Downtown Delight- The Dewberry Hotel

 

It should be on the shortlist of most successful repurposed buildings in Charleston’s long history. 

In this photo the Dewberry Hotel at 334 Meeting St. doesn’t look too differently from the staid federal government building that stood tall by Marion Square for decades. 

Closed back in the 1990s for asbestos problems the structure was empty and dormant for nearly 20 years. 

But several years ago hoteliers took over and transformed the site into a swanky and pricey five-star place of comfort and class. 

Rooms regularly go for more than $400 a night. What guests receive at such cost are first-rate accommodations and service in a primo downtown location. 

Alesia was treated to a night at the Dewberry by our sons for a special birthday this month. It was a thoughtful and generous gift. And I was thrilled to get to go too! 

This is us in Room 505 last Saturday afternoon shortly after we checked in. 

The room size was fine for our short stay. The bed was king-size, the refrigerator well stocked with drinks (alcohol and non- we touched neither) and snacks. The bathroom was very nice. Lots of fine touches everywhere in design and decor. 

Such as the pillow stitched with the hotel name. 

I really liked the large clothing cabinet on the right side of this photo. The TV was a large screen and below it you can see the booze bar. 

Alesia made the room even prettier with her presence!

Our boys’ idea for this birthday gift was planted, though not intentionally, by our stop at the Dewberry’s rooftop bar the evening after Thanksgiving. 

We had just had an excellent dinner at Melfi’s Italian restaurant (721 Kings St.) and Alesia thought it would be fun to try to get up to the Citrus Club rooftop lounge. This would be our first time up there. The views, as you’ll see later in this post, are some of the best to be found in and of Charleston. 

What a great surprise the next week to know our kids collaborated to book for their mom a birthday weekend stay in the hotel itself. After getting settled into our room last Saturday we headed back to the rooftop. Here are some photos from what was a much cooler evening than our prior visit with the boys. 

THE CHURCHES OF CHARLESTON 

The Dewberry is surrounded by several venerable Holy City houses of worship. The tall steeple of Citadel Square Baptist Church right next door is very prominent. Walking the perimeter of the Citrus Club I photographed, respectively, 2nd Presbyterian Church, Mother Emanuel AME Church, and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church (at sunset). 

At a distance looking down the peninsula could be seen three church steeples that lined up nicely. From front to back are St. John’s Lutheran Church, Charleston’s Unitarian Church, and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Charleston’s not called the Holy City for nothing! 

RICKSHAW ANYONE? 

For dinner we went to Uncork, a wine bar and eatery on King Street. The Dewberry, as another plus, has two vehicles on-site for taking guests around town. It’s a free service but for a ride back it’s $20. We couldn’t catch a ride right away so opted for a different type of transportation. And off we went! 

This was also a first, taking a rickshaw ride! It was fun and the restaurant was not too far away so we walked back to the hotel after dinner. The rickshaw cost $6 each. I gave the driver a $20 and said keep it. He was pleased with the tip and we were pleased with the ride from Charleston Rickshaw Co.!

 

UNCORK- DIFFERENT FOR SURE!

This establishment was also a first, selected by the birthday girl. We had a great time there trying different wines from the dispenser system along one wall. We ate different cheeses and veggies to go with the vino. 

The live music was very good too. Alesia especially liked this lady's playing and singing.  

BACK AT THE DEWBERRY 

After a short walk from the restaurant, we took some pictures in front of the hotel. There were several people taking pictures amid the neat holiday decorations. I photographed two ladies and one of them kindly returned the favor. 
 

Not a bad looking couple, right? Both of us turned ?0 this year. 

The next morning I happened to get up a little after 7:00 and peeked out the window to see this magnificent sunrise. I quickly grabbed my camera to capture the dawn of a fine new day. 

A minor criticism of the hotel is the absence of a coffee maker in the room. But what a nice surprise when I went down the elevator to get my morning Joe and the elevator doors opened to a pair of large coffee makers with all the fixings. The coffee was free as was a copy of Sunday’s Post and Courier. It was such a pleasant morning so I sat outside to read the paper and drink two cups as Alesia slept in upstairs. 

The fine weather convinced us to have breakfast at a table in front of the Dewberry. We both had eggs Benedict, a hearty selection that neither of us was able to finish. 

One final flourish before we headed home was the Dewberry’s annual Santa Claus event that happened to begin this day at noon. While we had breakfast we watched the hotel staff busily setting up for this special holiday tradition that even a pandemic won't stop. Santa and the Mrs. met with the children 2020 style with face shields. 

I said to Alesia that maybe we could make this an annual “staycation” event at the Dewberry that so impressed us. She said how about trying different downtown hotels instead? I responded why not stick with a good thing! 

See you next year Dewberry- maybe!  

This Facebook post I did featuring the church pictures I took from the top of the Dewberry has been very well received. I posted on the “South Carolina Picture Project” site. Members of this site really appreciate the beauty and history of our state, and quality photography as well. The number of likes and shares is among the top three of my all-time Facebook postings.