Set on 20,000 acres of waterfront land encompassing a private nature preserve and two villages, this low-key family travel destination in the low-country of the southern United States offers an endless variety of things to do on land and on the water, no matter the season. We could spend many lazy days here “porching”, biking, and enjoying the good life like a glass of sweet tea — drinking slowly and savoring each sip.

Overview

At-a-Glance

• Date of stay: December 2020

• Length of stay: 6 nights / 7 days

• Trip type: Family road-trip to the Carolina lowcountry

• Property type: Sprawling resort and gated residential community covering 20,000 acres of riverfront in the South Carolina Lowcountry

• Tailor-made for: Active yet low-key family getaways where there is plenty to do and having a car on property is totally unnecessary.

Highlights

• Spacious three bedroom home in Wilson Village - excellent accommodation and great, central location

• Nightly fireside S'mores

• Dolphin tour

• Polar Express train

• Hiking and biking the River Road Preserve trail

Good to Know

• Dining was hit and miss - best meals were at Canoe Club and Octagon

• Though there were some very special service touches, the overall service experience had less of a personal feel, likely due to being such a large resort

• Lack of guest respect for the property - litter, leftover beverages, broken items

• Small showers in village home; home was a little worn

• Watch out for alligators in and near the water - there are lots here

—

Location & Setting

💛💛💛💛💛

Set in the heart of the Lowcountry, near Bluffton, South Carolina, Montage Palmetto Bluff is like a world unto itself. Arriving at the gates of the Palmetto Bluff community is just the start of a scenic, miles-long drive to arrive at the resort.

—

Property & Grounds

💛💛💛💛💛

A unique-in-the-world residential community and resort comprising two separate, distinct villages across a vast expanse of waterfront land and endless activities, Montage Palmetto Bluff offers guests the opportunity to feel like a resident in their upscale, "good-life" community while having access to all the amenities and services of a five-star resort.

—

Room

💛💛💛💛+

Guests can choose between rooms at the Inn, cottages along the lagoon, or residences in one of the two resort villages. We booked a Lagoon House Suite and were offered a heavily-discounted upgrade to a 3-Bedroom Wilson Village Home upon arrival, which we accepted. The Wilson Village area of the property is ideal for families, with access to all the Wilson Village amenities yet only a 10-15 minute walk to the Inn.

—

Service

💛💛💛💛+

Southern hospitality was on full display at the resort throughout our stay. Staff were accommodating, friendly, professional and courteous. Due to the size of the resort, it felt like it was a little difficult to make personal connections with the staff. However, the property offered texting-based service requests and updates, which was extremely helpful.

—

Dining

💛💛💛+

The resort offers an abundance of dining options, with 7 full-service restaurants, an ice cream parlor and in-room dining, including in the Village Residences. Due to COVID-19, we ordered takeout or in-room dining for all but one meal during our stay that we did not cook ourselves in our home. Kids menus are available at all dining venues.The dining was okay, but not great, with long wait times and the wine program could use some work. We did, however, have some notable dining experiences with Octagon and the Canoe Club.

—

Family Services & Amenities

💛💛💛💛💛

The resort is exceptionally family-friendly with endless things to do and robust seasonal programming. Paintbox, the full service kids program for children age 5-12, is offered daily for a fee. There is also a Montage Merit Badge program where kids can get badges for activities completed on property. During COVID, the resort introduced The Academy, a distance-learning program for school-age children age 6-17 visiting the resort, offered for a fee.

—

Activities

💛💛💛💛💛

Activities are really where the resort stands out, with extensive seasonal programs. ​There are too many to list, but there is truly something for everyone, and you could stay at the resort for weeks without leaving the property and still not do all there is on offer.

—

Wellness

💛💛💛💛💛

With the abundance of outdoor activities including biking , walking, hiking and paddling, Montage Palmetto Bluff is a haven for wellness seekers (except for the dining, which is full-on Southern home cooking). There are three fitness centers and a variety of fitness / wellness classes offered daily. A full-service spa and salon is located at the Inn.

—

Wow Factor

💛💛💛💛💛

The expansiveness and residential-feel of the resort combined with its staggering amount of activities on offer makes it truly one-of-a-kind. If the guests took more responsibility for helping to maintain the cleanliness and beauty of the place, including the resort's commitment to preserving the surrounding nature, instead of leaving litter and broken items throughout the resort, it would truly help up the wow factor.

—

Value

💛💛💛💛

This resort offers so much to do and see. While much is available on the resort, many of the activities are only available for an additional fee. The dining was also somewhat overpriced. Overall, the value was okay but not great relative to other resorts of this class.

—

Overall

💛💛💛💛💛

For a carefree family trip in the States with an endless number of seasonally-appropriate things to do, this place has much to offer.

Rating Legend*

💛💛💛💛💛 Exceptional

💛💛💛💛 Notable

💛💛💛 Standard

💛💛 Substandard

💛 Unsatisfactory

*All ratings are relative to similar-class properties