Charleston Vendue Inn

Frommer’s Review

This three-story inn manages to convey some of the personalized touches of a B&B. Its public areas — a series of narrow, labyrinthine spaces — are full of antiques and Colonial accessories that evoke a cluttered, and slightly cramped, inn in Europe. Guest rooms do not necessarily follow the lobby’s European model, however, and appear to be the result of decorative experiments by the owners. Room themes may be based on aspects of Florida, rococo Italy, or 18th-century Charleston. Marble floors and tabletops, wooden sleigh beds, and (in some rooms) wrought-iron canopy beds, while eclectically charming, might be inconsistent with your vision of colonial Charleston. Overflow guests are housed in a historic, brick-fronted annex across the cobblestone-covered street. The inn’s restaurant is called the Kitchen House (for dinner only). The chef here offers a menu of local favorites with unusual twists. The other restaurant, the Roof Top Terrace, offers a more informal atmosphere with a panoramic view of the harbor and of the historic district. A complete luncheon and dinner menu of local and American favorites is offered here.