Charleston National Vacations from $732

The Ryder hotel was great. Very modern inside, stellar pool area, and perfect location. We also were grateful they were able to do a bag check after we checked out. Our only con was our room window faced a block wall which for one was boring but also made our room very dark. Otherwise great stay! Also a bonus they gave a $10 credit to the coffee shop, loved it!

My husband and I have stayed in two other Relais and Chateaux properties (Hotel Wailea in Maui and Chatham Inn in Cape Cod) and both were stunning in terms of hotel grounds, cleanliness, room and hotel decor and staff helpfulness and service. For each of our three stays we were celebrating special occasions and all locations personalized our birthday and anniversary occasions with champagne and a personal note. Planters Inn sent a piece of coconut cake for my 66th birthday which was delicious and much appreciated. The downfall of Planters Inn is that room #226 had stains on a couple of the chairs and on the carpet. There was someone else's hair on the bathroom floor when we arrived which is a pet peeve of mine, especially at a highly rated hotel. The bathroom itself contained a plastic tub/shower instead of a walk-in shower. The mattress on the bed was old and unsupportive which did not lend to a good night's sleep and the "night stand" was so far away from the bed I had to sit up to reach my phone or turn the light off and on. What was worst of all was getting awakened at 6:30 in the morning to the sounds of trash thunking in the dumpster outside our window. It was in very poor taste for the hotel management not to have told us about the renovation going on which would have allowed us to make an informed decision about whether to book the hotel or not. We loved the city, the people, the food and the history but we will NEVER return to this hotel.

The room was over $500 a night. For that we found the following: 1. The air conditioner split in the wall was filthy. Black sooty gunk right where the air comes out. 2. The toilet paper holder was falling off the wall so we used the spare loose roll that was on a table. 3. Not enough hooks in the bath so we pulled in a small side table to hold the towels. 4. The charger system did not work that was on a table. 5. There was NO ROD TO HANG CLOTHES. For over $500 a night. There was an old crooked armoire with shelves and loose hangers lying flat on a shelf. I hung my clothing outside the armoire hanging off it's crown molding. 6.The continental breakfast was not maintained or manned. 7. There was no milk for coffee. 8. Several bike locks were broken. 9. One bike had a flat tire that I discovered half a block away. 10. The bike my husband used squeaked so badly that we bought a can of WD40 in town to use on the bike. 11. Finally, a sad, pathetic small horrible and weird fake painting over the fireplace. Great location, clean sheets, completely and utterly run-down. Would never ever recommend it.