I spent the weekend down in Bluffton, South Carolina, at the Montage Palmetto Bluff and I couldn’t believe how many of you reached out to say that it’s one of your favorite hotels or that you’ve been to weddings there — I even heard from two brides-to-be who are getting married there this year! It is such a naturally beautiful area (the light, the trees, the water!) and I’m hoping I’ll get to see their wedding photos because I can only imagine how magical a wedding there must be!
This was my first time staying at a Montage property and it will definitely not be the last. (My friends and I actually had drinks at the Montage Laguna Beach when we were in California for New Year’s and it was equally exquisite!) I was invited to visit as part of a press trip but I’d love to go back with Will sometime — I can’t believe it’s just a two-hour flight from New York! I got to hang with Ben, Jessie, Lydia, Nina, Sarah, and Stefaan and it’s always fun to see how other types of bloggers/Instagrammers/writers work. I spend most of my time working from home by myself so it’s fascinating for me to see and learn from other people’s creative processes! This group made me want to get much, much better at photography for starters. ?
Moving on… the hotel! The property is stunning and I swear there’s a photo opp around every corner. My room even had its own balcony overlooking the front of the hotel — it would be dreamy to have breakfast out there in the warmer months. (Ditto the gorgeous pool!) But there are a ton of activities to participate in during the winter months. We got to play bocce, go bowling, ride horses, do a bike taxi tour, and do a guided conservancy tour through some of the property’s 20,000 acres. And I had a seriously amazing facial in the Montage spa… the perfect way to warm up after exploring outdoors!
A few of my favorite details of the property: the canine ambassadors (any hotel with a puppy greeting committee is my kind of place), the s’mores cart and oversized fire pits (actual heaven), the Be Well by Kelly menu in the Octagon Porch restaurant (everything was so yummy and fresh), and the biscuit bar at Buffalo’s (definitely not healthy and definitely worth it). We got to try most of the restaurants on the property as well as Farm in historic Bluffton and every single meal was delicious (and very accommodating for pescatarians like me!).
I’ll stop gushing now but it is truly a special property and this trip was such a wonderful way to kick off my 2019 travels. If you want to book a January or February stay at Montage Palmetto Bluff, you can use this link and enter promo code MHORAN for a complimentary third night!