Bijou, Boutique Inn — Hotel in Charleston

We stayed in the Parisian room for 5 nights, Tuesday thru Saturday, second week of March.

Good: Bed, shower, air conditioning and tv were very nice. Also location was terrific in the historic district. There is parking available in a thickly-rocked parking lot next door which is $10 day...unless it is busy they bump the price up to $16. We pre-paid the 5 nights for $10. The parking employees were great! There is a carriage ride company right next door if you’re interested.

Not good: The property is listed for sale...which is always a red flag. Corners get cut. You can have it for a cool $1.4M.

Location: Be aware the location is very noisy all night long due to a garbage or recycling center located two doors down. Lots of metal clanging and banging at night. Owners have a noise machine and the air conditioner helps mask the noise.

Amenities: We read that there was wine available in the afternoon but there really was no interaction with staff (Alissa) to know for sure. The kitchenette was open to guests but we really had no idea what we could/should touch or what we shouldn’t. For the most part we just stayed away from the kitchen. Being veteran B&B guests we missed hot food (and coffee made sometime before 9 am).

Big frustration: There was a fireplace in our room and we wanted it on for a short time in the evenings. We actually stayed here because of the fireplace boasted-about in the listing. However we couldn’t get it to turn on. After finally talking to caretaker Alissa she said she would have the maintenance person turn it in next day. Later, owner Francess called and said the fireplaces were “off” for the year. Really? There were instructions on the mantle as to how to turn it on. No note to say, “Hey folks contrary to our website info, fireplaces are off for the year.” Bummer. Francess offered to allow us to leave and reimburse our money. Wasn’t practical as it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend and surely there would be no other availability. I felt this to be a disingenuous offer and that maybe Francess wanted us to leave because she could get more $$ for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Francess was kind on the phone, this is just my jaded interpretation of her offer to folks visiting from Wisconsin with no other place to stay. How hard would it have been to turn on the darn thing?

Note that our neighbor’s fireplace was on when we walked by in the mornings. Why were some allowed the fireplace and others were not??

Cleanliness: The bed itself and the bathroom were clean but the floors and windows and other surfaces were dusty or dirty. Most dirty was the carpet in front of the non-functioning fireplace.

Oddities: Locks were very weak...felt it would be easy for someone to jimmie the doors. Parking info wasn’t intuitive. We had to call Francess to figure it out because Alissa was gone for the day. Fireplace was a big bummer. Bathroom window needs a curtain...sunlight pours in...in the morning and reflects off the mirror. Can’t see to get ready. I actually had to take a picture off the wall to block the sun’s rays. Plus the window needs to be cleaned. Lighting & counter space could be better in the bathroom.

Would we stay again? Probably...more likely after it sells and it is a bit better cared-for, and COVID allows for more...

We saw a number of positive reviews of the Bijou but it was disappointing. First some background: the manager told us that the inn was rather run-down when she took over 2-3 years ago and that she has tried to improve the experience for guests. It appears that she has not been terribly successful. We stayed in the Sweetgrass room, located on the first floor. The inn is hard to categorize. We were looking for a "Bed and Breakfast" rather than a traditional hotel and Bijou sometimes gets categorized that way but it is unclear whether that is how the inn wants to market itself. That said it's not a traditional hotel either. Our room was relatively small but it was furnished with a king-size bed that did not leave much space for anything else. There was only one chair in the room. The bed was comfortable enough but it is set up with what appears to be a regular box spring and one of the newer-style very deep mattresses covered with a thick topper. The result is a bed that is quite tall. I had no difficulty climbing onto the bed but my wife (5'0") struggled to do so. We have stayed in other inns with that setup and they typically provide some sort of step to facilitate getting onto the bed but our room did not have anything of that sort. The room A/C was noisy. The doors are not hung properly and can be very difficult to close. Security does not appear to be a priority. The room was clean and everything seemed to work OK otherwise. It did offer free WiFi that performed adequately. The inn does offer a Continental Breakfast though the choices were somewhat limited. On our first morning one of the muffins looked good but it had mold on the bottom, leaving us wondering how fresh some of the pastry items were. The pastry I sampled was dry and seemed stale. The inn is located in the historic district which is nice for tourists, but it is next to one of the carriage ride businesses so there is a definite odor (sometimes overwhelming) of manure that is present on stepping out of the room. The manager is nominally present at the inn during daytime office hours but I do not recall seeing her at all other than on the afternoon we arrived. One of the reasons we enjoy staying at B&B's is the ability to interact with the hosts and other guests. That sort of interaction is not part of the package at the Bijou. There was no common room (other than the tiny space where breakfast items are set out) and rooms open onto an outside walkway. There are a couple of chairs set up in the walkway but the stench from the neighboring carriage business does not create a pleasant ambience for relaxing conversation. Parking is not convenient. There is a rather expensive lot across the street but the less expensive lot that the inn recommends is a couple of blocks away. The result is that the inn is not a very good B&B, but neither is it a real hotel. I don't know how to categorize it. In some ways it felt like one of the cheap motels my family stayed in back in the '60s. We will not consider it for our next trip...

I found this place on line looking on Air B&B and VRBO. It looked charming but pictures can be deceiving. The availability was very limited. When I went to their website I found more open dates and could see pictures of the room. The prices were very reasonable. When I realized the Inn was down in the historic district I was even more pleased at the prices. On arrival the Inn was easy to locate and there was ample parking across the street. We checked in without any problems and were shown to our room. We stayed in the Magnolia which is on the first floor and facing the street. I was a little concerned about noise but amazingly our room was very quiet. It was August which can be oppressive in Charleston. Our AC worked very well and was quiet also. We had a king bed which was very comfortable and the sheets were incredibly soft. There is an old fireplace which really elevates the ambiance of the room. The bathroom of course is small but there is enough space for all my things. The shower works well and there is a jetted tub which actually worked and after a day of walking and biking it was very luxurious to soak in the tub with the jets on. This place is so clean! We had fresh cold water in the room on arrival which was changed out daily. The towels are large and thick, no skimpy thread bare things you find at other places. The location is the greatest selling point. Park your car and walk everywhere, the Inn is just blocks from all of downtown Charleston’s amenities: fine dining, shopping, galleries, rooftop bars, jazz. Yes the Inn is old built in 1860 so the high end creature comforts are just not possible given the restrictive codes. If you want that pay $500 a night for some fancy high end hotel built in the last 10 years. For me I love how the owner has preserved the historic charm without sacrificing comfort. I almost don’t want to post this review as the Bijou is truly a hidden gem, I would hate that it became so popular I wouldn’t be able to book a...