doorknobs. The intricate, ornate, original brass hardware throughout the mansion had me at hello. Room service: Worth it?Guests can have a full à la carte breakfast or dinner delivered to their rooms, but I think it's worth the short walk across the gardens to the carriage house restaurant. You'll also find little snacks and drinks (pastries, iced tea, lemonade, afternoon wine and hors d'oeuvres) just off the ground floor parlor throughout the day, plus bottles of sherry, port, and brandy beneath the staircase landing. Insider tip: take a glass of sherry up to the rooftop cupola at sunset, a popular spot for marriage proposals. Anything we missed?The hotel's spa is a luxurious repurposing of the mansion's original stables, rustic and vaulted, with exposed beams and 14-foot brick walls, wafts of eucalyptus, and plenty of privacy. Exclusive to guests by morning, and open to the public by night, Circa 1886 restaurant occupies the carriage house a stone's throw across the mansion's formal gardens. Dinner is refined but not overly formal, with stunning presentation and hyper-locality at its core (an incredibly artful take on classic Lowcountry cuisine). What's the bottom line?No doubt this mansion was a bit ostentatious in its heyday, but you won't find guests complaining about the regal splendor." - Allston McCrady
