I would agree with the others for sure, Brookgreen, Middleton and Magnolia plantations are a must see. Also, if you decide on a daytrip to Charleston, try to spend a little time in the historic district along the Battery. The gardens with many of the historic homes is well worth your time as well as the beautiful architecture and antiques. You can find good information on the ones that are open for visitors and other local attractions at the Charleston Visitors Center. Enjoy the vacation, it's a perfect time of year to hit the SC coast for some spring relaxation!!

DH and I are going to Charleston the middle of May for an annual visit, May 15 thru May 18. We've celebrated our anniversary there for about 5 years or so. We don't have an unlimited budget but do try to go to one or two of the nicer restaurants a couple of times. Rue de Jean is a favorite lunch pick. We've gone to 82 Queen a couple of times for dinner but Peninsula Grill and Charleston Grill are a little out of our reach. Can anyone tell me anything about the restaurant at Middleton Place...good food? Any other places you'd recommend for dinner? Some friends and I are going in March for the private gardens tour but we're only staying 3 nights which gives us 2 days to do whatever we're going to do as far as sightseeing etc. I always look forward to going there but I think I may check out Seabrook Island for future reference. We're staying in Mt. Pleasant again this year. jude

In order to save a few hundred bucks, I ordered two identical Wesley Hall sofas from Elite Interiors in July of 2013. It is now almost April, 2014 and I still only have one of the pair…reminding me of the old axiom “you get what you pay for.” I would urge anyone who is contemplating placing an order with this company to reconsider, learn from my horrible experience and take your business elsewhere. It would take too long to share every example of the disregard for basic customer service practices, lack of follow-through, poor communication and general mistreatment I was afforded by Elite Interiors so I will share just the most important parts of my ordeal. When my sofas were delivered in late November, one of them had been badly damaged in transit and had to be sent back for repair (the back panel had been punctured and needed to be replaced). Instead of sending it back to Wesley Hall for repair, Elite’s trucking company (Reliable Trucking…yes, that’s really their name!) took it upon themselves to hire an “upholstery tech” to make the repair, which included replacing the nailhead trim along the bottom of the sofa back. Upon the return of this sofa (now January), I was disheartened by the quality of workmanship…the welt had a rippled effect and the nailheads were crooked and not spaced evenly. To make matters worse, there was a small area of new damage where a piece of base welting had pulled away from the frame. And… WORST of all…my sofa now had black smudges on both arms and the inside back where someone with dirty hands had handled it. I had no choice but to again send my sofa back to North Carolina. This is where dealing with Elite became the nightmare that has yet to end. I explained to Elite that, for what I paid ($3,000 each sofa),I felt my sofa should go back to Wesley Hall for proper repair this time and further explained that I felt the soiled fabric on the arms and back should be removed and replaced with new fabric. They insisted that they were “within their right” to let Reliable Trucking handle the repair a second time and to have my sofa professionally cleaned. I stated that I didn’t pay for a “reconditioned” sofa and that this was not going to be satisfactory. This process dragged out for weeks while I waited for responses that never came. I’m convinced they were hoping if they ignored me long enough, I would just give up. Instead, I kept going up the chain of command at Elite and Reliable. I went as high as I could with both companies and was appalled by the lack of professionalism at the highest levels. Ultimately, and thankfully, I turned to my credit card company who promptly issued a chargeback for the amount of one sofa. It was only then, when Elite no longer had my money, that they agreed to send my piece back to Wesley Hall and purchase the new fabric necessary to repair the damage properly. Elite has been nasty and non-communicative throughout, in fact, I’ve been forced to speak directly with Wesley Hall to learn the status of my order. They and my credit card company were the only ones “in my corner” who seemed to care that I got what I paid for and was a satisfied customer. So here it is the end of March…FOUR MONTHS since I should have had my sofa…and I am told it is back in Reliable Trucking’s warehouse, ready to ship to me. There’s just one catch: they want me to agree to uncarton and unwrap the sofa myself because of “past circumstances.” So, even though they were paid to deliver and set up my furniture, now I have to do it myself. Honestly, how much more unprofessional can you get?!?! Truly, this has been the worst merchant experience I’ve ever had in my entire life! If you have already placed an order with Elite--and used your credit card--know that you have rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act. If something goes wrong with your order, you don’t have to let them bully you into accepting their terms.

I stayed at the Belmont also. It was expensive, but I was in a bind. Long story short, I had to be in Charleston for a meeting. The meeting was held at a different hotel (below my standards), but I thought I could rough it for one night. WHen I got to the hotel and saw the state of the room, I quickly searched and found complaints online of bed bugs at the hotel. I got my money refunded and did a quick search for another hotel without complaints of bed bugs. The only one I could find was the Belmond Place. It was very expensive to get at the last minute like that (10 PM) but I didn't care. I knew I would get no sleep at the other one. Wherever you go, make sure you do a search online for bed bugs. Maybe it is just me, but I am paranoid of bed bugs.