My husband and I fell in love in South Carolina. Not with each other, but with a “river man” named Albo. On our second night at The Dunlin, the newest hotel from Auberge Resorts Collection, we took a sunset cruise in the estuary surrounding the property. On another kind of trip, this would have been a quaint diversion before dinner. But on Kiawah River, Albo, a dead ringer for Sam Elliott, toured us through a landscape of incongruous splendors. To look at it, the water seemed as flat and still as a big puddle, its expanse broken up by tall grass and great islands of fresh oysters. (Albo said he only eats these during months that end in “-er,” something I will remember forever.) But within minutes the water became deep enough for us to spot pods of dolphins poking through the surface.
“If you don’t enjoy yourself out here,” Albo said as the sky took on a soft lavender cast, “well, then we just can’t be friends.”
Up until this point, I’d slept on regional trips; I never quite understood getting on a plane only to stay in the States. But one weekend at The Dunlin—just a two-hour flight from New York—convinced me that local travel may actually be the best kind of travel.
Set along the marshy Charleston coastline, about 40 minutes from the city center, The Dunlin sits beyond rows of perfect white houses, trees draped with Spanish moss, and tufts of purple sweetgrass that line the area’s walking paths. (There are a lot here.) The vibe across its 72 guest rooms and suites is coastal grandma in the best possible way: airy porches, gabled roofs, shiplap wood, walls awash in mint green and bright whites, and oh-so-much wicker.
A low country gloss—bygone and laid-back—has been applied to all the classic amenities. The Aster spa, in its own cottage across a footbridge, has a menu that integrates both top-notch products from Biologique Recherche and honey from local apiaries. Meanwhile, the property’s petite pool, called The Cove, has been designed to feel like a 1950s swim club, complete with scalloped, mint-colored umbrellas and stately rattan loungers. The poolside bar also mixes up a medley of spritz-forward drinks, so you can sip to your heart’s content and still be decent for cocktail hour.
