When we pulled up to the imposing mansion, I
gave the cab driver a more lavish tip than
usual. Since he was dropping me off at the
Wentworth Mansion, one of Charleston's most
luxurious properties, I felt a little guilty he had to get back
to work while I was in for a generous amount of pampering. The
first thing I noticed upon climbing the steps and opening the
heavy door to the mansion were the beautiful stained glass
windows, glinting in even the partial sun. I
planned to gather my light bags and head up to my room myself,
but as one employee told me with a stunned look upon her face,
“This is the Wentworth. No one schleps
here.”
And she was
right. The Wentworth Mansion, a member of
Small Luxury Hotels
of the World, is a place you
go to be taken care of, an historic home recalling old-world
glamorous Charleston, where Scarlett O'Hara would have felt at
ease on holiday. Walking down the sweeping
staircase, you feel a little bad for wearing something as common
as jeans, and that it would almost be more appropriate swishing
down each step in a petticoat.
Built in 1886
for Francis Silas Rodgers, a wealthy cotton merchant, he had more
than enough room to keep his thirteen children
comfortable. After his death, the house became
a Scottish Rite Temple and, most recently, served as the
headquarters of Atlantic Coast Life Insurance.
It must have been one sumptuous spot to come to work everyday,
because it's clear the Wentworth is meant to be a home. Lauded by
both Conde Nast Traveler and Travel &
Leisure, the Wentworth doesn't feel like you're in a hotel,
but rather that you're being put up for the night in a friend's
mansion (albeit one with 21 bedrooms).
Dark, elegant décor captures a grand Southern
past with mahogany, oak, walnut, lovely tiled floors, and crystal
chandeliers. Up on the fourth floor, a spiral
staircase leads to the romantic cupola with the most amazing
panoramic views of Charleston. One can only
imagine how many flustered men have bent down on one knee to pop
the question in this serene spot. My room was Room 13,
a large, dark, ambient room with a king size bed, a sprawling
bathroom with a whirlpool and a gas fireplace (most rooms have
these amenities). Lying on my comfy settee, which easily could
have doubled as a bed, I stared up at the high ceiling and
intricate moldings in awe. For Room 13 at least, there's no need
to pack an eye mask. No blinding light seeps
through the shuttered windows, so waking up at 8 am felt like the
night was still young. The rest of the
property is just as inviting. Guests gather in
the parlor to read the paper and drink complimentary coffee in
the morning, savor an afternoon cup of tea, or, at cocktail hour,
grab a glass of wine and taste canapés like salmon cakes with
fennel cream.
Circa 1886,
adjacent to the mansion, should be a stop on any Charleston fine
dining circuit. I still can't stop thinking about the tomato
cobbler, bursting with juicy vine-ripened tomatoes, the appetizer
that satisfied me more than my antelope loin
entree. In the mornings, breakfast is a
low-key continental spread, but you must make room for a slab of
freshly made wheat bread, toasted to perfection by Miss Betty,
the most precious, affable little lady who's been working at the
Wentworth for ten years now.
Although I
did not get to sample the intimate spa this time around, it
scores points for its authentically rustic atmosphere, set in the
mansion's old stable.
Another boon for
me was its location, set back a few blocks from all the
action. While some tourists might fret it's
not right on bustling King Street, I personally loved the hushed
neighborhood and the walk to get to the shopping district,
passing by lovely homes and part of the College of Charleston
campus.
If you can
spring for the two- room Grand Mansion Suite on the ground floor,
with its original Tiffany chandeliers, you'll be in the same spot
where Reese Witherspoon spent her wedding night with Ryan
Philippe. Even though the marriage was doomed,
we bet Reese is still thinking about her bed at the
Wentworth.
Rates start at $340
Wentworth Mansion
149 Wentworth Street
Charleston, South Carolina
Phone: (843) 853-1886
www.wentworthmansion.com
Alia Akkam is a New
York-based lifestyle writer who covers food, drink, travel and
design. Her work has appeared in Time Out, Paper and Fodor's
.
