Don't Back Down

On our recent trip (the same one involving this poor experience), we had occasion to stay in another hotel - the Embassy Suites in Historic Charleston. Historic is right - the place was constructed in the shell of the old Citadel building, right in the middle of the Charleston peninsula. It might not be the exact center, but you get the idea.

While this experience was better than the other one on the same trip, it really wasn't that great either. Part of this is undoubtedly because we were already somewhat tired and feeling a bit run-down, but part of it is surely the accommodations too.

This started with access. You can only get into the place by way of a small driveway off of a side street, which is itself directly off of Meeting Street (it is somewhat less directly off of King Street). Calling this a "side street" probably isn't accurate, as it is more of an alley. But once that was resolved, the problem came to parking.

The check-in was nice, and the lobby a fairly decent place. Quite enjoyable. But parking was across the street in a public parking deck (which offers a reasonable $10 rate for hotel guests). There is also a valet option available - which we did not try - and there are certainly other places to park as well that aren't too far away.

The deck itself was across this alley, and down the block a bit (remember there is only a single entrance to the building), which made for a small trek. Not bad, by any means. But if you are used to parking next to the building and going in through a side entrance, you will be a bit surprised.

The interior itself was nice, but keep in mind it was built within a historic building - not the same as other Embassy Suites. The trademark courtyard was present, but the eating area is actually off of the courtyard a bit rather than contained within it. This isn't all bad, as there tends to be less congregation in the courtyard for this very reason.

We found the room a bit smaller than a standard Embassy Suites room, but it was decent. Unfortunately, the couch was uncomfortable for viewing the television in the outer room, and the television in the bedroom area was tiny. Furthermore, the bedroom was noticeably cooler when you walked through the door separating the two rooms. This is likely because the bedroom wall on the outside was actually the original brick/block wall, undoubtedly difficult to insulate.

Finally, the window in the room wasn't really usable - you could climb on a small beam to view the park outside, but it certainly wasn't comfortable for standing and watching. A shame, really, because Marion Square was nicely decorated for the holidays.

All in all, the experience wasn't exactly bad, and if you're up for a historic place to stay with a somewhat reasonable rate not too far from downtown Charleston, it isn't a bad choice. We will likely pick another hotel the next time we visit, just because it wasn't that great either.