CHARLESTON, S. C. -- This city practically drips with history and residential splendor, but the Charleston Place Hotel has taken its place alone at the head of the hoteliery table with its own cluster of diamonds and stars.

Charleston's early effette built dozens of gloriously large, impressive antebellum and Colonial homes and gardens in the old waterfront Battery section of the city in the 1700s, but none of that pampered elite ever received any more fine dining or comfort than the guests at Charleston Place.

Truly a remarkable hotel, the 442-room Charleston Place ranks near the top of U. S. hotels with a four-diamond rating from AAA and a five-star award from the Mobil Travel Guide.

Located at 205 Meeting Street right across the street from the famed Market Street eclectic shopping area (a favorite tourist attraction), Charleston Place provides guests with unparalleled concierge service and chefs that turn out exquisite and creative dining.

It is not often that you can find a hotel that has such high ratings for both its restaurant and its accommodations, but Charleston Place achieves that distinction, putting the hotel at the top of the list in South Carolina and among the top 20 hotels in America.

One of the things that sets Charleston Place apart is that its guests pay comparatively reasonable prices for all that quality.

The highly respected Conde Nast Traveler magazine's readers in November 2000 rated Charleston Place as the fourth best hotel in North America (the readers also rated Charleston as the third best city in the country). Travel & Leisure magazine readers ranked Charleston Place in 10th place among the World's Best Values and No. 3 among all continential North American hotels. Charleston was also ranked No. 24 among destination cities worldwide. Readers of Southern Living magazine also ranked Charleston Place as one of the top hotels in the South. The hotel also has received numerous other awards from newspapers, magazines, professional groups, etc.

Charleston Place is part of the 0rient-Express Hotels, Trains and Cruises company, which provides top-level hotel and transportation worldwide.

Charleston Place's height of pampering comes from its Club Level accommodations (the top two floors of the hotel). Guests registering for those two floors are given special keys to allow them access to the top two floors, where a fulltime concierge, chilled champagne, all-day complimentary food and beverages, afternoon tea and cocktails, hors e'oeuvres, breakfast in bed, after dinner cordials, daily fresh flowers and much more await.

Not exactly just a turning down of bedsheets and a chocolate on your pillow.

All this ranging from $410 (weekdays) to $535 (weekends) daily. Non Club-level rooms are much less and other various package rates run from $275 to $940. Custom packages can be arranged.

The Charleston Place Grill features dishes originated by chef Bob Waggoner, who has become one of America's most honored (and copied) chefs. He blends South Carolina Lowcountry haute quisine with his own styling, relying heavily on his extensive European (France and Venezuela) culinary experience. He creates a new food lineup daily, using seasonal and regional ingredients. You can find such things as panned seared lamb sweetbreads over truffled grits, zucchini stuffed with Maine lobster or Smoky Mountain golden trout with Lowcountry crawfish tails. He does wonders with his special sauces.

His unique kitchen stylings has made him a favorite target for regional and national television cooking shows and he has made dozens of TV appearances.

Almost 700 labels of wines are available at the Charleston Place Grill, including both American, French and German wines -- and wines from many other countries.

Restaurant prices are also comparatively modest: Appetizers in the $5 to $12 range and entrees $16 to $24. A jazz trio provides live dining music nightly.

The city of Charleston seems to be a fitting place for such a quality hotel.

Charleston for seven straight years has been voted the "nation's most mannerly city" in the Marjabelle Young Stewart annual poll (now in its 24th year), rated one of the 10 best vacation cities in America by USA Today and as the most romantic city in the South by readers of Southern Living magazine (Travel Holiday magazine also rates Charleston as one of the Top 5 Romantic Destinations in America).

With its tree-lined streets, lovely homes, historic oceanfront homes, beautiful parks, cobblestone streets, colorful carriage rides and interesting street vendors, Charleston and its unhurried grace provides the kind of backdrop made to order for those honeymooning or rekindling romances.

The city is also a cultural hub, with its annual three-week period of historic home tours and its famed Spoleto Festival (featuring music, dance and theater May 25 through June 10) just a few of the many opportunities.

Included near the top of Charleston's list of historic events is the famed seige of Fort Sumter, regarded by many as "the shot heard around the world," signalling the beginning of the Civil War.

But things are much more peaceful and laid back nowadays. And more than five million people a year trek to this magnolia masterpiece each year to capture a bit of its imagination for themselves.

On the Internet:

www.charlestonplacehotel.com
www.charlestoncvb.com
www.orient-express.com

This story was published on 15 May 2002.