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This SC luxury resort is among the most beautiful in the US, new ranking shows. Here’s why

Sarah Claire McDonald
·3 min read

Looking for a beautiful locale to visit for your next vacation?

Recently, a premier luxury resort in Beaufort County was recognized with 14 other resorts and hotels as being the ‘most beautiful’ in the U.S. by Trips to Discover in a recent ranking.

The report selected hotels, described as being “ultra exclusive,” from each corner of the country.

The featured resorts were chosen based on each of the hotel’s selection of scenery, architecture, spas, dining and room comfort.

Montage Palmetto Bluff, located in Bluffton, was the only destination chosen from South Carolina and was only one of two chosen from the Southeast.

Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton is one of three hotels in Beaufort County in the running for “Best in the South”
Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton is one of three hotels in Beaufort County in the running for “Best in the South”

The other resort located in the Southeast can be found in Miami Beach, Florida.

As for the Palmetto State, the Lowcountry’s Montage Palmetto Bluff offers guests several amenities and accommodations. When booking your stay, you may choose rooms in the inn or even a cottage.

A rendering shows the lobby of Montage Palmetto Bluff, which features a sweeping staircase, reclaimed pine flooring and an antique grandfather clock.
A rendering shows the lobby of Montage Palmetto Bluff, which features a sweeping staircase, reclaimed pine flooring and an antique grandfather clock.

Key amenities at the resort, as selected by Trips to Discover, include:

  • Accommodation in clapboard cottages with fireplaces and screened porches

  • Surrounded by waterways, bike trails, and a nature reserve

  • Access to multiple dining options, a riverfront marina, and a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course

Designed in classic Southern style, honoring the region’s architectural heritage, Montage Palmetto Bluff offers 200 accommodations including suites, guest houses and cottages.
Designed in classic Southern style, honoring the region’s architectural heritage, Montage Palmetto Bluff offers 200 accommodations including suites, guest houses and cottages.

The travel discovery website also described Montage Palmetto Bluff as being nestled in a thick maritime forest along the banks of the May River, providing an idyllic hideaway in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

The resort’s bathrooms are trimmed with marble and feature steam showers and teacup tubs.
The resort’s bathrooms are trimmed with marble and feature steam showers and teacup tubs.

“A former hunting lodge, it’s Southern comfort at its finest with accommodation in charming clapboard cottages with pinewood floors, working fireplaces, and screened porches. Surrounded by waterways, bicycle trails, and a nature reserve, your stay is sure to be memorable,” Trips to Discover states.

In addition to the luxury resort’s Lowcountry surroundings and offerings that compliment the region, the resort’s world-renowned spa includes wellness rituals that are inspired by nature and use local elements to provide an authentic sense of place, according to the resort spa’s website.

The expanded Montage Palmetto Bluff includes 200 accommodations including guest houses, suites and cottages.
The expanded Montage Palmetto Bluff includes 200 accommodations including guest houses, suites and cottages.

Montage Palmetto Bluff has several recreational offerings such as its shooting club, Wilson Lawn & Racquet Club, Golf or pools to name a few.

Other opportunities such as kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, scenic yacht cruises, biking, golfing and more were listed as available activities for guests and residents to enjoy at the resort as they experience their natural surroundings.

Interested guests may inquire about activities through the resort with a concierge.

Montage Palmetto Bluff sits on a 20,000-acre nature preserve, which is accompanied by a naturalist program with birding excursions, classes, private walking tours and several other offerings.

Because of its many natural elements, the luxury resort was also selected to be among the ‘12 Best Nature Resorts in the US’ in another ranking by Trips to Discover.

This handout photo shows Montage Palmetto Bluff’s May River Guest House.
This handout photo shows Montage Palmetto Bluff’s May River Guest House.

As for the most beautiful in the country, these 15 resorts and hotels were selected by the travel site.

  • Saybrook Point Resort & Marina Luxury Connecticut Oceanside Hotel, Old Saybrook, Connecticut

  • Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, Half Moon Bay, California

  • Amangiri, Big Water, Utah

  • The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

  • Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado, Santa Fe, New Mexico

  • Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California

  • Hotel Alyeska, Girdwood, Alaska

  • Wildflower Farms, Gardiner, New York

  • Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan

  • Triple Creek Ranch, Darby, Montana

  • Ocean House, Watch Hill, Rhode Island

  • Adero Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona

  • Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, Teton Village, Wyoming

  • Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina

  • The Setai, Miami Beach, Florida