The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, next door to the USS Yorktown
It’s serious about its coastal Southerness, from the Colonial-era baby blue paint and chunky millwork that pervades the gracious and sprawling space — the whole thing feels a bit like an excellent country club at which you sip sweet tea with purpose and feel important — to the seersucker robes in the guestrooms. There’s maritime-inspired art by local artists in every vividly colorful room, and balconies overlooking the large pool. And, beyond that, the marina and a network of piers and boardwalks, and grassy, bird-beloved marshland that meets Charleston Harbor like a scene from a nature painting.
The grilled salmon at the hotel’s Fish House comes with ratatouille and watercress puree, and the suggested pairing for the Lowcountry classic Shrimp and Grits, which here adds in andouille and sweet peppers, is an Argentine Malbec. Golden sunlight bounces off the harbor and floods in at the magic hour. Above the restaurant is the open-air Bridge Bar with expansive views.
The hotel also offers sailing lessons, taught by faculty from the champion College of Charleston sailing team. Unique holiday-time happenings include Oysters on the Point, at which buckets of steamed oysters go for $13 on some Saturdays and come with a side of live music. The resort also sets up a large ice-skating rink, open till February.
Of course, there’s tons to do off property in the hip and historic Charleston area, including the USS Yorktown, a huge WWII aircraft carrier docked right next door to the hotel and open for tours — and Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began, on a tiny island you can see from The Beach Club. And then there’s simply tooling around Charleston, which is easy to get to by water taxi. The ride alone is an adventure: You’ve never seen so many dolphins putting on a show.
A stroll through the city is enchanting, with its leafy cobblestone streets lined with palmettos — not palms, thankyouverymuch — and French colonial-era homes with long piazza porches on the side. It feels like the best of NOLA’s French Quarter and antebellum Natchez combined, with a fresh coat of paint, lots of shade from Live Oaks and curiously not infrequent sightings of hunky hipsters with tat sleeves and man buns. If you’re hungry after a morning walkabout, Miller’s All Day has biscuit sandwiches with fried chicken, pepper jam and the city’s favorite spread, pimento cheese; at most restaurants, the stuff seems to show up on pretty much everything except the peanut butter pie.
And we’re definitely not complaining.
A glimpse of old Charleston at Christmas
Seersucker robes at The Beach Club
A Christmas tree at The Beach Club
Marissa Eubank, Laura Stein, Kate Raffaele and Lauren Maloy
Houston Grazing Tables set up a beautiful charcuterie board to complement apps courtesy of Masraff's, while oenophiles sipped selections from Wine by Haus of Cellars and 12 Fires Wine. Dessert bites were provided by Alice Blue.
In its 35 years, Victory has raised more than $60 million for cancer research, and it was recently announced that all proceeds from fundraising will be used exclusively for local initiatives. In the spring, the organization will host the first-ever Rally Ball with a theme of "Blazing for a Cure" at 713 Music Hall.
Ashley and Chris Parker with Porsche GM Rob Dale
Rally Ball Chairs Stephanie Morris, Elizabeth Fulghum and Melissa Hobbs
Blanche Earthman Morello and Carey Swan
Jackie and Monty Eubank
President Joni Ballis
Raquel and Glenn Lewis
Mary Ann and David McKeithan
Jerré Williams and Susan Ryan