TL;DR What makes this hotel special? Why should I stay here?

We love seeing what “extra” looked like in the past, and this 1886 origin boutique hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, dominates Harleston Village with unabashed opulence.

Double staircases, columns, and pink walls with white quoins welcome you under a mansard roof topped with a matching dome.

Inside doubles down, with truly stunning hand-carved molding throughout, inlaid floors, Tiffany glass, and crystal chandeliers almost everywhere you look.

If a hotelier designed a building like this today, you might roll your eyes, but the historical value is astounding.

Anyone interested in Southern history, the indulgences of the rich, and Second Empire architecture, will not want to miss the Wentworth Mansion.

Even if you know nothing about historical South Carolinian architecture, you’re in for some gorgeous pampering and the best introduction one could ask for.

What are the rooms like?

Number of rooms: 21

> See all rooms in detail here on the booking page

It’s a boutique hotel, but even the smallest rooms here would be roomy in most other places, starting at 450 square feet.

While not identical, all rooms have a similar elegant sumptuousness, draped in luxury curtains with rich upholstery.

They’ve worked to preserve many of the mansion’s historical features, and most rooms have their original working gas fireplaces. Others have gorgeous glass work and wainscoting that gives a definite Gilded Age flavor.

Suites go above and beyond, impeccably designed lines of rooms with beds, dining areas, sitting areas, and more.

All rooms include plush robes for lounging around, turndown service (chocolate made in-house!), fresh flowers, and a digital New York Times subscription for your stay.

The newest part of each room are the bathrooms, which have all been more than updated. You’ll find whirlpool tubs, Gilchrist & Soames’ bath amenities, and multi-head walk-in showers. They’re decorated tastefully with clean whites and charming wall paper.

What are prices like?

> Enter your dates & check prices here at Expedia

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

It’s the little touches that make experience at the Wentworth Mansion so special. You’ll have a full breakfast at the onsite restaurant each morning, followed by complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine in the afternoon, and fortified and distilled wines available all night.

The restaurant, Circa 1886, is installed in the old carriage house of the property, and opens to the public only for dinner.

Guests should also take at least one dinner there, as the food is both decidedly local and distinctly gourmet. It’s a taste of the city, the high-end of the lowcountry.

With a restaurant in the carriage house, what else belongs in the stables but a luxury spa. The Spa at Wentworth Mansion is worth it just to check out the architecture, full of vaulted ceilings, exposed brick and wooden details that make the ambience one-of-a-kind.

How is the location? Anything interesting nearby?

Wentworth Mansion is outside the general hotel milieu, lording it over Charleston from its privileged spot in the city’s historic heart, Harleston Village.

Other visitors to the city will be traveling towards you to explore the streets and spend time around Colonial Lake Park.

You’ll be near the best historic buildings in the city. There’s the haunted Old City Jail, the Italian Villa-style Isaac Jenkins Mikell House, and Canon Park, where the columns of the lost (in a 1981 fire, not, like, misplaced) Charleston Museum still stand.

There are many small parks around to spend dreamy days in, or if you want some wilder air, you can explore all the way out to the river.

It’s just a ten-minute walk to King Street, the beating heart of the city. Here, you’ll find the trendiest bars, hippest restaurants, and all the art galleries and boutique shopping you could wish for.

Some And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

”It was an elegant inn with fabulous staff and decor. Great location with a great wine hour and charcuterie….”

”I loved everything about this grand mansion. I came across this place by accident as I was looking to stay in Harleston Village. A renovated former mansion – it pretty much fulfilled any fantasy you may have about a “Downton Abbey” experience, American style!! A breathtakingly grand entrance, the library, parlor, sunroom for pre dinner drinks, a copula for beautiful views of Charleston….”