Post House Inn: A Chic Charleston-Area Retreat With Charm For Days

When you arrive at Post House Inn, the chic and cheerful boutique hotel and restaurant situated in the historic Old Village area of Mount Pleasant, S.C., you might think it looks right out of a movie set. And you’d be right. With its tidy 18th-century white clapboard houses, streets shaded by live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, and old-fashioned storefronts bearing vintage neon signs, the village was actually a prominent filming location in The Notebook.

The cheerful blue-shuttered building dates back to 1896, so it’s no surprise that it went through several different iterations (including an inn, a neighborhood gathering place, a hardware store, and a school) before Ben and Kate Towill of Charleston-based hospitality and design firm, Basic Projects, took over as the current stewards. The couple, a New York restaurateur and a designer of feature film sets and interiors, respectively, gave the property a thoughtful renovation — preserving as much of its original character as possible, and freshening the rest — before they opened in 2020.

The self-described “coastal tavern and inn offering seasonal fare, classic cocktails, seven cozy hotel rooms and a bit of salty air” is just a ten-minute drive from downtown Charleston. That offers guests the best of both worlds: not only does the Inn’s Old Village Mount Pleasant location give it a relaxed, beachy, and nostalgic feel, but it also puts them just across the Ravenel Bridge from Charleston’s buzzy restaurant and bar scenes, and countless historic sites.

Location

Mount Pleasant’s Old Village neighborhood, just across the Cooper River from Charleston, S.C.

Architecture and Decór

Historic charm meets coastal Carolina chic, with a deft and playful mix of botanical prints, archival Wiliam Morris wallpapers, and vintage furnishings.

The Vibe

Warm, welcoming, fresh, and fun. Stylish, but not precious. Historic, but never stuffy.

Highlights

• Charming colonial-meets-contemporary decór and furnishings
• Only seven rooms, and each one is unique
• A top-notch restaurant and bar program
• Complimentary bikes to ride through the Old Village, Pitt Street Bridge Park, and roads that end at the Charleston Harbor

Accommodations

Each of the Inn’s seven rooms are unique, with distinct layouts, super-chic patterned wallpapers and fabrics, modernized bathrooms, and a mix of vintage, antique, and contemporary furnishings and art.

I stayed in room two, a dreamy and spacious corner bedroom with sunlight streaming in from oversized windows spanning three sides. The sumptuous King-sized bed gave me a blissful night’s sleep, and a cute daybed in the corner was the perfect cozy spot to have morning coffee and read.

Dining

During my recent stay, I had three top-notch meals at the Inn: a delicious complimentary breakfast of eggs, pastries, cheese, and fresh fruit at one of the bistro tables in front of the Inn, and shrimp Louie salad on the patio for lunch. (As a former New Yorker, I laughed when I overheard a fashionable couple walk outside onto the patio, which shades guests from the hot South Carolina sun via red-and-white striped awnings, and say “It feels like the Hamptons…but without the crowds.”)

Dinner in the lovely and relaxed tavern was a decadent blue crab toast, and local fish served atop fresh beans and greens.

The lively bar serves up refreshing spritzes and classic cocktails along with local beers, a wide-ranging wine list, and options for non-alcoholic ale, wine, and spirits.

The Inn also boasts two sister restaurants that are extremely popular with locals and visitors alike: Sullivan’s Fish Camp, on nearby Sullivan’s Island, serves up raw oysters and crudos, locally-sourced fish and peel-and-eat shrimp, lobster rolls, and Key lime pie for lunch and dinner. Basic Kitchen, located in downtown Charleston on a super central and walkable nabe just off King Street, is open for brunch, lunch, and dinner with dishes like smoked salmon toast, veggie bowls, fish tacos, and burgers — your choice of “good” (vegetarian) and “naughty” (beef).

Who It’s Best For

• Couples
• Friend getaways
• Solo travelers
• Staycationers

Notable Services & Amenities

• Free bikes on loan
• Malin + Goetz bath products
• A delicious complimentary breakfast
• Stellar on-site restaurant and bar options for brunch, lunch, dinner, and drinks

Nearby Attractions