Experience Southern Hospitality at the Woodlands Inn

Located in the charming town of Summerville, SC, just a short drive from historic Charleston and its celebrated attractions, Woodlands is among the most decorated properties in the world and an easy, direct flight away from New York. Amid 42 acres of loblolly pines and landscaped gardens, you can enjoy a private hideaway as a personal guest in a beautiful, picturesque and welcoming home.

The list of awards is impressive indeed: it is one of only six properties in North America to hold the Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond awards for both lodging and dining. Noted travel authority Andrew Harper rates the Inn as one of America's top 20 hideaways, while Travel + Leisure has ranked Woodlands as number one in America for service as well as the best value of any Five Star or Five Diamond hotel in the country.

The property is owned by renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Sheila C. Johnson, who operates it through her company, Salamander Hospitality, which also manages Innisbrook Resort near Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL, and the under-construction Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia.

The setting is perfect for enjoying a variety of leisure activities. Guests can play tennis on the resort's English red-clay courts, swim in the year-round heated pool, enjoy a game of croquet on the manicured lawn or pamper themselves at the Day Spa.

Summerville originated as a "summer" residence for the first families of Charleston, and, at an 1888 International Congress of Physicians in Paris, it was declared that the town's climate was one of the two healthiest in the world for people with pulmonary disorders. Impressed by the area, Pennsylvania railroad baron Robert Parsons bought 100 acres of land in 1906 and constructed his family's winter home, known today as Woodlands.

Today, the property features 19 guest rooms and suites which have been recently refurbished to incorporate a traditional Southern style with modern furnishings, oversized whirlpool baths and separate showers, working fireplaces, divine bedding, plush robes, sitting areas and an ever-changing assortment of pastries and confections at turndown each night.

In addition to its elevated level of service, Woodlands is well known for its stellar cuisine and extraordinary wine list in The Dining Room. As one of only a select group of Five Star and Five Diamond restaurants in the country, The Dining Room attracts patrons from all over the world. Despite the lofty reputation that Charleston enjoys as a culinary destination, locals often say that "Charleston's best restaurant is in Summerville."

For more information or to make reservations at Woodlands Inn, call 800-774-9999 or visit www.woodlandsinn.com.

Hotel Profile: Woodlands Inn