Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina

The hotel is in an excellent location. The hotel itself is going through renovations. The staff went above and beyond for us! They built a fire in the fire pit on the beach just for my family. We were the only ones out there. That made our stay so special and we will have those fond memories forever!

Like an old grand dame who’s lost her family fortune, this dump looks like it was once nice. However, since it’s no longer nice, the price is an outrage. The basic cost isn’t that awful but by the time you add-​on a «resort» fee (that’s a joke in and of itself) and all the taxes, it was $ 170/​night. I’ve stayed in Hampton Inns, and Marriotts, and Hilton Garden Inns which are more elegant and far less expensive. The room was small, the bathroom even smaller, and everything was just tired. The room smelled musky (or like onions or cat pee?), the towels were small and worn out. We had breakfast in the little restaurant off the lobby and the cook couldn’t make over easy eggs! Soon after I turned mine back because they were hard, the table next to us returned theirs with the same complaint. All in all, find another spot. You’ll be happy you did.

We finished our stay here. It was a discounted price so we thought great! But you get what you pay for I suppose.
We arrived and noticed a bunch of construction.
Here is the short list:
1. Hotel is under complete renovation (even workmen and orkin on the floor we were staying)
2. No pool (that’s right it’s closed for the time being)
3. Moldy mildew smell in room
4. Bathroom configuration is completely off. (You have to walk in close door then sit on toilet not vice versa)
5. Trolley and water taxi start late in my opinion to take you downtown at 10am (which doesn’t allow you much time to beat the crowds — which forces you rent or use your own transportation.
6. Resort fee $ 12/​day (gym, trolley, paper, refreshments i.e. Water n popcorn) plus state tax and tourism tax. So approximately add on 25 – 30 $ per rate to get a better figure of you are budget conscious.
Positives
1. Great location just outside the city
2. Water taxi and trolley although the schedule did not fit ours.
3. The beach and the views spectacular
— my toddler loved playing in the sand
4. They will make you a fire pit.
All in all I may go back once everything is all finished and updated for a discounted special.

Had high hopes for the trip and while some things fell short others surpassed expectations.
Best surprise on the trip was the shuttle into downtown that was included in the daily resort fee and the quick access to the water taxi (not included but right at the resort. One of the concerns I had coming was driving into downtown so having these options and being able to leave the car parked the whole visit was huge.
Staff was friendly especially the concierge –Jeffery (I think) who went above and beyond with some recommendations and drawing them out on a map for us which was needed because there was no amenities/​attractions book in the room. several times had to call the front desk and couldn’t get an answer and room was not fully serviced the first day.
The bar has a cool water front vibe though prices are high which I guess you expect at a resort.
The room itself was very small and had a feint fish smell. Couldn’t tell if that was from the restaurant, the outside or something else. Biggest complaint was the only visible outlet was in the bathroom which had no fan. Had to pull the bed out to access an outlet for the typical cell phone chargers.
Pool was nice and chairs comfy, though there were a small family of crabs in the pool so not sure if that is normal or not but was definitely entertaining to see.
Overall full price here is way too high, we used a groupon for our rate which is what gets it an okay value rating from us

Absolutely HORRIBLE service. Left the dock master several voicemails, called every phone number on the automated directory and never received a call back after 2 days. We were traveling by boat from Philadelphia and still never heard back once we were within an hour away. Thank god for Charleston city marina! They were great. If I were you I would go to the city marina and not this hell hole!

I understand that hotels have overheads, profit margins and other expenses. They need to make money. I get it, but…
If I’m going to be charged over $ 250 per night with an additional $ 12 per night «resort fee» I have some expectations. I expect my room to be in near perfect condition (this isn’t a $ 34.99 per night place). Please see the pictures of my room, RM 321. At first glance the room was bright and festive. After only a few moments in the room many of the flaws were obvious (dust, rust, disrepair, unsightly outlets). Again see the pictures.
Here’s the short version. This was last stay here. It’s just way too expensive for the convenience of being close to attractions and for what you get. If their weekend rates ($ 270) were the same as their weekday rates ($ 125) I would give them 4 stars. But I’ve been left with the feeling that I’ve been overcharged.
As an added disappointment, I was told that I could not park my motorcycle under the awning on the first day only to find that another motorcycle has been there for the past two days! Thanks guys!
Unless you get a rate under $ 188 ($ 200 — $ 12 resort fee) you might suffer from feelings of disappointment.

We love to visit Charleston as often as we can. Every time we do we stay at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina. We do this because we know we will have great rooms for the price with extras. I enjoy all of the authentic artwork on the walls. We can depend on the extremely helpful, respectful, caring staff that go out of their way to make sure our needs are met. The breakfast is very good. The pool is ok, nothing exciting but with so much else to do it doesn’t matter. It is right next to museums, restaurants, and a golf course. There are activities planned if you want to participate or you can check out a bike an go for a nice ride on the bike path. It is always a great experience.

Really loved this hotel and the ambiance. Friendly front desk and staff. Everyone said hello, even the guy pushing trash from the marina. Good ol’ southern hospitality. Our room was upgraded to a balcony room with great harbor views. They have laundry facilities, a great bar, and several restaurants onsite plus a free shuttle. Really liked the décor in the room with the bright harbor and beach motif. They also have bikes you can use. Would definitely recommend!

I would never stay here again. First, my room had not been throughly cleaned when I checked in — there was a used bar of soap in the shower and no shampoo. This morning as I was getting ready I realized there was no hairdryer. It took 15 minutes and more than 5 calls to get someone to bring me a hairdryer. This place is in need of new management that understands the business travelers or really any traveler and cares about meeting expectations. Finally I ordered room service last night and it was not only the worst shrimp and grits I’ve ever had, they delivered it in a styrofoam container in a bag. That’s take out not room service!

I stay here 3 – 4 times per year I don’t understand individuals complaining about the cost as this hotel is the most reasonable in the area with the best amendies. They offer great amendies such as a free shuttle to downtown Charleston, free bikes to ride around town, free internet, a board walk, free concerts for guest in the summer, a swimming pool, free coffee/​tea, and a very polite staff.
I love the fact they remember who I am… It’s one of the reasons I keep coming back.

Average at best. Poor value for the price. Room was small, bed moved with every breath. View very nice.
The pool was nice and clean, no pool service while we were there. The restaurant is good with very nice views of the battle ship. There is construction going on during the day.

I hate to pop the nay-​sayers bubble, but I also booked through Hotwire and I am totally happy with the hotel, my room, the drinks, the food, the view (did any of the negative Unilocalers catch either a sunrise or sunset – awesome), the staff, the parking, and the free bicycles. The hotel is going through a renovation (hence a 1-​star deduction), but this is a quality place.
I spent around $ 120 out the door via Hotwire and local taxes/​fees. Would return in a heartbeat!

Spent the past two nights at this wonderful resort. Was a bit apprehensive due to some reviews mentioning construction noise, but we didn’t hear a thing. Got a great rate online, nice view of the harbor, and near the USA Yorktown.
Breakfast buffet was expensive ($ 14.95) and the food was nothing special.
The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.

I would give this place negative stars if I could. It’s hands down the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at. Don’t stay here, motel6 is better. Had bloody sheets 3 nights in a row and terrible service. When we stripped back the bed because we had to change our own sheets, the bed cover was also bloody. Told the staff and nothing happened. And when we checked out and showed the manager pictures, didn’t get any compensation or anything. This is the first time I’ve written a review for a hotel because no one should go through what we went through.

Poolside drinks are pricey but it’s hot out and I don’t care!
Other than that, this is a decent resort. I’d say a solid three stars. No more though, the pool has been consistently filthy on many of my visits and it’s pretty unsatisfactory. Good location, plenty of parking, and fun activities to keep everyone entertained.

We stayed here because of a discounted price we received through
. We ended up spending about what we would have spent to stay at a mid-​level hotel. After staying there, I almost felt a mid-​level hotel might have been nicer.
The room that we stayed in was very outdated. Our view from the patio door with no balcony was of a parking lot visible through two palm trees growing right up in front of the door.
There was no place to set up your luggage to unpack because there was very little room between/​around the furniture in the room.
Nice TV, but no good channels. Staying with a 2 year old and a 4 year old, it’s always nice when there’s a nick jr or disney jr, but no dice. We turned the tv on the first night and realized there were no good channels, so we watched tv on our own iPads the rest of the stay. Which could have been better if the internet connection wasn’t so slow.
The mattresses and pillows were very uncomfortable because the mattresses were very dated (I know this because my husband sells mattresses for a living). The pillows were all down pillows, which provides no neck support and leave you a little stiff in the morning. Most hotels provide a couple of different options in pillows, but the Marina did not.
The bathroom wasn’t necessarily dirty, but seemed very dirty, probably due to wear and tear and the fact that it needs to be updated. Also, they provide a blow dryer in the bathroom; however, the one in my bathroom didn’t work (even after hitting the reset button and trying it in several outlets).
All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this hotel (resort, ha!) to any of my friends. I’m sure there are better places to stay in the area, when we go back this summer, we’ll let you know! :)

I’ve been here 5 minutes and it’s going to get 2 stars already. We booked through club corp which in turn uses a travel agency. We got the best price u could get. With that I don’t expect the best views from the room. But really? We r on the second floor, and not only do we have the parking lot view, which I would not care, but we have to largest dumpster site right out out window! I have stayed at cheap hotels that didn’t have this kind of view from their worst rooms… Pretty sad. I would never stay here again! It’s the middle of March, I’m pretty certain they r not booked up and could have given us a better room! I DO not recommend, they don’t take care of the customer to the utmost! $ 300 a night and I’m starring at garbage!
*****UPDATE! Called front desk and complained. At 1^st they said that side of building is all booked up?! What? Anyway, it would cost more to move to other side with a view. We told them how unhappy and we would let our travel agent know. 5 minutes later they called back and gave us a room with a view. Thanks! U went from 2 star to 4
*****UPDATE UPDATE**** after spending a night in this place, I would NEVER come here again! It’s hot as heck in this room and it’s 1 am. I’m pretty sure the front desk was aware of this when they moved our room! The fan is so freaking loud it’s ridiculous!!! It is outdated! The bathrooms are icky. Do yourself a favor, go elsewhere!

We loved this place. Nice and quiet and not far from downtown. Fort Sumter is incredibly close by.
Our room was big with a nice TV and a soft, comfy king sized bed. It was an amazing value because we booked last minute on Hotwire for $ 60! Of course we upgraded to get a better view and with that fee, the resort fee, and all the fees Hotwire added on it was more like $ 100, but that was still a great deal considering all the amenities and the level of comfort/​how much we loved the room!
FYI though, I did not make use of the internet so no comment on that. Also, we only stayed 1 night so we didn’t get a chance to check out the restaurant, the pool, etc (plus it was 50 degrees and rainy, and it’s an outdoor pool)!
I was also very indecisive on whether to upgrade, and we actually used the restroom in the first room before I changed my mind. When I asked for the room change they were incredibly courteous and got me switched over right away.
Also, room service was quick and the food was good.

Stay there this past weekend, and it was a dismal stay. The room itself seemed nice and clean, and the staff was good, but so many issues, most small, but a couple were large.
1. Poor lighting. With every light on in the room, it was still «dark».
2. Slow internet. In fact, it would even freeze all together and lock up.
3. Curtain wouldn’t open. The wand wouldn’t pull the curtain open, so I had to pull the curtain from the top to open it, and it cut my hand.
4. Shower dispensers not locked. The soap/​shampoo/​conditioner vessels had locks, but weren’t locked. Anybody could have put anything in them.
5. Insufficient fan. The bathroom fan would not clear the room after a shower. I had to use the room mirror to get ready.
And these last three, were major to me…
6. Nice 42″(?) flat screen TVs, but poor standard def programming. Why have a 16:9 TV when you broadcast those black bars on every channel?
7. The ice machine was broke on my floor. I had to go up or down a floor everytime I needed ice.
8. And this one made me mad… I had 2 hours to kill, and found a decent movie to watch (even tho it was a poor picture). About half way into it, the picture went away. When I called the desk, they said it was common to lose programming when it rains. Really?
I would not go back to this resort based on the above issues.

I can’t speak for the hotel or the restaurant, but the pool area and the bar are great places to hang out during the warm weather months. The Marina is pretty standard, but no complaints about the slips or the staff.
Definitely worth a visit!