What a fun weekend we had on our girls getaway! I was able to go away for a quick trip to Charleston with my bestie girl Jamie, and it is truly what my heart needed. From start to finish there was literally never a dull moment and never a time we weren’t eating our way through the city. Coming from someone who is almost 8 months pregnant, good food is exactly what I wanted. Enjoy this guide to Charleston.

Charleston is a great place for a girls weekend or getaway with your spouse. It is such a quaint town with hundreds of places to eat and drink. It has great shops , is close to the beach, and has a very active nightlife. We personally were in our hotel room by 10 pm every-night , but there are definitely things to do for you night owls out there. We truly felt like we were transported to a different time era. I could spend hours just walking around town and looking at the architecture and Spanish moss trees.

Where to Stay

Hands down the Belmond one of the best decisions we made for the weekend. We stayed at the Belmond hotel at Charleston place and it was perfect and only a 20 minute drive from the airport. First of all, the atmosphere was stunning. The hotel was very timeless and beautiful and the rooms were gorgeous. Secondly, the service at the Belmond was top notch. Every single person we met was kind, friendly, and always willing to help.The Belmond is a part of Charleston Place that has a ton of shops attached so you can go shopping without leaving your hotel. The hotel has two restaurants, a coffee shop, and a pool. You can stay at your hotel and have everything you need right there! The location also makes it optimal for shopping, going to King Street, going to the market, and literally within walking distance of every place we were wanting to go.

Getting Around Town

We had a Toyota Venza for the weekend. This car was absolutely beautiful and top of the line- so much so that Jamie was looking up the car to purchase! The Toyota had amazing safety features, all the upgrades possible, a sun roof that essentially spanned the entire roof , and it was a hybrid which saved us on gas! I would have to say Jamie’s favorite feature was the cooled seat. After being out in the hot sun, we both enjoyed getting in a cool car.

We chose to rent a car to make the transition from the airport to the hotel smoother. Also being pregnant I knew we were going to walk some, but wanted to have a car to drive as well.. because it definitely got warm. The location of our hotel made it extremely easy to walk everywhere we wanted. It seemed like everything was within 10 minutes of walking from the Belmond. They also have a ton of bike taxis that you can grab to take you anywhere around the downtown area. We definitely thought we could walk a mile in the heat of the day & ended up grabbing one of these bike taxis for $20 back to the hotel.

Day 1 Itinerary

• Checked in at the Belmond Hotel and we decided to valet our car for $39 a night, or you can self park for $24 a night. They were very receptive and efficient any time we needed to get our car!

• Grabbed Lunch at Basic Kitchen
  • Basic Kitchen had great locally sourced food that was light and great for a post travel morning. I had the Salmon bowl and Jamie had the salad special with Salmon. We enjoyed both of them and you could tell the ingredients were fresh. The real stealer of the show were the sweet potato fries with cashew ranch (get extra ranch). They also had fun cocktails on the menu and a mimosa special that looked amazing.

• Shopping down King Street
  • You could spend all day and afternoon going into the cute shops on King Street. What I loved about this was they had super cute local shops along with some big name retailers. We definitely had to pace ourselves here!

• Rainbow Row
  • This is the cutest colored houses and definitely a hot spot! There were a lot of people there to take photos, but was definitely fun to see. The houses and scenery are so pretty and I could spend hours exploring.

• Pick me up at Sugar
  • This was such a pleasant surprise. It is a small bakery without door seating and some amazing cupcakes. We got grapefruit, lemon, chocolate coconut, and honey. The star of the show was the lemon. It had lemon curd icing inside & we happened to snag the last one. Luckily they didn’t have more or we would have for sure gone in for seconds.

• We tried to go to The Watch for rooftop drinks, but there was over an hour wait. I would say give yourself enough time or go after dinner! This pregnant momma was ready for bed, so we decided to not try after dinner.
• Dinner at 5Church
  • All of the restaurants were delicious, but unanimously this is one we would both recommend going to. The atmosphere alone was reason enough to go. Located in an old cathedral, it was such a fun place to eat and a lot of local art history to find out. The food was AMAZING, literally no dish we wouldn’t get again. We started by sharing the Panzanella, brussel sprouts and crushed yukons. The brussel sprouts were a little spicy for me , but Jamie loved them! They then brought out a hummus and homemade pita course, as their version of bread for the table. For our main courses I got the handmade ravioli which was delicious and right up my ally. Jamie got the “90 second NY strip”, which she deemed the best steak she’ s ever had. They cooked it from the bottom up & it looked delicious. As if we weren’t stuffed enough, we finished the dinner off with an assortment of sorbets and s’mores dessert. Both desserts were incredible and we didn’t leave a single bite! Would highly recommend trying 5Church.

• Headed back to the hotel for hot showers and Friends on the television.

Day 2 Itinerary

• Breakfast at the Palmetto Cafe
  • This cafe was in the lobby of the Belmond Hotel. They had a buffet option for brunch or an a la carte menu. Jamie got a pb&j acai bowl which she really enjoyed. I got eggs, bacon, and strawberry/ banana pancakes. The strawberry banana pancakes were incredible, we both ended up sharing these. Baked in fruit with hot syrup was just what the baby was craving!

• Massages at The Woodhouse day spa
  • There are no words for how amazing this experience was. The staff, the facilities, and the accommodations were all top notch. Even down to the amazing robes we had, it was such a relaxing experience. We were able to spend some time in the VIP room prior to our massages with lavender tea, snacks, and weighted warm neck pillows. I had my reservations about a pregnancy massage, but you guys this place changed my mind! They had specialized tables and seats for you pregnant mommas. I was worried I would feel like I would miss out compared to a regular massage, but there was no part of me that felt that. If you have someone that is pregnant and want to do something for them – this is what I recommend. There are Woodhouse Spa’s located all over the United States. I plan on trying to visit one that is close to me before delivery. That is how amazing the entire experience was. Jamie got a Swedish massage and could not say enough great things about it. This entire experience lived up to everything I could have wanted. If you are going on a vacation, definitely carve out some time to treat yourself.

• Lunch at the Tempest
  • The Tempest is the sister restaurant to 5church, and was truly a culinary experience. The unami tuna balls were incredible. They had one that was cooked so I was able to try that. Not pregnant, I would have ordered a double order of these. I love all things raw fish, so these were something I will go back for. We also tried the ceviche, which Jamie liked, but after the unami balls.. nothing could compare. For entrees we shared the smoked fish pastrami, local mushroom omelette, and shrimp and grits. All three had incredible flavors, but if I could only suggest one it would be the shrimp and grits. I started eating them and literally forgot we were sharing. The grits are a type I have never tried before, they are local to Charleston and were delicious. Clearly we couldn’t leave without trying their version of honey creme brûlée, it does have black sea salt on it which is a great touch. I however just took an entire bite of that- so be mindful of the sea salt!

• Explored the Market & The Battery
  • The Market is a strip of street with booths and lots of fun things to shop. Handmade crafts, paintings, and snacks are such a fun thing to look at. The Battery is a defensive seawall with pretty trees, park benches, and is right on the water! A fun place to sit, relax and enjoy the Charleston breeze.
• Ice cream at Kilwin’s, because if you haven’t noticed we like to eat around here!
• Afternoon Coffee at La Patisserie
  • This coffee shop felt like we were in Paris. Located in the beautiful Hotel Bennett, this french inspired coffee shop is full of delectable pastries and coffees to sit and enjoy or grab and go. The beautiful decoration and outdoor seating was worth the walk. We both got the iced lavender vanilla latte and it was the perfect pick-me-up.

• Cocktails at Stars Rooftop Bar
  • This was such a fun place to grab a drink before dinner. It had a very casual atmosphere and the view was amazing. We walked by it after 10 pm and there was a line out the door- so go early or be prepared to wait a little! The lavender lemonade cocktail looked divine.
• Dinner at Indaco
  • My Italian roots were so happy here. After a full day of exploring, we needed to carb load for sure. We started by sharing a ceasar salad, the burrata, and the prosciutto di parma. All of these were so good. Jamie got me out of my comfort zone trying the food with fruit in them and they did not disappoint. Our sweet waiter also surprised us with the octopus appetizer and it was surprisingly good- the sauce was my favorite. For Entrees we were planning on splitting, but ended up eating what we both originally were wanting. I got the margherita pizza, which had crust that transported me back to Italy. Jamie got the agnolotti, based on the waiter’s recommendation. It had crab and a semi sweet hint to it- both dishes we would order again! They had a great cocktail and mocktail list which we would both highly recommend.

• Jeni’s ice cream for dessert, which is one of my favorite ice creams. There was a line, but they were very efficient about getting people in and out.
• Back in bed for more Friends and relaxation!

Day 3 Itinerary

• Breakfast
  • We had breakfast at Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits & it did not disappoint. I would highly recommend this on your way out of town. We tried a little of everything to make sure we gave you the best review possible! We shared some bacon cheese grits and I could not get enough of them. They were so good and I would highly recommend fancying up your grits a little. Jamie and I both got sausage gravy biscuits because it is all I could talk about for days. As a self proclaimed biscuit gravy connoisseur, I would probably not get this next time I go. They were good, just not the exact thing I was craving. We also split the 3 for $6 biscuits. We each got cinnamon sugar and shared a blackberry jam biscuit, which I would 100% recommend. I would probably switch out one of the cinnamon sugar for a different flavor. Also something to note, they do not have any seating in the restaurant, so plan ahead for that! We grabbed ours and went and sat at The Battery on a bench to eat our biscuits. It was very peaceful and the perfect ending to the trip. The restaurant also gets busy fast, so I recommend going right when they open around 8.

• Last stop was the Charleston International Airport to head home, back to reality!

Tips & Tricks

• Charleston is a very popular place and a lot of people come to eat and drink, so I would highly recommend making reservations! We went to dinner at various times, but it always seemed like places were busy. Having reservations saved us a lot of time from waiting.
• Arrive early in the morning, whether you fly or drive. It gives you an entire day to explore the city and not feel like you wasted a travel day.
• Make sure you know the season that you are going and the temperature. August was still warm and we needed sunscreen and water to stay hydrated! Every restaurant we went to we drank at least 5 glasses of water each.
• Rooftop Bars are great places to hang out before or after dinner and give you a great view of the city! There are a lot of bachelorette trips ( we seriously saw at least 20) so if you go on the weekend there could be waits!
• Don’t be afraid to try new things! They are a seafood town, with fresh daily specials.

If you enjoyed this guide to Charleston, you can check out all things travel HERE.

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