Palmetto Bluff

Trails fall beneath Spanish moss dripping from live oaks.

Endless waterways are ripe for boating.

Soak in panoramic views from the dock.

The masculine library at the Inn is perfect for cocktails and conversation.

The Montage Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina, fresh from a $100 million renovation, is the hotel group’s first east coast property.

Suite accommodations are residential in feel.

When you arrive at SOUTH CAROLINA’s Montage Palmetto Bluff and are greeted warmly by a gentleman in Nantucket red pants, a crisp white button-down and a navy-blue blazer, you’d be excused for thinking he was just a dapper guest at a wedding taking place on-site. But instead, he’s the first touch point of your brush with genteel, Southern hospitality—the kind romantic comedies based in the South are ripe with.

And, while service with a capital “S” may be paramount on every inch of this 20,000-acre resort property, you’ll find its effect is far from saccharine, particularly at the Montage Palmetto Bluff’s Inn, where the South’s signature charm meets grand, Lowcountry luxury thanks to a $100 million expansion that added 150 rooms and suites, restaurants, a spa, pool and fitness center, completed in September of 2016.

Residential touches, from vaulted ceilings and fireplaces to airy verandas with a view, abound, but as with most memorable Southern homes, it’s the setting that truly defines (and determines) the guest’s experience. The Palmetto Bluff community is essentially a centuries-old maritime forest surrounded by 32 miles of riverfront; that rugged natural splendor affords opportunities to explore South Carolina’s coastal marshland in spades (whether fly-fishing, kayaking or paddle boarding) or from afar (think heels kicked-up with a drink on a screened-in porch).

Exploring Palmetto Bluff’s endless waterways, in fact, is what the resort was designed for, whether inshore or offshore, from the saltwater or freshwater. Paddling a canoe through the lagoon, for instance, will likely reward you with a glimpse of a stoic blue heron; biking the trails from beneath the property’s ancient live oaks grants access to gems like Wilson Village’s intimately scaled chapel, designed by Georgia architecture firm Historical Concepts, or the three-tiered treehouse for children playfully constructed around a live oak.

Beyond the resort’s bountiful beauty (be it raw or man-made), contributing to its grand sense of place are gems such as the Jack Nicklaus signature golf course on May River; intimate restaurants such as the Inn’s Jessamine; and first-class wellness centers like Spa Montage. Like a tall, cold glass of iced tea, this is one resort that’s served well by its supporting sweet spots.

montagehotels.com/palmettobluff