POSTCARD FROM…Pawley’s Island, South Carolina
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POSTCARD FROM…Pawley’s Island, South Carolina
Charleston restaurateur Brooks Reitz on the simple charms of The Pelican Inn—a 1840s B&B with a devoted following for its empty beach, swaying hammocks, and lowcountry cooking.
By Brooks Reitz
Hello from…
Pawley's Island, a quick beach getaway north of Charleston, SC
Where I'm staying…
The Pelican Inn, a truly distinctive lodging experience that is getting harder to find in America. Built in the 1840s as a summer home for a wealthy Southern family, the 8-bedroom property is a stay like no other. It's open from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year, and available as a full private rental the rest of the time. The current owners purchased the place in 2010 and resolutely refused to change a thing about the way it had operated for decades before. The paint is peeling, the furniture is shabby, and there isn't much to do beyond reading in the living room, sitting on the porch (one of the finest I've seen) and going to the beach—which is what you're mostly here for. The Pelican sits behind the tallest dune on the island, so walking to the beach through the canopy of oaks and over the dune feels like a fairytale. The beaches are clean and quiet compared to Charleston—my family and I like to take dips, read, and collect shells before grabbing an outdoor shower and changing in the room. There's no booze on site, but guests are welcome to bring their own—and most do, mixing up cocktails on the porch in the evening after returning from dinner outside the property. It's like being at camp, but the food is better and there are no counselors.
The best meal I had…
Breakfast and lunch are cooked daily for all the guests at the inn, who gather at 8:30am and 1pm sharp when Bruce, the proprietor, rings the bell. Every meal is served family style for tables of four, overlooking the marsh through a wall of windows. Meals are home cooked and hearty. My favorite was lunch on the second day—fried chicken, sliced tomato and green beans, topped off with homemade banana pudding.
Most fun thing I did…
We visited the nearby Brookgreen Gardens, a 9,000-acre wildlife preserve and sculpture garden. Trails wind through the beautiful property, just the antidote to the big meals at the Pelican.
A book I read (and would recommend)
Act One, the autobiography of the late American playwright Moss Hart. It's an invigorating rags-to-riches story and a truly quintessential American yarn about striving and succeeding on Broadway, and conquering New York City in the process.
A thing or two I learned…
Guests who stay at the Pelican Inn have a habit of returning year after year. This was our second annual visit, and we met guests who've been staying over the same weekend for 30-plus years. Getting your foot in the door the first time is the hard part—once you're in, you've got to book for the following year on the day you check out. Otherwise, your spot (and your room—you get the same one) will surely be snapped up.
The best thing I’m bringing home…
The famous Pawley's Island rope hammock, still woven in the Carolinas. If you stop by the Hammock Shops Village, you can catch them being woven by hand in the weaver's shed next to their retail shop.
Brooks Reitz is the founder of Jack Rudy Cocktail Co., owner of several epic restaurants in Charleston, and an amazing writer—with a great newsletter, A Small and Simple Thing.
POSTCARD FROM…Pawley’s Island, South Carolina
My husband and I stayed there for one night 40 years ago when car trouble delayed our departure after a one week stay in a cottage. We were lucky to get a room and enjoy an extra beach day.