A love note to my favorite boutique hotel on the peninsula

From the minute you step foot onto the grounds of Zero George, you feel like you're home.

Upon arrival, you are greeted by the cozy, intimate ambiance of the courtyard from the bicycle cruisers lining the brick carriage house, the blooming magnolia trees, gas lanterns, and beckoning piazzas. It was one of the first places that I experienced when I moved to Charleston from California, and I immediately knew that if this city was anything like the Zero George, I'd easily fall in love.

Tucked away at the tail end of George Street, this charming boutique hotel comprises of a collection of five restored historic residential buildings with a contemporary touch. An 1804 carriage house, where you will check in with the concierge, also houses the show kitchen where you can take cooking classes every Wednesday evening and Saturday afternoon. Of course these aren’t just any cooking classes. Food + Wine recently distinguished them as one of the best new cooking classes in the world.

Each morning you are treated to a Mediterranean-style breakfast buffet complete with smoked salmon, prosciutto, yogurt, eggs, granola, quiche, and warm biscuits from "Callie's Hot Little Biscuit" on King Street. The coffee is something to be coveted with a 24-hour coffee centre that with a click of a button you are served anything from a latte, cappuccino to an Americano.

Each evening when the clock strikes five, you can make your way to the bar where you are served complementary wine and cheese plate that you can enjoy on your own private piazza. The Zero Cafe + Bar touted as a "Top Foodie Hotel in the World" by Conde Nast Traveler, features locally grown, seasonal ingredients- an a la carte dinner menu to be enjoyed in the courtyard on a warm night. 

The freshness of each room at Zero George cannot be beat. Feeling spacious yet intimate, the guest rooms greet you with high ceilings, natural linen fabrics, heart pine floors, light and soft color scheme and private furnished piazzas. Their bathrooms are designed with marble and tile showers and marble countertops. Little details like glass water bottles with their signature "O" logo and a small bag of chocolate at your bedside adds a sweet and simple sentiment after a full day of exploring Charleston.

The Zero George is truly a southern experience with a contemporary touch that keeps you beckoning for more. I’d recommend it to anybody looking for a sweet little getaway in our historic city.