20 South Battery — Hotel in Charleston

I've never written a review before, (and while I meant to write this months ago) I feel compelled to let other visitors to Charleston know what a treasure this place is. My fiancée and I stayed at 20 South Battery this past September to celebrate our engagement before heading to the beach house. Had we known how beautiful it would be, and how utterly enjoyable the staff would make out stay, we might never have made it to the island. In fact, Lauren and I resolved that another night at 20 South Battery will be the first leg of the honeymoon after our wedding this coming September, such was our enjoyment of our time here. We arrived late and exhausted after a longer than expected journey in from Virginia, but champagne on ice and (despite arriving too late for the hotel's official refreshment period) a delicious cheese plate was waiting for us in our room. They went above and beyond for this pair of weary travelers, and we couldn't have been more elated (we were starving!) The house and grounds are gorgeous, and our room was perfect. The staff member, Isabel, was absolutely wonderful, providing excellent dining and sightseeing recommendations, and patiently gave me a tour of the mansion and its various fascinating historic features. A history nerd like myself couldn't have asked for a better home-base from which to explore Charleston. The energy exerted in the historic preservation of this building (indeed an award-winning effort, if memory serves) truly shows, as does the attention to detail in the decorating of the interior. (In fact, we happened to randomly run into one of the gentlemen who helped with the interior decorating outside David Skinner's warehouse on a back-street while wandering the city. He was very kind, and spoke about what a great experience decorating the mansion was.) While interior décor and furniture of hotels is something I don't think I have ever noticed before, one cannot help but be impressed by it. To the owner, Dr. Schaeffer, I extend my gratitude for your work in preserving so beautifully such a wonderful part of Charleston and American history for others to enjoy. I believe Susan Frost would be proud, and I've recommended this place to numerous family members. And to Isabel, thank you for making Lauren's and my time there so marvelous (and my apologies for such a belated review!) We hope you all are doing well, and we look forward to visiting again...

Being a huge fan of the North and South miniseries, it has always been a dream of mine to tour the mansion at 20 South Battery. My wife suprised me for our anniversary and booked us a suite in it! First of all, if you have never stayed on the Battery, you need to. As great as it is during the day, walking the Battery early in the morning or late at night is otherworldly. Stepping out of a 19th century mansion to do so is a feeling you will not forget.

The staff at 20 South Battery is amazing. My wife had pretty much talked to everyone trying to find the perfect room for our stay and she said they were all extremely helpful and gracious. The same rang true when we arrived for our visit. We had the pleasure of having Ryan check us in and give us the house tour. Tommy was on staff for the wine and cheese reception and was equally great. We were lucky enough to meet the owner, Dr. Schaeffer during our stay and the insight that he gave was the highlight of our trip.

We stayed in the Lathers Suite. I was able to tour many of the second and third floor rooms and I do believe my wife chose wisely. I feel that the layout was the best out of the rooms I was able to check out.

While I didn’t get to utilize it as much as I would have liked to due to our schedule, the 4th floor library is breathtaking and a must see.

The ballroom is currently being renovated, which gave us access to the parlor instead. This was perfect for me due to filming location reasons.

If you are one of the many fans of the North and South miniseries out there, keep this in mind. At this time, this is the only home in the Charleston area that was used for interior filming that you can currently tour. It is also the only filming location for the series that you can stay in anywhere. It is an absolute must when you visit the Charleston area!

Even if you aren’t a fan of North and South, the history in this house, and the lengths that the owner has gone to preserve that history and take it back to as close to its original state as possible are nothing short of amazing and make it well worth a stay.

It is strange to say but when we were staying at the mansion, for that brief time, it truly felt like home. We can’t wait to...

This place and the service provided was fantastic. We were met at check-in by MOLLY, who showed us around the main level, told us some of the history, gave us a rundown and how get around and then escorted us to our room. RICHARD was there when we came back in the early evenings...while we were having some wine on the front porch he surprised us with some charcuteri and then when we came home the next night with a piece of cake to share for dessert he went and got us a glass of milk. ABIGAIL brought us our very enjoyable breakfast to our room in the morning and when we asked gave us a more detailed tour of the entire place...telling us many details that showed she really knows what she is talking about and cares about her job. All three were great. ||We took a carriage ride that started near the Charleston Market. It went by and stopped at 20 South Battery so the guide could tell everyone about the place. When I mentioned to him that we were staying there he told us it was haunted and that there are books referring to Carriage House rooms #8 and #10. When I told him we were staying in #10 he got wide-eyed and asked if we had experienced anything. When we asked RICHARD about it he told us the same thing about what people had encountered in the past, and particularly rooms #8 and #10. My wife told me the morning after night #1, before we knew any of this, I let our 4 loud howls in the middle of the night taht I never do, which woke her up. I didn't remember it....so we dont know now if that was a spirit maybe working through me or if maybe it was a couple too many martinis and beers at the happy hours. Ask for room #8 or #10 and maybe you will get some action. ||The room...very comfortable bed...great shower...and plenty of room for the 2 people it is made for...and was all that we wanted and needed.||Bottom line, this place and the people are first class and we would certainly come back if in Charleston again. Any negative reviews here have to be either old...or from somebody who likes to complain, didn't do their research, and wanted somehing...