Family-Friendly Resort with Harbor Views

A statue of a leaping marlin crowns a bubbling water fountain, the creature's blue-green fins glimmering in front of the hotel lobby. The piece is a tribute to an 881-pound blue marlin that was caught in the Charleston Harbor Resort's private marina—the largest fish its kind ever caught in South Carolina. From its floating dock and numerous slips, the harbor looks out to Fort Sumter and the city skyline as sailboats, schooners, and yachts sidle up to the full-service facility. The marina, endowed with its own concierge service and access to a private beach, captures the resort's warm hospitality and maritime culture.

A nautical spirit intermingles with tropical colors and décor in the hotel's deluxe rooms. In the deluxe king accommodations, that takes the form of a bright palette of cobalt blue and gold splashes upon the plaid carpeting and floral bedding amid details such as seashell molding and sand-dollar curtain-clip rings. An electric fireplace stationed beneath the mounted flat-screen TV tempers the blustery sea breeze. Scenes of palm-tree-lined beaches come emblazoned on a pair of headboards in the deluxe queen room. Guests can share a bottle of white or red wine on the room's balcony, where adirondack chairs look out to the harbor.

A solid teak bar made from the wood of an old sunken ship sits on display at The Reel Bar at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, which serves casual bar fare amid old-fashioned tackle gear and antique dinner bibs made of fishnets. Guests can pick up their included s'mores kit for two at the bar and then head to the hotel fire pit to assemble their open-flame treats. The companion restaurant Indigo Grille serves up a seafood-centric menu with a southern twist.

Mount Pleasant: Natural and Historical Treasures near Charleston

The remnants of 4,000-year-old Indian civilizations are just a paddle away thanks to guided saltwater tours, which unveil the area's shallow bays and set up shop 2 miles east on Patriots Point Road. Elsewhere, 2-mile hiking treks through forest trails and blackwater swamp elucidate the area's rice plantations.

A half mile from the hotel, the Patriots Point Maritime and Naval Museum houses the antisubmarine aircraft-carrier USS Yorktown. Visitors can explore the flight deck, engine room, and wardroom of this 888-foot centerpiece or check out 1 of 25 eclectic aircrafts.