Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2020

59 www.ReadMPM.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com feature Belgian chocolate, listening to jazz, exploring historic sites, kayaking a river, inhaling the scent of freesias, experiencing nature close up. Or perhaps a kaleidoscopic mix of a few of these activities and even more. To whet your appetite, we present a selection of six properties in, or just a short drive from, Mount Pleasant. Amenities vary at these enchanting Lowcountry venues as each delivers its own version of a romantic weekend. HOTEL BENNETT Opening directly onto both King Street and Marion Square in downtown Charleston, long-awaited Hotel Bennett is positioned as described by Jomary Valente, the hotel’s marketing manager, “right in the middle of the action.” In addition to luxurious accommodations, Hotel Bennett provides a diverse selection of on-site options for ravenous guests. Fine dining restaurant Gabrielle serves New Orleans-influenced cuisine. Its brunch offerings include breakfast beignets, Oysters Rockefeller and eggs “Bennett.” A wide variety of seafood options are available during dinner service. Additionally, Camellias at Hotel Bennett is both a bar and a spot for afternoon tea. Its menu includes caviar, mocktails, champagne cocktails, opera cakes and lemon meringue tarts. The décor embraces repurposed pink marble rescued from the Charleston County Main Library, which formerly occupied the site. Fiat Lux serves Mediterranean-inspired dishes and presents a panoramic view of the city. La Pâtisserie offers croissants, pastries, coffee and a French ambiance. Valente said it evokes “the feel of a romantic escapade.” Hotel Bennett’s urban day spa, intimate with only five treatment rooms, includes a couple’s suite, and the rooftop pool is accessible to guests only. For added privacy, guests can rent cabanas. MANSFIELD PLANTATION BED AND BREAKFAST A filming location for the movie “The Patriot,” this former rice plantation is entered via a long driveway with a stunning alley of oaks. Situated just beyond Georgetown on the Black River, Mansfield Plantation offers bed and breakfast accommodations in its guest quarters, which consist of three outbuildings named the School House, the Old Kitchen House and the North Guest House. Sallie Middleton watercolor prints grace the walls in each of Mansfield Plantation’s nine guest rooms. Innkeeper Kathryn Green said, “We have a lot more to offer than other B&Bs.” This includes grounds encompassing close to 1,000 acres, where guests can bicycle, birdwatch or roam with canine friends. History aficionados will be interested in seeing the original winnowing house, slave village and chapel, while nature enthusiasts will appreciate the preserved forest and cypress swamp. A plantation breakfast is served each morning. THE INN AT MIDDLETON PLACE Valentine’s Day weekend reservations for rooms at The Inn at Middleton Place usually fill early in January, according to Abigail Martin, general manager. Located off Ashley River Road between Charleston and Summerville, The Inn perches on a bluff overlooking the Ashley. Next door is Middleton Place, home to America’s oldest landscaped gardens, where in February camellias and azaleas vie for attention. The architecture of what remains of the 18th century Middleton Place house is decidedly old world, while in contrast that of The Inn is modern and minimalistic. The Inn’s Romantic Getaway package includes dinner for two and wine at the Middleton Place Restaurant, a filled picnic basket for two and admission to Middleton Place’s house, gardens and plantation stableyards. Pet friendly, The Inn property contains four-and-a-half miles of walking trails. Kayaking and horseback riding are available for an additional fee. “The Inn offers an awakening to your